mariatherese

I live in Sweden , and like you I have a hard time finding supplies at a reasonable price. I use any solid cotton for backing so that is normally not an issue. There's this local store here where it goes for about £2-3. The batting however is really expensive. I buy polybattong on roll which is the only affordable option. I have a quilt top that I am considering getting cotton batting for, but the price is way to high.
If you ever go to London you can get great prices on fabrics ar Whalthamstow market. I've been there twice and did great deals £2 a meter for some small print cotton.
I order a lot from fabric shack, they have good overseas flat rate shipping on up to 9 yards and lots on sale.

kay carlson

Several years ago, I covered the top of a quilted bedspread which was soft and warm. My son used it for years and this quilt saw the inside of the washer and dryer often.

If you are looking at polyester or acrylic, you might consider a light weight thermal type blanket for the wadding in your duvet. It is easy to sew twill tape to the inside to secure the blanket in place. My favorite find was a flannel duvet cover from the thrift store. I had options: duvet, quilt, backing, etc.

Part of the fun I have in quilting is to re-purpose items. I'm not cheap, I'm resourceful! :-)

mamajack3

Where the is a will there is a way. Good luck!

donna13350

Also...don't just look for sheets at the thrift store...if you can find a "very large" dress or skirt and it's a print that you like, it will probably have a couple meters of very good fabric in it!

jul12

http://www.asding.com
of Redditch, Worcs. have the widest range of batting in the UK. Sold off the bolt minimum 1m. their prices are very competitive.

Knitette

Check out Fabric Guild here in the UK. Their fabrics are reasonably priced. John Lewis has a lot of half price Amy Butler and Lady Sew and Sew always has sale fabrics.

Hancocks of Paducah will ship to the UK for $10. I just got two quilt backs for £36 including shipping! The equivalent would have cost over £100 here! You do however, run the risk of Customs and Duty, but even the few times I've had pay over the last few years has been worth it.

Happy quilting

sparkys_mom

If you live anywhere near an IKEA check them out. At least in the US their fabric prices are fabulous. I've also purchased discontinued sheets there when they went on sale. I bought a king size set a few years ago and am still using fabric from it. It came with two pillow shams and two sheets ... LOTS of fabric! I think I only paid $10 US but it was a few years ago and it was on a deep sale price. Here's a link to a UK location:
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/ca...extiles/10655/

tellabella

Use Freecycle if you have it in your community ....you can post a request for fabric and you may be surprised at the response...I got lots of free donations for my school including 4 sewing machines for students, just asking on Freecycle...

solstice3

I buy flat sheets at thrift shops for backing. My grandma used light weight cotton blankets for batting. Not sure where she got them BUT she was thrifty. Also buy clothing articles at thrift shops, yard sales to cut up for patches. I have seen gorgeous pieces made this way

bigsister63

Great ideas ladies. There are plenty of free patterns on line so you do not have to buy patterns. You do not need all the "quilting gadgets" that are for sale. Do not buy speciality rulers since you regular ruler will do the job. do you own quilting- it may not be perfect for quilt show standards but as long as it is close enough so the batting does not migrate. it will work. KISS-Keep quilts sinple stupid- the more the elaborate the pattern the more fabric it takes due to the seam allowance. do not buy "stash" of fabric. Buy only fabric needed for te quilt you want to make. That way you are not storing fabric that you are not going to use right a way. If you can sew clothing for your kids you can save the scrpa pieces to make quilts.

All that said - no matter how you cut it- quilting is not a cheap hobby! quilting ia a expensive hobby. so maybe you might eed to not make as many quilts as you would like.