If you have the hobby of sewing or quilting, you know that some of the materials can cost you a pretty penny and is often what keeps you from starting that next project you are excited about. Here are some tips to help you get some fabric and other materials for all of your quilting and sewing projects!
How to Save Money on Fabric and Quilting Materials
Think outside the bolt. What is one large piece of fabric that most households have? That's right! It's curtains, sheets, and tablecloths! You can use these as fabric for anything from making dresses, to quilts and even cloth diapers. If you have some sheets that you are no longer using, consider using it to make something!
Shop thrift stores. They are a treasure trove of low price fabric. You can wait until sale days and check out the bedding section for sheets or many stores actually have a craft section now where they sell fabric remnants and many of them are vintage, large and great quality!
Look on your local Freecycle network's website. Often, you will find fabric from other people's projects, bedding, and even thread, quilt batting and if you get really lucky, a sewing machine that still works.
Summer is here and garage sales are in full swing in most areas of the country. Take advantage of this by looking for what you need. Usually, you can find fabric and bedding for rock bottom prices because people are trying to get rid of their scraps so they no longer have to store them. This is the perfect time to look for small pieces of fabric to use for quilt squares.
Let people know you are looking. Place an ad on a free site like Craigslist and tell the world you will gladly take their fabric, bedding, tablecloths and even old-t-shirts off their hands. Pretty much everyone has something they can part with and will gladly give it to you to get it out of their storage.
Buy remnants at fabric stores. Rather than throw away fabric that was cut to the wrong size or someone changed their mind about, most major fabric stores sell the remnants for 50% off or more. Look in the end-caps of the aisles and you will probably find a big bin of them. They are also great to look through to get inspiration, too!
Look for coupons. Many of the major craft stores or fabric stores have coupons especially around certain times of the year like back to school or the change in seasons. These coupons are often good for 30-40 or even 50% off. Stock up when these sales happen. You may be surprised to know that many stores have Black Friday deals as well! To make sure you don't miss these coupons, ask that circulars be mailed to you as well as signing up for their e-newsletters. Here are tips for saving money at Hobby Lobby.
Re-purpose something you already have and make it new again! Old t-shirts can be a great quilt for a teen that is graduating from High school, for instance.
What are some ways you save on fabric or quilting supplies? I would love to know what you do to save money!
Free Sewing Patterns
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Donovan says
I have luck scoring free fabric at furniture stores. Stop in and ask if they have any outdated upholstery samples or binders of old swatches. Try a few stores or call around, sometimes they are happy the outdated samples will actually be used.
Alea Milham says
Great tip! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Amber P says
Old jeans make great quilt square or can easily be made into a bag of skirt. The bonus is some of those projects you can use the seams already sewn into the clothing! Buying cheap or used tshirts can also be a great way of getting knit fabric for smaller projects (ie undies, children’s clothes, etc). I have also used felted sweaters to make diaper covers but they would work well for all kinds of projects. I used ones wrecked by family members and friends but thrift stores sometimes sell nice ones for very little that you can do as you want with. You can even frog a gorgeous sweater for the yarn sometimes (although I have never attempted this yet).
Bette Hundley says
I am 6 ft. tall and find it almost impossible to find a bra with a larger band and a small cup size such as 44 band and A cup. This is a common problem for tall women. Our skeletal circumference (band size) is not in coordinated with our cup size. After putting up with only one source of bras, I would love to have a pattern and instruction to make my own bras.
I remember Strech and Sew used to have instruction years ago.