Oooh look at me, two posts in one day!
Remember me gloating about how I finally got round to sorting my scraps?
What I failed to mention was that I hadnt sorted out my Christmas fabrics, and seeing as I didnt use many Christmas fabrics this year I thought I would give some away.
There are fat quarters, scraps, some large some smaller. and I think some half yard fabrics included aswell, basically everything thats in the picture above.
I can foresee myself making a few quilt tops over the next few months but not being able to finish them. Whilst the festivities are now over, its left a huge dent in my bank balance so purchasing things like batting and backing fabrics is going to have to sit on the back burner for a while... But I dont want it to!!
Most of the battings I use are 100% cotton, as are my backings and whilst I've seen sheets and blankets in stores like Ikea and Primark I've always been a little warey of using them in my projects.
What I want to know is; what have you had success with? I would love to know exactly what YOU use in your quilts to save money. If you use sheets for backing then which ones?/where from? I would also like to know if anyone uses anything other then official quilt batting for their quilts and what sort of results they have had when quilting them.
If you dont make quilts thats ok you can still enter the giveaway. I'm quite keen to learn how to make my money go further when sewing anything! so any tips on anything sewing related will do.
I have tried to shop in online stores that are cheaper but find that they dont stock everything I want so end up going somewhere more expensive to save on postage costs.
This giveaway is open to anyone whos a follower of mine. To take part just leave a comment with a tip on how you save money when making a quilt. For an extra entry please mention this giveaway on your blog and come back and tell me you did.
One comment will be chosen at random and the winner notified by email. So please remember to include an email address in your entry if you dont have one on your blog.
TTFN
Dana x
Hi, it's me!.... I made all my Christmas presents this year...only one to go when the machine broke so....
ReplyDeletehttp://efemera-ink.blogspot.com/2011/12/needs-must.html
Got there in the end!
Im trying to make 1 Christmas thing a month this year so that I dont have so much to do in December, so this is perfect timing as I actually have very few Christmas fabrics.
ReplyDeleteMy tip is that instead of buying wadding I often scour charity shops for old wool blankets and use them instead. Another alternative to wadding is to buy cotton interlining used in curtains (sometimes called cotton bump) its really soft and lovely to use and makes wonderful quilts but is loads cheaper.
Hope this helps, cant wait to see the other tips that people leave!
If the quilt I am making is scrappy I have used old duvet covers...they are soft, weel washed and BIG, so that I can get the size right. My family are NOT allowed to throw away bedding without consulting me first.I ususally hand quilt, never had a problem and they last with no problems I have one made like this that has been in use for 8 years I have also used fleece backing and never had a problem...I do machine quilt it though.
ReplyDeleteThat shouls say ...WELL washed !
ReplyDeleteI always use new wadding but often use charity shop fabric for the front or back!
ReplyDeleteI've only ever completed one quilt (using Hobbs Heirloom 80/20). Though I have used curtain interlining to quilt bags, I'm not sure I'd want to use it in an actual quilt. Some of the waddings at Creative Grids are competetively priced when bought by the yard with free postage at the moment too plus 10% off for return customers if no more than 4 yards is purchased.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to start a patchwork jacket shortly and was wondering about using flannel/brushed cotton for the batting but feel that might be heavier than the batting!
Oh Dana, I'm really glad you asked this question. I haven't done any quilting or patchwork (I know, I'm a hopeless case) but I'm inteniding to make a duvet cover with old sheets, a cushion cover and a picnic blanket. I'll be checking back for any handy tips. Xx
ReplyDeleteWell Washed Op shop vintage sheets with nice prints for a thrifty backing. I have also heard of towels being used as wadding but I am not sure how well that would work but I am thinking I am going to give it a go!
ReplyDeletefantastic giveaway Dana!!
ReplyDeleteFor my last quilt,(although yet to actually be finished)I bought some extra wide cotton shirting (a yellow & blue stripe)from a shop in Goldhawk Rd for £3 a metre. It is really good quality but I have only got as far as basting it so cannot say how well it performs in a quilt.
For my other "wip" that I have, I have used some cotton IKEA fabric. It is in the kids section sold in packs of 3m for £5. It is light/med weight cotton & so far has quilted nicely.
All my other quilts have used plain flannel from fabricland around £4. I know that you are meant to use patterned backing to hide your sewing mistakes, but once washed the lines go all crinkly anyway and it makes a gorgeous cozy quilt.
I have a 100% cotton king size duvet cover bought brand new in TK MAx for £15 for my vintage linen quilt.
I'm working on a small tag blanket for my daughter using scraps and pieces of baby clothes I loved in it. So far it has been a lot of fun choosing the pieces of clothes!
ReplyDeleteI have used a fleece blanket instead of backing and wadding - it gets fluff EVERYWHERE, but works a treat for a small cozy quilt for the kids.
ReplyDeleteI have used 100% cotton sheets for sashing, but it was a bit thin and maybe a false economy.
I use Klona a lot, not Kona, cheaper, feels stiffer until you wash it.
My money saver this year - use what I have and try to stop buying more fabric for the sake of it!
How I save $ when quilting...
ReplyDelete-making small quilted gifts for friends and family instead of running out and buying something
-Ikea sheets as backing etc....not quite as good as expensive fabric but plenty good enough for me
-using scraps right down to the smallest ones.
-using fabrics from favorite clothes etc that are worn out but still have useable fabric
-I once bought a couple of cotton dresses on sale for $12 each just to use for fabric, and I'm still using them since they're made of great batik fabric
Thanks for the giveaway
I am a bargain shopper for most everything I buy and quilt supplies are no different. I watch for great sales both in stores and online and buy basic things like batting and backing fabric only when it's deeply discounted. Quilting is still an expensive hobby, but wonderful nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteI am trying to use what I have in my stash as a way of saving money. I have used Ikea kids fabric and flat sheets as backings and they quilted fine. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThis will sound absolutely terrible but I hate spending money on things. I very rarely spend full price on fabric i.e will always buy it on sale or with a discount code. Ironically though my stash is huge (my last blog post will show you that).
ReplyDeleteI learned from my mum in this respect. She was brought up a good highland woman who recycled EVERYTHING and was exceptionally frugle. I have bought fitted and flat sheets heavily reduced to use as "solids" in my stash. My mum bought big bolsters cushions that were reduced to 50p in Dunelm Mills, again to use as solids and I just rip/cut out the seams.
I try to save money on crafts by shoping the thrift stores. I am a follower
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful scraps!! Ohhhh!!! I would love to win them! I have used sheets for backings-- mainly I like to use only 100 percent cotton SOFT sheets... and for batting, I have used old blankets with good results. I am all for saving money! :-) Thank you for the chance to win this fun prize!
ReplyDeleteI save money by buying fabric and batting only when it's on sale!
ReplyDeletePretty :-) I say one woman's scraps are another woman's stash ;-)
ReplyDeleteI learned a new idea today - a friend showed a quilt she'd made from Men's shirts. You could always use women's shirts too - but there wouldn't be as much fabric in them. Search thrift stores, yard sales, search for all cotton shirts. Make a quilt top with small/smaller pieces and your shirt scraps will suffice nicely.
You might have to "adjust" your color taste though. When there is a bag sale - all you can stuff for $5.00, roll the garments up and you'll be able to get lots of shirts into the bag.
Also = I have seen quilts with no batting at all. Down south where we live you could use a quilt like that in the summer. :)
Good luck and good quilting!
Cathy Byrd
byrd@gulftel.com
I seldom used expensive fabrics unless I wanted to make special gift to someone special. I bought Japanese cotton fabric. I will substitute the batting with throw from ikea, result almost the same. I hope this will help.
ReplyDeleteWell, one way to save money on quilting is to win a giveaway! LOL! The first quilt I made (this past summer) was made with fabric I won in a giveaway. If not for that giveaway, I probably wouldn't have got started yet. Now I find that I save money by shopping online sales. It is somewhat limiting but heck, I'm a beginner and am just kind of building a workable stash. I'll be glad to learn of any tips for saving $$.
ReplyDeleteDana, the batting cost sure does add up! I have successfully used synthetic blankets inside quilts, after cutting off the bound edges. Works wonderful and they are lightweight. I have also used inexpensive, light colored solid fleece fabric, which can often be found on sale after Christmas, and comes 60 inches wide. I have not used a sheet as a backing, just too nervous about how it might look. For backing, I suggest www.connectingthreads.com. Look at their clearance fabric! Great quality!
ReplyDeleteAs i have only one fabric shop in town, and they don't usually have much of what I want, I find most things online. To help keep costs down, I wait until I have a large enough order (to save on shipping costs), and use fabricdonkey.com to source discount codes. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI haven't made a quilt, but am hoping to start on mini quilting projects this year and have been collecting fabric from everywhere....including charity shops as so much cheaper and can get some good quality fabric if you 'hunt' x
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid my tip may be more useful for people stateside, I find amazing deals on craigslist from people destashing and passing on inherited items.
ReplyDeleteAlso freecycle and thrift shops :)
I'm using a sheet right now for backing on a quilt, this is the first one I've used so I'm going to hope for the best!
I use duvet covers for backing and I have also seen some lovely results with the fleece throws from ikea. They are less than a fiver and you don't need any batting at all.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous fabrics xx I always buy the cheapest wadding in Dunelm Mill for my quilts although they put the price up by 50p a metre just before Christmas. The first one I made about three years ago for my daughter and it still washes up nicely. I also bought their polyester sheeting to use as the backing as it was a large size and very cheap to buy and I didnt have to put a seam in.
ReplyDeleteI use old sheets and quilt covers for backing wall hangings but haven't used them for a quilt as I've never had the right size or colour. I do keep an eye out for flat sheets in the sales as they're great for quilt backs as there are no seams! Oh, and I've used fleece blankets as backing for baby quilts. And I chop up pieces of wadding and use it to stuff pin cushions...great post - thank you!
ReplyDeleteTo save money I always use as much of my stash as possible without buying new fabric. And I piece my leftover batting by running it through the machine.
ReplyDeleteYour fabrics are yummy!
The quilt I made for my daughter's Christmas present was created entirely of thrifted, salvaged, and repurposed items. The top is pieced from old denim, using a technique that my grandmother taught me before she died. The backing is a solid coloured sheet in excellent condition that I found at Value Village. The batting I used is used fleece blankets from some other thrift shop. I frequently use "vintage" sheets as backings or to make clothing for my girls. Sometimes I can score some sheets in really good condition, but before you go to the checkout, open them up all the way and search for overly worn spots.
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned your giveaway on my Blog :)
ReplyDeleteI've used a flannel sheet I found in the charity shop inside a quilt, I didn't want to spend on wadding and the sheet was £1! I've also bought clothes from charity shops for use in quilting and other sewing projects, a pair of womens Boden trousers with a gorgeous print was one of my best finds. I think it very much depends where you live and the 'quality' of the charity shop though. Getting the word out locally about what you do helps, I've had mums at school give me bits of unwanted fabric and old denim (which I use quite a bit of). When I'm really desperate I put a message on my facebook wall asking for cast offs!
ReplyDeleteI saw a couple of ladies using wool blankets instead of batting last year, not sure how my machine would cope with that!
ReplyDeleteI have brought some lovely soft flannel cot sheets to use as backing on future baby quilts, I have found them in yellow and aqua so far, and I'm also planning on recycling some duvet covers that I picked up at the car boot sale too, I got a lovely Kath Kidston one for just £5!
I scour my local weekend market for the fabric stalls - I pick up linen and good quality cotton as cheaply as I can and I machine dye it if I don't like the colour.
ReplyDeleteI buy bags of old thread spools from flea markets and use for all my applique ... I don't have to shell out money for matching threads as I always have something that will do ...
I sharpen my rotary cutter blades - and only really throw them away if they have a chip - I use either a little hand cranked gizmo, or for a quick fix - cooking foil works ... fold up a piece into eighths and then run blade back and forth (on cutting mat!)
I buy sheets and pillowcases from charity/op shops - the older they are the better the weave quality, I find, so as long as they're old but not worn, the sheets make perfect backings and there's a lot of fabric on a pillowcase! If I don't like the colour, I dye em.
Thanks for the chance to win such fab scraps!
I've used
I've heard of folks backing with flannel, sans wadding. I've inherited part of my stash from friends, major store sales, thrifting, and garage sales. I have a weakness for online sales...
ReplyDelete