Readers Respond: Your Favorite Frugal Quilting Tips

Responses: 169

By Janet Wickell, About.com Guide

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My best method to keep my quilting from ruling the checkbook is to make lots of the familiar blocks that can be assembled with leftover strips, like 9-patch. I also make lots of Log Cabin and strip pieced items -- save your scraps and it is so much fun to go to them and make "something else."
—Guest marta

My mom loves flea markets and she buys me fabrics that were manufactured a few years ago for almost next to nothing. They are from well known manufacturers. Thank you Mommy!
—Guest Reichel

One tip suggested using sheet blankets for batting. It's been a long time since I have seen one of these. Where can I buy them or are they still available?
—Guest Joan

A friend gives me her cellophane dry cleaning bags. I tie a knot in the bottom and stitch any strip of fabric around the top edge so I can hang them separately on a folding peg rack. I separate scraps by color or combine colors that go well together. Save even tiny scraps--even an inch square. When I'm looking for something fun, easy and creative, I get out my mini iron and my fusible layout grid used for watercolor quilts and lightly "tack" bits and pieces of colorful scraps to the fusible grid (ignore grid lines). When the adhesive surface is totally covered, press scraps down completely. No worry about mixing colors or designs. This is the craziest crazy fabric you'll ever create. Lastly, I use very colorful but inexpensive sale threads and free-motion or fancy stitch to sew it all down thoroughly, covering the surface well, but let the fabrics show, too. Makes attractive purses, totes and such. No experience necessary and you can't go wrong. Roll up on tube until used. Have fun!
—Guest Frances134

I use cereal boxes to cut templates, and share patterns with my quilting friends, I save the blades from my cutter to cut the cardboard.
—Guest Doreen

I find old vests at Goodwill stores. They make great handbags and mini bags. I also buy old jeans at garage sales and make purses.
—jodiFarrell

If the birds make nests from fabric scraps they could die. The scraps holds water and won't dry out like straw would. Please do not throw them out for the birds.
—Guest Kara

I use cheap euro blankets instead of quilt batting, which here is about 12 euros per meter. the fleece blankets are sold at every discounter. The home department store rag blankets for use in moving vans work great, too. I also use the leftover scraps of other women I use cheap paper and fold it like origami, making the grid for a perfect log cabin by folding parallel lines. To Peggyhoo... log cabin quilts are grate for using up scraps
—Guest aunt mary

You know how you always end up with a variety of strips in sizes 1/2" on up? I straighten the edges of the strips first. If they're large enough to cut down into various squares and rectangles, I do that. I have plastic boxes from 2" squares up to 6-1/2". I have a variety of rectangle sizes, too. Any strips that I like and don't need to cut down (maybe because I have enough of that print already "future" cut), I sort into light or dark plastic boxes. I used really cheap (Joann's Fabrics) muslin for foundations and start keeping a variety of squares -- usually 12" blocks. I can go months before I start sewing the strips together. Eventually I end up with enough strips to make a very interesting pieced back. And I can usually get some sort of faux log cabin pattern, too.
—Guest VaBeachQuilter

I am so sorry your local animal shelter would not accept your cage mats. Shame on them! I practice my free-motion quilting on 20x20 or larger fabric sandwiches. Every January our needlework club donates old towels and rugs to the animal shelter but I didn't have any so I took my excess practice quilts, zigzagged the edges and donated them--they were delighted. The mats were large enough for cats and small puppies. Perhaps you could donate them to your church bazaar--we have a large pet section at ours--they would be a hit. Happy Quilting!
—gilbertkat

I use cleaned plastic canisters that contained snack items (from COSTCO) to hold those small fabric trimmings from larger projects. When I get enough of them, I may sort them according to color. Display them on a top shelf in your sewing area. They look pretty and you know exactly what you have.
—ahupuaa

I always wash my fabric before I sew it. When I iron it to fold and put away, I cut off all the strings from the frayed edges. Then I hang them out on the spruce tree for the birds to use for making nests. Is this going too far? :-) A scrap has to be really small for me to toss in the trash.
—smart34

A tip I learned from by grandmother in the 60's was to use a used sheet blanket for the batting in a quilt that's made to be used and washed often -- like a child's quilt. It worked so well, I still have a couple of them today.
—Guest lfoster_39@yahoo.com

i want to share my experiance when quilting. I always stitched my dresses myself and keep all scraps from fabrics to make a quilt. I made afew of them and stored pieces to make 2-3 double bed quilts. I am doing quilting along with crocheting and embroidery even at the age of 65 years and want to do more. It gives me satisfaction as well as helps me unwind myself.
—Guest shamim

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Janet Wickell
Quilting Guide