From the article: Frugal Quilt Patterns
Are you a Frugal Quilter? Do you take steps to keep your passion for quilting from ruling the checkbook? Join the conversation by sharing some of your favorite frugal quilting tips with members of the online community. Share Your Frugal Tips
Watch for bed skirts at thrift shops
- Bed skirts are a great find for the draping around the bed, and you'll see them in all kinds of solids and prints, and in different styles.
- —Betty_zoo
Some other fantastic fabric
- Check out the wonderful Indo Canadian "suits" and saris that come into thrift shops. Some of the trims are absolutely stunning...great for Crazy Quilts.
- —Guest Marilyn
Nana Kay
- I use pillow cases in either solids or prints when I can find them in the thrift shops. Often I pay no more than $2 for a nice full/queen pillowcase. Just be careful of the threadcount.
- —Guest Nana Kay
Watch for the Sales
- I try to buy at sales only and, every once is a while, the cotton devil takes control and I splurge on something that calls my name. Now I'll probably do less shopping, work from my very flush stash, and only fill in when absolutely necessary. Just hope the magazines and books take note and give us more patterns with an artistic flair, less reworked ones with the only purpose of showing off a new line. I addition, I would hope that most of the fabric companies out there wise up and delete the junk and poor designs. I look at this as the opportunity to have years of quilts and patterns worthy of the time and expense involved in their making.
- —Guest CIhcVtpPQirDA
Free Bag bases
- If you want plastic for bag bases go to your local xray clinic and ask them for the sheets that come in the packets of xrays. They give them away for free.
- —rebeljane1
Confetti Quilt Blocks
- Save all clipping of fabric, thread, ribbons, etc for these blocks. Cut a backing and a sheer fabric to desired size; sew up three sides and fill with your confetti. Stitch over the content to stabilize securely and sew blocks together.
- —Guest ShirleyR
You havn't seen frugal until
- At $25-$28 a yard for fabric in Australia, I now save every scrap. I like to trim up scraps into different size squares or rectangles. Store beside the machine and piece 2 scraps each time you end a seam on your project. At the end of the project you have a mini scrappy quilt started.
- —Guest Linda
Grandma Janet
- Quilt binding............awhile back I learned in a class at church to double the width of the size of binding........fold in half lengthwise; treat it as single piece. Reason the binding gets the most wear and tear....so double it to last longer.
- —Guest Guest Janet
saving cotton thread
- Use a scrap piece of fabric at the end of a run of sewing quilt pieces together run, or anytime you can. This saves yards/metres of cotton ending and starting a project.
- —Guest chunkycheese
cardboard flat material centres
- These are thrown away by shop keepers after they have sold all the material wrapped around them. I use them for the base of bags. The latest was to carry the weight of a sewing machine! Worked great.
- —Guest chunkycheese
yarn scraps
- those tiny pieces I cut off a finished hat or scarf....save to throw for birds to make nest. When weather allows, I like to comb my hair outside and let it fly for the birds to use.
- —Guest Janet
Frugal Tips
- I like to find old sheets as well as old ironing board covers. I use old sheets for cutting any size squares then sewing fabric scraps onto it. The ironing board covers will be the bottom of hot pads....great! You can buy this in fabric store, it is silver and resists heat.
- —Guest janet
Dryer sheets
- I do a lot of crafts, and I am very frugal... I remember a few years ago when there was a hot debate over whether or not to use dryer lint as batting for doll blankets.... dryer lint is very flammable.... and some people had been warned against using it. My local firefighter told me if I was that worried about it, I should install a sprinkler system in the doll house. In other words, a fire is a terrible, destructive force and dryer lint or dryer sheets aren't likely to be the make it or break it factor in the devastation of a house fire. Use them, they really do work like fusible webbing (which, by the way, would react the same way in a fire).
- —Guest Antmom
Fusible frugal
- I love to applique and do quite a bit of it with the help of fusible web. So I always have a great selection to work with. I apply the web as I go to the scraps of fabric I am cutting for other things. Pieces as small as 2" square can yield a great amount of applique pieces. I store them all in a shoe box I covered in scrap fabric with mod-podge and bits of trim. That is another fun project you might enjoy - the possibilities are limitless. I also save all my thread and string cut-offs, mix them with fiberfill and stuff that in onion bags. Hang it from a tree and the birds will pick it empty for their nesting materials. To smart34- if this is going too far I guess you better scoot over because I'm going with you - and I'm bringing a few friends!
- —Pat.P
Make a Charm Quilt from Your Stash
- Cut a 2 1/2 inch square of every scrap and fabric you have in the house and sew together, with no two exactly the same, I have 640 at the last count and 3 more bins to go through -- and an interesting quilt top or backing. Always buy the best quality fabric you can afford, especially if the quilt is to be used by children or in a nursing home, as these are very harshly laundered and well used. Always lock-stitch the beginning and end of all seams tol prevent the piecing from coming loose as it is washed. To date I have made 107 quilts for family, friends and donations. Save all scraps - cut to sizes you prefer and save in clear plastic boxes with lids. I sort by prints, plains and certain projects I am planning. Paper piecing, log cabin, 2 1/2 inch strips etc. Keep a small notebook in your purse and attach small samples of fabrics you want to co-ordinate when you shop -- this saves a lot of time and money. Use all cotton thread -- polyester, rayon and nylon will cut cotton fabric in time.
- —Guest bonniebee
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