#quilt shop

[creations-by-chaosfay]

I, unfortunately, cannot afford to buy anything, even though I very much need more fabric. Go treat yourself to a grab bag of quilting fabric if you can. These are such a fun delight.

[tinajoweiss]

🙂🙂🙂

[thedigs]

Kim finds her Happy Place. Billings Montana

It went on and on. Room after room.

[bevanne46]

How to Build a Fabric Stash without Breaking the Bank

Fabric can be expensive but it doesn’t have to be.  If you are not stuck on Name Brands or Specialty Fabric Store Exclusives here are some ways to build your fabric stash without costing an arm and a leg. I have made many beautiful quilts using various fabrics from various supplies. And I believe that the quality is not just in the fabric you use but also in your stitch work and seams sizes. If your seams are less than a ¼” they will not hold (personally I prefer to use a ½” seam allowance). If you are not securing your thread ends, your stitch work is going to come undone. So be sure to watch these things too.

Look for fabric at your local Thrift Store (Goodwill, Value Village, etc.)

I have found some wonderful fabrics in various sizes, notions, storage items and more at my local Thrift Stores. I have even found unfinished quilt tops that I have brought home and added a backing to then quilted. Remember that almost any size fabric remnant can be added to other remnants to make some wonderful scrappy quilts so save your own remnants after making a quilt, you may be able to use it later in another quilt.

Look for local Fabric Sales held by Quilting Guilds in Your Area.

We have 2 near me every summer.One charges $2 per pound for any fabric. The second one charges $2 per yard for any fabric. Both also sell batting, notions, books, machines, tools, and more.

Look for fabric on Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor and other sites.

I sell extra fabric on Marketplace and Nextdoor. I have also found several ladies near me selling fabric that I have purchased. And some I have purchased with shipping to me.

Look for older 100% Cotton Sheets at your local Thrift Stores.

Back in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, Quilts were not show pieces. They were real functional blankets that were made from any and all fabrics they could get, usually used clothing. I think there is no reason why we cannot still do that instead of buying expensive fabrics. I have often used clothing, sheets, curtains, and other linens to make some wonderful, usable quilts. And there are some wonderful patterns you can use for quilts in bedsheets from the 1980’s and 1990’s. Note: I always wash anything from a Thrift Store before I use it.

Watch for Fabric Sales and Coupons for Joanns, Hobby Lobby and other Fabric & Craft Stores.

I know some quilters believe that the fabric from Joanns & Hobby Lobby is poor quality but I have not found any bad fabric from these stores.  We do not have a “Quilting” store close to me and because I’m handicapped, I will not drive an hour or more just to buy expensive fabric.  If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to afford to quilt.  I will also buy fabric from Walmart but I am more careful with my selection there as most fabric at Walmart is good but I have had one or two pieces that I felt were poorer quality.

Watch for Fabric Sales and Coupons for your Local Quilt Shop.

Quilt shops will also have occasional sales and/or coupons so if you prefer to shop at these locations take notice of when they have sales. Also ask if they ever give discounts to seniors or military.

Use New or Older Clothing.

I have made a lot of beautiful Memorial Quilts from a loved one’s clothing and T-Shirt quilts. I will use jeans, work shirts, uniforms, flannel, cotton, polyester and even some knits.  These can be a little trickier to work with because they are often stretchy fabrics but they will add a wonderful texture and visual variance to your quilts.  I recently found a pair of cotton pants with Mickey Mouse on them. I fell in love with them because they were so colorful, and I love bold colors. I found several other cotton fabrics that matched the colors in the Mickey pants and made a bold colorful quilt!

Rethink Your Backing Fabric

No one ever said your quilt backing had to be all New Cotton. You can use Fleece, Flannel or Bed Sheets as well. On many occasions I have found some wonderful fleece blankets on clearance and used these for my quilt backing.  Joanns right now has a great clearance sale on Flannel fabric. The best part about using some of these is that you can get then in a wider width so you may be able to make your backing in all one piece instead of 2 or more like when using regular cotton (unless you want your backing to be in various colors/patterns).  You can also use new or older cotton bed sheets for a quilt backing. Again, you can make your quilt backing in one solid piece with a sheet!

Check the Clearance Section for Your Favorite On-Line Stores

I have several on-lines stores that I love to shop from (e-Quilter, Missouri Star, etc.) but sometimes they can be expensive so I always check the clearance section of these stores. There are times I will find some beautiful fabrics on clearance so will purchase it then look for matching piece everywhere else so I can get the best deals. Also check for on-line sales from Joanns, Hobby Lobby and other on-lines stores that sell fabric and/or sheets.

Check Out Your Local Garage, Moving and Estate Sales

I have found some of the best deals at moving and estate sales because often the seller is willing to bargain with you. I once found an estate sale where a family was selling off all their mother’s quilting and sewing items because she had passed away and none of then sewed. There was more fabric and notions than I would have used in a year so I found lots of thread and items I purchased at a great price.

Note on Batting

I know that many quilters believe that the only batting you should use is expensive cotton batting. I disagree.  There are many forms of batting. Cotton/Poly blends, Polyester, and Fleece. I love cotton batting but cotton will break down quicker than polyester and I want my quilts to last a lifetime so for most of my quilts I actually use Polyester more often than not. I have taken the backing off many older quilts to do repair work and the cotton batting inside was all balled up and a real mess.

Now when I am doing the Quilt-as-you-Go method I use a Fleece batting. The fleece can be cut into smaller pieces, fabric added to the top and then sewn back together to make wonderful quilts. And the batting doesn’t get stuck in my machine.

Shop Around for your batting to find the best deals. Sometimes Joanns has a sale on batting but the best price I have found so far has been Walmart on-line.  I can buy a 96” x 9 yard Bolt of Poly Batting for just $30 on Walmart on-line. This bolt will make 4+ quilts depending on the size of the quilt and I will have lots of left overs for smaller projects like pillows, etc.  For me the best part is that because it’s 96” wide, I don’t have to piece together my batting before I can sandwich my quilt!

[nonasuch]

took the longarm quilting certification class at the fabric store today!

very excited to start whittling down my pile of quilt tops and start a new pile of actual finished quilts

[tj-crochets]

Two very different future quilt projects: the beach-themed quilt my aunt requested, and the bug-themed quilt I could not resist the fabric for when I went to the local quilt shop

[egophiliac]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HEADCANONS!! jade and kalim are my favorite characters and they in particular gave me so much joy. out of curiosity, whats your favorite way to knit? :) -the previous anon

I do continental and I will forever be a magic loop stan (magic loop >>>> dpns and I will die on this hill). I used to be a REALLY prolific knitter, always had something cast on, and there was one year where I somehow managed to make several pairs of (ravelry link) Fireweeds socks in the space of like a month for holiday presents. but I have early-onset arthritis and it started to really hurt my fingers, so I fell off and don't do nearly as much anymore. :(

mostly what I do these days is mini projects, like little lace panels or doll clothes/accessories that I can finish relatively quickly. I might not have the time or ability to do, like, full colorwork socks anymore, but I still like making stuff!

[knitflixandchill]

boo! 😈😖

mini quilt for my sister, who is moving across the country at the end of the summer 😭 fabrics mostly from the clearance at Joann's 🧵🪡

pattern is free from Sew Can She!

[darlingdawnvintage]

Vintage photo of Bette White ✨I love the fabulous 1950’s skirts ✨

[nepeteaa]

New packable tote bags coming soon!

Working on a new shop update to launch once preorders are completed! 🦊💛

[creations-by-chaosfay]

I received this in an email from one of the quilt blogs, Whole Circle Studio, I subscribe to:

I'll be giving a live, Zoom Aurifilosophy presentation + fundraiser on Tuesday, October 15th, from 6:30-8pm ET. All are welcome. All proceeds from this event ($15 per person) go directly to help Cheryl and Brian, the owners of my local quilt shop — The Yankee Quilter, rebuild after a historic devastating flood destroyed their shop last month. As a certified Aurifil thread collaborator, I'll be sharing fun and informative tips, techniques, and insights into my award-winning quilts. Join us for an online trunk show and exclusive Aurifil resources! Aurifil has also donated a few items that we'll be giving away to a couple of lucky participants. Registration is now open through The Yankee Quilter website. Don't miss this opportunity to learn, be inspired, and support a local business in need.

I, personally, will not be participating seeing as I need subtitles (audio processing disorder), and you can't put up subtitles for live videos unless you can tolerate a minute or more delay. If you can participate and are interested in doing so, register for the event.

[tinajoweiss]

[ernestsewell]

Working on the Designer Mystery quilt from 2022 for Fat Quarter Shop. The original finished quilt with the fabric they gave out was really nice.

I clearly don't have that fabric, so I'm winging it with my stash during No-Buy Stash'tember. There were 12 blocks sent out over last year, plus the finishing blocks (4 corners & center, plus log cabin star blocks).

So I'm basically cutting and sewing one block a day until I get to the hellish finishing instructions.

These are the first five blocks. The last pic is how the original pattern with the Nantucket Summer by Moda fabrics.

[bevanne46]

A happy reminder…

[dotsayers]

latest sewing project. every time i do a baby quilt i swear it's the last time i'll use stretch fleece and four quilts in i still haven't quit it

[tj-crochets]

Okay so my room is a mess (as always) but what do y’all think about this as the basis for a progress pride flag quilt? I know I’m missing brown, I don’t currently have any brown fabric except a single bit of woodgrain fabric, and I think the darker pinks in the trans pride section might be wrong, but I think the rest of it is pretty good!

Most of these are from a fat quarter back, but I might add one more fat quarter to each section just for a little more variety, and because the pack did not come with two different options for every color. Maybe a solid or variegated solid?

…looking at it again, I’m not sure about the blues and pinks I have for the trans pride section, I would absolutely welcome feedback on those