5 Ways to Make Quilting More Affordable
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Quilting is fun, but let’s face it — it’s not a cheap hobby by any means. Quilting fabric is expensive enough, but then you add in the batting, backing fabric, thread, and long arm quilting services, among other things. However, there are lots of ways to save money when quilting so you can still do your hobby.
Here are a few things that work for me:
Make Smaller Projects Occasionally
When I think of making a quilt, my mind instantly goes to queen bedspreads. However, there are lots of ways to quilt without making a ginormous quilt for your bed. I often get my “quilting fix” by making throw pillows, pouches, and accessories such as a cover for my heating pad.
I’ve made two king sized quilts, but most of my other projects end up being throw blankets. I love making quilted throws with holiday fabric or to try out new quilt blocks. They’re also fun when you don’t want to devote so much time to a huge quilt.
Do the Quilting Yourself with a Free Motion Foot
I love the look of a professional quilting job, but I’ve never had this done for any of my quilts. Prices can vary a lot, but most long arm quilters will charge by the square inch. The intricacy of the design and size of the quilt will determine how much you pay. Long armers are usually happy to give you a quote.
Long arm quilting great option if you want your finished quilt to look super professional. I recommend it if you can afford it, and there are lots of independent quilters out there to support.
I personally do my quilting on a regular machine with a free motion foot. If you want to save money, this is a great option. It does require some practice though. You can use quilt stencils to help you trace/transfer a design onto your quilt. There are also quilt templates that help you sew specific patterns.
Personally, I do completely free-form designs when I quilt. I like the randomness and it feels like my style. I usually do a series of scrolling loops like the ones on the pillow case below.
Save All Your Scraps
You’re probably doing this already, but if not, you definitely want to save your fabric scraps. I save everything. Even the selvedge that you cut off before cutting your pieces. And even the 1/4″ strips I sometimes cut off the edges of my charm pack fabrics. Everything.
Scraps are good for making lots of things. Scrappy quilt blocks are super popular and look very charming. You can also use scraps to make zippered pouches. And you can use scraps to make decorative fabric zipper tabs.
What can you do with selvedges and tiny little strips of fabric? If they’re big enough, you could use them for scrappy projects. If not, you can use little strips to make scrap fabric rope projects. This involves wrapping fabric around a rope and sewing it into things such as baskets or rugs. It’s a wonderful way to use scraps.
Buy Thread Multi-Packs
When I first got into quilting, the thing that surprised me the most was how much thread costs. I’ve been sewing for many years, but I had never bought quilting thread. It’s super high quality, so it makes sense why it costs so much. However, I can’t bring myself to buy it.
Instead, I get the Connecting Threads brand of thread on Amazon. It’s still not cheap, but it’s more affordable than most high-end quilting thread like Auriful. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to buy Auriful for every project if I could.
I have previously bought very cheap thread on Amazon, but it broke really easily while sewing and did not hold up well in finished projects. So my advice is to go a little cheaper on thread, but not so cheap that you’re sacrificing quality.
Learn Where to Buy Affordable Fabric
It’s almost impossible to pass up a beautifully curated fat quarter bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics or Moda or Ruby Star Society (three of my favorites). There are a few really well-known stores that sell quilting fabric bundles, and because they’re so big, they tend to have all the new fabric that comes out.
However, I’ve sometimes found better deals shopping with smaller stores. The selection might not always be quite as expansive, but I tend to find better sales and discounts. My favorite place to get quilt fabric is Green Fairy Quilts, but there are lots of other smaller businesses to shop with as well.
You can also find quilt fabric bundles on Etsy, oftentimes from indie shops that make their own bundles from multiple fabric collections. I love this. I’ve sometimes been able to find slightly better prices on Etsy compared to larger stores. But when I shop on Etsy that’s not my goal. I don’t want the indie sellers to be forced to lower their prices. I commonly will buy custom bundles on Etsy for fun, but not necessarily to save money.
One good way to make quilting more affordable overall is to supplement your stash with non-designer fabrics or just not use designer fabric at all. Places like Walmart have really adorable fabric too. I might be drawn to designer fabrics personally, but there’s no wrong place to buy your fabric.
As a side note, if you’re really into designer fabrics, I don’t recommend trying to find them on Amazon. I have never found good prices or selection on there. You can find a huge selection of non-designer fabric, though. I bought my first fat quarter bundle on Amazon and it was nice. I still supplement my stash with cute Amazon fabric like this sometimes.
Use Bed Sheets as Your Backing Fabric
I’m putting this tip last because it’s probably the most controversial. Traditional quilters tend to gasp as this idea and will tell you never to do this. But… I do it all the time. Bed sheets have long been used as quilt backing fabric, especially among people who just quilt for fun.
When I use bed sheets instead of quilt backing, I can cut the price of my backing fabric in half (sometimes more). I usually buy microfiber sheets like these on Amazon because they are soft and don’t attract pet hair as badly as certain other fabrics.
Not all sheets will be cheaper than quilt backing fabric. There are some really expensive sheets out there too. But it’s worth looking around to see if you find anything you like.
As much as I like using sheets, I will admit that quilting fabric is superior if you can afford it. Sheets can snag more easily and may not be made from the same quality of fabric. The thread count may be lower or the fiber may be of lower quality. You also have somewhat limited color options.
However, these things don’t bother me when I’m making a quilt for myself or a close friend. The bed sheet-backed quilts I’ve made for myself have all held up great. However, if I were making a quilt to sell, I would not use bed sheets.
What works for you?
If you’re looking for ways to make quilting more affordable, I hope these tips help you too. If you have any other money saving tips for quilting, I’d love to hear about them! Drop a comment below and let me know what works for you!
