Where To Find Quilting Material

Whenever we are starting a new project or new hobby, just about anything can cause us to stop. For new quilters and sometimes for folks who have been quilting for a while, we can become obsessed about having the right quilting material. The good news, however, is that there is no "right" fabric to work with when it comes to quilting. You can find the "right stuff" at home, online or at your favorite fabric shop.

Around the House

The first place to look for quilting material is your home! This is the cheapest place because it is free. Look at those clothes you're about to throw away with new eyes. Old jeans are especially useful. You can cut them into 6 ½ inch square for a rag quilt. Quilters also regularly cut up men's shirts for material. Then there is, of course, the T-shirt quilt - a perfect gift for a high school or college graduate to commemorate their academic career.

Don't stop with old clothes, though. Think about unusual fabric for quilting. T he Gee's Bend quilters whose work hangs in museums made quilt of corduroy! I bet you can not find a quilt made today out of corduroy because it frays and it is hard to work with. Because that material was available to them free, that is what they used.

What fabric do you have in abundant supply that can be quilted? Try it out with a test wall hanging and see how it works. You never know...

Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann's, Hancock Fabric

These stores are where you go to for cheap fabric. These are great places if you are just starting quilting and you are not sure if you are going to like it.

Once you are able to tell good from cheap quality fabric (you can usually do this by the look and feel of the fabric) you can go into these places and pick out which works right for you. The price is the plus.

The quality when it comes to these places is the downside. They will tend to fade quickly. Most people, however, can not tell the difference. If you are not making a n heirloom quilt, go for it.

Local Quilt Shop and On-line Quilt Shops

You will find the best quilting material at your local quilt shop. It would be a good idea to pay regular visits to this resource just so you can get a feel of how high quality fabric looks and feels. You will pay for it, however. Fabric here can cost up to twice than that at the inexpensive fabric stores. The trick for saving money at your local quilt shop is to shop with the sales by getting on the shop's mailing list. When you do pay full price, consider it as supporting a community resource.

Don't have a local quilt shop in your area? Shop on-line. The downside to this is the limited choices and probably limited yardage. You will also need to add in the cost of shipping and handling. Going on-line is best if you know what you want and you are ordering enough of the fabric so that the additional charges do not really matter.

There you have three places for quilting fabric - your house, an inexp ensive fabric store and your local quilt shop. Use all the resources to keep turning out fantastic quilts throughout the years.