Quilting on a Budget

There’s no debate the money in our wallets doesn’t go as far as it used to, and your boss may not be convinced you need a raise in pay just because your quilting habit needs more financial support. 

Things – everything from abacas to Zwilling knives (expensive German carving knives) – cost more today.  And on that list are quilting supplies.  Some quilting notions have remained relatively inexpensive, while some have experienced a rather sharp rise in cost.  What I want to do today is give you some ideas to keep your quilting expenses within your budget without taking away any of the joy and pleasure quilting brings.

First, we need to look at exactly what is needed to begin to quilt — the very basic supplies.  I have helped quite a few quilters get their “quilting legs under them.”  One of the barriers I immediately hit (especially if they come to my studio) is how much “stuff” I have and there’s no way they could afford all of that.  I’m honest with them:  When I started quilting I didn’t have all of this… stuff. I’ve quilted for over 30 years and what they see is an accumulation of rulers, fabric, thread, and patterns purchased over that time span – not in the first few months I began to quilt.  The supplies I had when I began quilting could easily fit into two drawers of my china hutch and still have room for the linen napkins I used on special occasions.  Below is a list of what I feel you need to begin quilting.

• A good, basic sewing machine.  You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a machine in order for it to be a good one.  As a matter of fact, I would advise against it until you feel like quilting will be a major hobby in your life.  A good machine, such as a Brother, isn’t going to cost you an arm and a leg, and they have a reputation for reliability.  These are readily available online or at big box stores such as Joann’s or Walmart.  Technically, the machine only needs to perform a straight stitch, although most basic machines generally sew several different stitches as well as make buttonholes.  These run the price range of $150 to $300.  Even if you plan on hand piecing or hand applique, you’ll need a machine.
• A self-healing cutting mat.  It’s tempting to purchase a small one, but that can become really aggravating when you’re cutting strips which are the width of fabric (about 44-inches).  Personally, I don’t recommend anything smaller than 18-inches x 24-inches.  And if you must store it between quilting sessions, be sure to store it flat.  Please don’t roll it up like a newspaper.
• A rotary cutter and ruler.  Yes, you’ll need scissors, too, but practically no quilt patterns publish directions for cutting your block units out with scissors any longer.  Those times have sailed.  The cutter should fit well in your hand, and it should be easy to change the blade.  A 45-mm rotatory cutter is a great starting place.  It’s small enough to cut out tiny pieces and trim around templates, but still large enough to slice through several layers of fabric. A basic, straight edge rotary cutter ruler is needed for accurate cutting. A good beginner ruler is a 6-inch x 18-inch ruler or a 4-inch x 24-inch ruler. I prefer the Creative Grids rulers because they have the fabric gripper spots built in them.
• Scissors. I suggest having a pair strictly for cutting paper and another for fabric only.
• Iron. It should have a cotton setting.  For more information on irons, go here: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2024/03/20/a-pressing-matter/
• Spray bottle.  You’ll need this for water.  Most quilters typically don’t t use the steam setting on their iron, so if a little extra moisture is needed to get the wrinkles out, we lightly mist the fabric with water and then use a hot iron. 
• Pressing surface.  This can be a standard ironing board.  You will need a pressing space big enough to handle large swaths of fabric – such as borders.
• Tape.  Either masking tape or painters tape come in handy.  And a roll of transparent tape is needed if you plan on paper piecing. 

 Those are the basics.  Even if your sewing machine is the median price of $200 (or better yet if you buy a good used one or borrow one from someone else) you can start your quilting set up without breaking the bank.  As a matter of fact the only other two items you may not already own (besides a sewing machine) may be the rotary cutter and the self-healing mat.

If you’re already a quilter, you have all the basics and probably a few more than a few extras.  The cost issues we’re running into are fabric, batting, thread, and backing.  Let’s talk about what we can do to lower our expenditures on those.

Fabric

In 2023, the average cost of a yard of quilting cotton was $13.50.  In 2022, the average price was around $12.50 per yard (no figures available yet on 2024, although the online and brick-and-mortar stores I shop at are holding steady around the $12.50 price).  Cotton fabric depends on lots of things – taxes, tariffs, and the cotton crop – so prices can possibly vary widely from year to year.   There are a couple of ways to approach budgeting for your fabric.  The first is simply to use what you already have.  Some of us have stashes large enough we really don’t need to purchase any new fabric in the near future not that I’m in this group….Quilt up what you have and only purchase what you need.  In my studio the only new fabrics I plan on purchasing are backgrounds for applique.  After quilting for so long, I have an ample stash.

 A second way to budget is to use your scraps.  I think each quilter needs to come up with an organized plan to manage their scraps.  Since I do a lot of applique, I keep anything 8-inches square or larger.  It’s sorted according to color and is stored in small bins.  When a bin gets full, I go through it and decide what I will cut into squares and rectangles for scrap quilts and what I’ll keep for applique.  This system has worked well for me for years.  If you’re not sure where to begin yourself, there are several great YouTube videos on controlling your scrappage, and there are numerous really great books with patterns for fantastic scrap quilts.  I love Nickel Quilts by Pat Speth and Charlene Thode.  The Nickel Quilts books are a series of three, and all deal with 5-inch squares – so if you have a lot of scraps you can trim to 5-inches, or you own a lot of charm packs, these may be great resources for you.  A good friend of mine just tuned me into Potato Chip Quilts.  These quilts work with 2 ½-inch x 4 ½-inch rectangles.  If you’re curious about these quilts, go here: https://www.joscountryjunction.com/from-the-comment-section-potato-chip-quilt/. Chinese Coin quilts are another pattern which can help you plow through your scrappage.  But the fact behind these patterns is this:  You can use your scraps and make a beautiful quilt and not spend an extra dime on fabric.  Plus you’re keeping fabric out of the landfill.

If you find you do have to purchase fabric for a quilt, buy only the required amount listed on the pattern.  Most patterns allow for some “wiggle” room.  The designers realize a few cutting mistakes may be made and are usually pretty generous with their fabric requirements.  If there is any doubt, do what I always urge you do to before beginning any quilt:  Google the pattern.  If the fabric requirements come up short, if they’re too close for comfort, or there are corrections for the pattern, chances are any of these issues will appear in a Google search.  However, most of the time, that extra ¼-yard we purchase for “peace of mind” isn’t needed. 

Despite fabric frugality, there may come a time when you feel you need to “freshen up” your stash.  Maybe you need more reds for a Christmas quilt or more blues and pinks for baby quilts, but you’re really trying to stick to a quilty budget.  You can still shop for fabric in a couple of different ways.  The first is to find a sale.  Thankfully the internet allows us to shop for the best fabric at the best price with a few clicks of a mouse.  (Personally my favorite online site is Keepsake Quilting Warehouse.  Their sale prices are phenomenal.  If you live near Archdale, North Carolina or can plan a trip there, it’s worth a stop, plus their customer service is stellar.).  However, shipping costs can be as much, if not more, than the cost of the fabric.  If several of your quilting friends also need fabric, why not see if you all can place one order and split the shipping costs? 

Another way to keep your fabric frugality in check is to arrange for a fabric swap.  Many guilds do this, but if you don’t belong to one of those, there’s no reason you and a few of your quilting buddies can’t have one.  First set the rules.  My guild’s rules are pretty general.  You exchange “like” for “like.  For instance, if you bring a jelly roll to swap, you get another jelly roll.  A yard of fabric for a yard of fabric (in any combination).  You also have to note if it’s pre-washed or not and if it came from a pet-free home.  Truly what is one person’s “trash” is another person’s treasure – what you no longer need may be exact fabric someone else does. 

Finally, the last idea for your fabric budget – avoid precuts.  Inch for inch, they’re more expensive than yardage because the manufacturer had to factor in the labor for the precuts.  If you adore jelly roll quilts or 5-inch charm packs or any other pre-cut, and you’re really pinching pennies, try making your own.  It takes a bit more time, but you’ll save some money. 

Batting

There are five major kinds of batting (silk, wool, bamboo, polyester, and cotton) and several types of blended batting.  And while quilters can substitute these battings with a sheet, minky, or flannel, I want to deal with the “standard” types of batting.  The cost of a batt depends on what fibers it’s made from. For example, a silk batt is more expensive than a cotton one.  Personally, I found the best way for me to save money on batting was to find the type which worked with most of my quilts and then to purchase it in bulk.  This means I buy a roll of batting at a time.  Since I have a long arm, I can keep the roll on it.  This keeps the batt out of the way.  Like a lot of long armers, I have found the 80/20 batting (80% cotton/20% polyester) works for most of my quilts.  I’ve also found this batting works well with my Janome M7 Continental, too – it’s not too bulky in the harp.  I keep an eye out for coupons and purchase a roll as needed, but since I may only quilt three to four quilts a year, a roll of batting lasts me a long time.

You may not have a long arm, but if there’s room to store a roll of batting, you can find this is your best long-term, budget-friendly batting option.  If you don’t have the room to store a roll, watch for bagged batting on sale and buy one or two of those.  It’s always great to have a spare batt if you suddenly find you’ve finished a project before expected and want to get busy with the quilting. 

Another way to stretch your batting dollar is to save your batting scraps.  Quite often if you have a small quilt, a scrap of batting will work just fine, and you don’t need to purchase another batt.  Sometimes you can sew large batting scraps together and make a batt just the size needed (Go here to learn more about this: https://sherriquiltsalot.com/2020/01/29/this-is-the-batt-the-whole-batt-and-nothing-but-the-batt/ ).  However, one word of caution – if you use a variety of batting types (cotton, polyester, silk, etc.), keep them separated according to their content.  If you sewed a cotton batt (which will shrink when washed) to an 80/20 batt (which doesn’t shrink as much as a cotton batt when washed), your quilt top will pucker more in the cotton batting area than in the 80/20 batting area when washed and dried. 

And a housekeeping hint—those batting scraps that are too small to sew into a batt work wonderful on a Swiffer sweeper or as a dusting cloth when you’re polishing your furniture. 

Backing

One of the easiest ways to stick to your fabric budget is to eliminate purchasing wide backs and create a quilt back out of your stash.  You can easily sew a backing together which is as long and as wide as needed.  This helps you sew up your stash and keeps you in line with a fabric budget.  I do this with all the backs for quilts I’m quilting on my Janome M7 Continental.

However….my long arm machine is temperamental.  She does not like seams – not one.  I’ve even tried loading my quilt with the seam running horizontal instead of vertical, so she only has to sew over it once.

No dice. 

She hates seams.  If I plan on loading a quilt on my long arm, I know I need a wide back so my quilting experience will be reasonably enjoyable.  If you’re in the same situation, the only advice I can offer is do what I do:  Catch those backs on sale and purchase them that way.  When I do come across quilt backs at a good price I tend to purchase a couple at a time (which I can easily do if I know what quilts will be quilted on the long arm).

And Finally….

There will always be occasions when you need to replace equipment.  Because of the way Amazon is set up to allow you to compare prices, it’s the first site I hit.  I don’t purchase equipment such as cutting machines or sewing machines on their site, but when I plug the item in the search bar, Amazon will give me a range of prices it sells for as well as customer reviews.  Once I’ve determined what I will purchase, I then go to Facebook Market Place.  I realize not everyone has had a positive experience on Marketplace, but I’ve found quilters to be a pretty good group of folks no matter where they’re gathered.  I’ve always been happy with my Facebook Marketplace quilting purchases.  If you belong to a local guild, try asking other guild members if they have what you need and would be willing to sell it to you.  Even if they don’t have it, they may know where you can get it at a reasonable price. 

There may also come a time when you want to learn something new or how to perform a technique better.  Guilds are also a good reference for this.  While guild meetings themselves are generally reserved for presentations, a guild member would probably love to help you out with this.  Just put the word out and more than likely a guild member will pull you aside, set up a time and place, and be more than happy to instruct you (at least that’s how it works with my guild).  Quilters are such wonderfully giving people and we do want to see everyone learn and love our craft.  If you can’t find someone to help you, YouTube has literally hundreds of videos by stellar instructors.  Type in what you want to learn in YouTube’s search bar, and you’ll be rewarded with lots of choices.  Both of these ideas will expand your quilting knowledge and keep your budget intact. 

The last idea I would like to suggest to save some money is learn to quilt your own quilts.  I know with this suggestion I may be hitting a wall with some of you, because many of my readers quilt by checkbook (pay a long arm artist).  And absolutely continue to do so on special quilts.  But if you’re constructing a play quilt, cuddle quilt, a quilt that will live out its life on the back of your couch to be pulled down when you watch TV, quilt it on your machine.  Some simple, curvy quilting or straight-line quilting will work just fine, and you’ll keep a couple hundred dollars in your pocket. 

What to Purchase in Bulk – If You Can

Certain quilty notions are used over and over again – no matter what kind of quilt you’re making, how big the quilt is, or any other factors – we use some of the same things in all of our quilts.  If you have the room to store the following items, I suggest you purchase them in bulk:  Batting, rotary cutter blades, and sewing machine needles.  The initial expenditure may be a bit on the pricey side, but the cost per item (or yard, as in the case of batting) will be less.

Thread is also a great item to purchase in bulk (many smaller spools) or cones (if your machine has an adaptor for cones or you can purchase a cone adaptor).  Since quilters generally stick to gray, white, beige, and black when piecing, it’s really easy to purchase several spools or cones when you find them on sale.  You know you’ll use them up.

From My Studio to Yours

I know our dollars don’t go as far as they once did.   Food is expensive.  Gas is, too.  So are most of the items we use every day, including our quilting supplies.  I’ve quilted for quite a few years, and half of that time had to figure out where to pinch my pennies (a teacher’s salary didn’t go far then and it still doesn’t now).  I’m offering you a few suggestions from what I’ve learned, however, there are two quilting supplies I feel you should never scrimp on quality even if certain brands are cheaper:  Thread and Fabric.  Purchase the best quilting fabric you can afford and stay away from the thin, cheaply manufactured stuff.  Thread is the lifeline of the quilt – it holds it all together.  Long staple thread with low lint sews beautifully and causes less lint to build up in your machine.  Quality thread and quilting fabric makes a huge difference in the way your quilt looks.

Until Next Week, From my Studio to Yours,

Love and Stiches,

Sherri and Felix