Quiltingboard Forums - What's the least amount of $ you've spent on making a quilt? Have you ever made one out of completely recycled materials, including batting (exception

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- - What's the least amount of $ you've spent on making a quilt? Have you ever made one out of completely recycled materials, including batting (exception - thread)? (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/whats-least-amount-%24-youve-spent-making-quilt-have-you-ever-made-one-out-completely-recycled-materials-including-batting-exception-thread-t142514.html)

I made a no-cost quilt when first married: a bundle of upholstery squares intended for rags, squared and stitched into a top, old ragged blanket for a filler, old flannel sheet for back, all tied together. My DFIL was the lucky (?) recipient.

I'm working on a $8 quilt right now. Found 6 dozen appliqued star squares at thrift shop + denim squares & rectangles from the old jeans pile + $3.50 for additional applique motif fabric + old flannel sheet ($.50) for filler and last, flannel for backing (saved from my -now- 30 something son's homemade kindergarten nap bag. :thumbup:

and to all you previous thrifty posters: WAY TO GO!

HI Chicca

I could have written your comments about making quilts for nothing. I couldn't have written it better. The only thing you left out that I do is using sheets. As we all know, the center most part of a fitted sheet gets all the wear. When worn enough to no longer be useful as a sheet, cut off the edges and use them to find, strip, square, etc. Where does the center of the sheet go: Cut into potholder squares and use 2 on either size of the heat resistant fabric. None but the elastic on the corners not saved and if I could think of what to do with that, I would use it too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicca

In all honesty, the majority of my quilts have very little cost involved. The majority of my fabric stash has been given to me by friends and family that no longer sew/quilt. My father gave me the wonderful tip of using old blankets for batting. Plus my MIL and Father gave me their thread supplies and my SIL buys me something at her craft store adventures every time she goes. She does not quilt or sew....so she does through me.

I also spend time cutting old clothing into quilt squares and using the pieces to make scrap quilts. Another thing I do to save money is save cardboard boxes (cereal, tea...) and make the templates that I need for applique and piecing. It is such a great feeling knowing I can make a quilt for someone that is put together with nothing more than love and the love of others.

I am so grateful for all of their help and have a great time quilting!

i made a queen size quilt backing and all for around $50 dollars once my lqs was having a 50% off sale and i used all fabric that was 50% off it was done in purples. i gave it to my sil. it came out really pretty and no one knew either !
carla

my least expensive quilt lap size cost 75 cents the fabric for the top was scraps given to me for the batting I picked up an old mattress pad for 50 cents backing an old sheet for 25 cents at a thrift store and tied it still using it today and is very soft and still bright as fabric was polyester blends and for dying fabric I have picked up white on white at Joann's and used rit dye the flowers or white does not dye so you can have pink or whatever with white flowers

yep, I done some that is no cost to me. Everyone at my job knows I quilt so whenever they have fabric or supplies they send them to me. Just the other day I received a envelope with a quilt pattern in it. The note said "thought you might be interested.". I work with just great people.

Thanks to all of you for the great ideas. I am a new quilter with a son headed toward college so I will use each and every idea. Thanks!! Virg

Lately, I have been given a lot of fabric and batting...so I haven't spent anything but time on my latest projects!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptquilts

I actually recycle thread by taking old clothes apart, carefully, from one side of the seam and you can save the long piece of thread on the other side, wind it on a spool to reuse.

HAH - had you going there for a bit didn't I??!!

DH would do this, he is WAY cheaper than me...

LOL...my dad would have done this too. He used to save EVERYTHING and when he passed away we inheirited all of it. Baby food jars full of screws and washers from stuff that had to be thrown away...but he took everything apart and saved all of the metal pieces. He actually saved small pieces of wire and wound it around large spools. I think my parents saved every twist tie that was on bags of food. Even those plastic price tags with the little hole on the edge.

Both grew up during the depression so they knew how to save and reuse everything. I am kind of like them but nowhere near the extent that they were.

I love this idea. I actually have several family quilts where family members did do that. So I don't understand why I haven't but I did cut up my DH's jeans to make a throw for him. I just haven't done it yet.

I go to garage sales every Thurs during the season. I get alot of fabric--not usually QS grade, but good enough for my charity quilts. My LA'er, gives me lots of scraps of batting, that I sew together for smaller quilts. So I think I can make a lap size quilt for $5.00. Our guild is making 42 twin quilts for an orphange, & I was able to considerably downsize my garage sale stash for that. We made alot of 10 mins blocks.