Comments on: Feeding the Addiction on a Budget: Thrifting for Fabric

By: Queen of Fifty Cents

Queen of Fifty Cents — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:13:32 +0000

I’m more of a garage sale thrifter myself, but however you approach it you can certainly find great fabrics! Clothing at the sales I go to is often so cheap (my wardrobe is full of great fifty-cent and dollar finds) that it can be a great source. I feel much more free to experiment with materials that are good but didn’t cost much!

By: Angela

Angela — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 03:12:11 +0000

Wow, I thought that was a store too! Im working on mine! Thanks for the great ideas! Great Inspiration

By: Joleen

Joleen — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:19:23 +0000

I love this! I love your stash and great shopping ideas. I’m going to try to apply them to my search for beautiful fabric.

By: Barb

Barb — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 05:16:37 +0000

I know that in my area there’s a website offering where to find thrift shops, when rummage sales are, etc. So maybe google “thrift stores” with your city name, and you might be surprised what you’ll find out about. I look in the newspaper on Fridays for Saturday’s garage sales and estate sales, and I skim the listings for fabric or sewing. Today I went to a garage sale where a woman had passed away, and her daughters were selling all her quilting supplies. There were four huge closets full of shelves of fabric. I about fainted. I left with two giant bags of vintage stuff.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 05:27:26 +0000

Such an inspiring fabric stash! I’m glad I’m not the only one out there who takes excessive pleasure in thrifting for fabric and organizing the piles! Just a note to Beth: many thrift stores do sell fabric scraps, or larger pieces on hangers that are usually amid the drapes and blankets. But don’t miss out on the obvious: all those clothes racks and linens and draperies and tablecloths that are everywhere in the thrift store! Lately I’ve been into buying 100% wool long pleated skirts (you know, the kind your 8th grade teacher wore with a boiled wool jacket)–they usually have a moth hole here or there. Anyway, I buy the skirt for $4 or so, then carefully cut open all the seams and remove the pleating stitching–it is important to remove seams for the next step: felting! These skirts have yielded the most gorgeous pieces of fabric I own, perfect for scarves, capelets, snuggly pillows, blankets, etc. Drapery panels are terrific for great vintage finds too. Usually at flea markets or antique stores, when they sell expensive pieces of barkcloth, they are pieces cut from draperies–and much more expensive at the flea market than at the thrift store.
Also, the pleasure of building a NEW stash: you can indiscriminately buy cool fabrics because you need piles of reds, blues, plaids, etc etc. Whenever you realize you’ve got fabric in your stash that you won’t use–put up a bundle on your website and offer it as a swap!
Another note (sorry if this is way too long!)–sometimes thrift stores in rural areas (often affliated with a charity or church) yield the best fabric finds. Maybe hipsters haven’t gotten there yet, or something–but I think it might have to do with the fact that in rural areas, people are more likely to sew, or at least their grandmothers/mothers are likely to sew and thus get rid of their unused notions and fabric pieces when they declutter. I’ve found entire sewing boxes complete with tons of vintage notions and findings and needle cases etc in these places.

By: renee

renee — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 00:28:50 +0000

“I used to buy anything that looked vintage, just because it looked vintage”
eek!! thats me all the way.. thanks for the good tips! i’m super good at passing things up if i see a stain er a hole.. maybe next time i’ll give in… but only if i’ll USE it :)

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 21:05:43 +0000

I, too browse the sheets, comforters and linen aisles of my fav thrift stores here in Denver (Goodwill, ARC) and found some wonderful gems! I agree with KnottieKnitter – starting a resource list of fav LTS’s. Also, eBay is a great source as I bought a lot of vintage fabric scraps for a quilt I am repairing made by my husband’s grandmother, less than $20 – just do a search on vintage fabric scraps. By the way, your stash inspires me to add to mine – now where are my car keys?!?

By: KnottieKnitter

KnottieKnitter — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:47:41 +0000

It would be really helpful to start a “Readers Favorite Thrifts Stores” list so that novices like myself can get help from veterans in the art of thrifting! People can submit their favorirt LTS (Local Thrift Store/Shop)!

By: goodwolve

goodwolve — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 16:38:03 +0000

I am so impressed. Both with the new site and your amazing stash of fabric. Great tips. Thanks!

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 16:15:34 +0000

I didn’t even know thrift stores had fabrics! I would love to hear more about where to buy discounted fabrics.