Quilt shop fabric in my area is now $14.00 + tax per yard. For charity or donation quilts that require 4 yards to make a quilt back, $60 per quilt isn’t sustainable for my budget over the long haul. Nor does it seem to be sustainable to those in my quilt bee group. Those ladies are a thrifty lot! Many only buy backing fabric for a donation quilt if they absolutely have to.
Sources of free to less expensive quilt backing fabric:
1. Free table at quilt guild meetings.
2. Community service fabric donations (sometimes batting is also available).
3. Shopping your quilty BFF’s fabric stash or scoring big at a destash sale.
4. Pieced backing using fabrics from your own stash.
5. Flat sheets (twin or full size) from big box stores or thrift stores.
6. Fabric cuts from thrift shops (like Mostly Mutts or Scraplanta).
7. Hobby-Lobby when quilting cottons are 30% off.
8. Michaels – Fabric Editions prints that are $3.99 per yard. Order online for store pick-up.
9. Wal-Mart – Waverly precuts are available in 2 yard bundles for less than $10.
10. Mark-down section at your favorite quilt shop.
Me? I check the free table, ask Community Service or see if I can piece odd fabrics from my stash to make a quilt back that coordinates with the top. If not, I’ll usually hit Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart for suitable backing fabric. I can usually get the fabric I need for about $20-$25. That fits my budget.
For personal projects, I’ll buy full-price fabric from the quilt shop if the project calls for it. However, I still shop Hobby Lobby and the clearance sections of nearby quilt shops to find coordinating backing fabric.
Had to buy a replacement rotary blade for my Cricut Maker. Michaels in Alpharetta had them in stock. This location will be the big cut-to-order fabric store on my side of ATL. Saw some of the cherry fabric I’d bought on sale at Joann before they closed. Same fabric bolt is now $8.99 per yard. Michael’s rarely puts fabric on sale and it is usually excluded from coupons. Still adjusting to my new crafty shopping options and sorely missing Joann’s.
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