How would you like to buy quality fabric for next to nothing? Yes please! Fabric shopping through other sources are common these days. You can still get quality fabric without taking a trip to the
fabric store. Most of us must find bargains because money is so tight nowadays. On the plus side, we don't have to quit sewing and crafts all together because fabric is not affordable. There are other ways to find that gorgeous fabric at a great price.
When you are working on a project that calls for specific fabric, then you may have to make that trip to the fabric store or check online. Joann Fabric is my one and only local fabric store. They're always running sales and offer weekly coupons which can save a little money. In the past, it never occurred to me to shop outside the box. When you become budget conscious, you'll do anything to save when you have to take care of bills. We won't let this stop us from doing what we love right?
Without further ado, here are 10 sources and alternative ways to get great fabric for cheap!
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| Local Goodwill in Cleveland Ohio 1. Thrift Stores/Charity Shops You can find treasures in these places. These are my favorite places to check out. I live on the east side of Cleveland Ohio. In my area, the thrift chains are Goodwill, Salvation Army and Savers. I find the west side of Cleveland has the best thrift stores I've ever seen. We have a handful of charity shops and there were times I found yardage of material for $1 per piece. When you really want to save, go to these stores when they run half price sales. Best one I've seen is Goodwill. On Sunday and Monday, one color is $1 - that's amazing! Here are some links below to my favorite thrift stores I frequent. Most are chains all over the US, Volunteers of America cover a few states. If you don't know of any in your area, check Google for thrift stores nearby. |
2. Flea Markets/Yard Sales
Find a Flea Market Near You
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| Bolts of fabric for $1 per yard on clearance at my local Walmart 3. Big-Box Stores (Walmart) I don't know of any other big box store that has a sewing department. On my side of town, this is all we got! If you have a discount store that has sewing supplies, I would highly recommend checking it out. I don't really have any other stores like this that actually have a fabric and sewing department. My favorite section is the value fabric ranging from $1 to $3 per yard. You can't beat that for a bargain. Many occasions, I bought from this department and the fabric is decent quality. I love checking out the bin of remnants marked down in their baskets by the cutting table. The remnant bin usually contains 1/2 - 2 yard remnants. Perfect for 1 yard wonder projects!  |
4. Raid Your Closet (or Mom's/Grandma's)
You never know what's hiding in the closet, you'd be surprised by the things you forgot were in there. You may find linens, curtains, tablecloths unused and unloved. There could be clothes big enough with plenty of yardage to spare for your next project. Next time you go through your closet and find a lost item, you'll say where did this come from? When you pay a visit to your Mom or your Grandma's, ask if they need a spring cleaning of their closet. I'm sure Mom or Grandma will give you anything not wanted or used, anything not wanted can be given to charity.
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| A circle skirt dress I made from a round tablecloth |
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| A few table cloths I picked up from thrifts - more summer dress plans! 5. Table Cloths You can get a lot of fabric from table cloths. Some of them can be interesting pieces especially if they are vintage with intricate embroidery. My favorites I like to find are circle shaped table cloths, which make great circle skirts/dresses. The pic above is from a round white tablecloth from Goodwill, another bargain for $3. I love finding gingham prints, they make a dress or top look so fun! I found a few like this and grabbed them before they disappeared. The handy feature is you can take advantage of the hem that is already sewn in place. You can incorporate that into your design, unless it it has to be cut further. That's okay, your the designer!  |
6. Sheets
You can get mega yardage from sheets. My local Goodwill has twin, full, and queen sized flat sheets priced at $3! I would love to find king size and when I do, I'll certainly claim it. Best day is when they are half the price when the tag color is on sale! You just have to come on the day of the sale. As with anything I purchase from the thrifts, I always launder the items when bringing home to ensure they're sanitized. Usually fitted sheets show wear in the middle. I usually try and stick to finding flat sheets which have little to no wear.
Some thrifts carry brand new sheets never used in packaging or very gently used which is what I search for.
Make sure to take the sheet off the hanger, unfold and examine it well to make sure there's no wear, holes, tears or stains. Not sure on how much yardage a sheet is? No problem, check the link below to show bed sheet to yardage conversion chart. As a side note, sizes of sheets vary by brands.
sew much ado bed sheet to yardage chart
7. Scarves
Depending on the size of the scarf, you can get good yardage from it. These are perfect for 1 and 2 yard projects. The bigger the scarf, the more you have to work with. Try finding a big blanket sized wrap if you can. Ones that are less in width are still useful, you just have to use a little ingenuity. Above is my cold shoulder top tutorial from my previous blog Plum and Petal Sews. I made from a single scarf. Off the shoulder tops, ponchos, boleros, kimonos can be created from a single scarf.
8. Quilts
This material is perfect for bags, purses, totes and many kinds of covers. Since this material already has the layers sandwiched together, it is ready to go for your next quilted project. Above is my sewing machine cover tutorial from my previous blog Plum and Petal Sews. I machine quilted this together using fabric, batting and cotton lining. If I made this from a quilt, this project would be done in half the time! You don't have to look for quilts specifically , you can find any material that is quilted such as pillow shams, place mats or any quilted bedding.
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| My wedding guest dress made from a curtain swag |
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| Dress side view |
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| Me wearing my curtain swag gown at the wedding (it was comfy) |
9. Curtains
As with sheets, you can get good yardage from curtains. The difference is curtains come in a wide range of fabric types. From cotton twill to decorative chiffon, just imagine what your next project will be! Above are pics of my DIY gown I made from a large curtain swag. It was essentially a huge rectangle of fabric. I found this piece from Goodwill for $3. The timing was just right because I was attending a wedding and had over a month's time to make something on a budget. When I saw the swag, my fabric search was over and this was it. The gown turned out perfect. I just needed to add a lining because the swag was very sheer. It was comfortable the entire day! (thanks to lots of elastic) |
| Rack of Men's shirts at Goodwill in Cleveland |
10. Men's or Women's Clothes
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I will always love my local fabric store, Joann Fabric. I just don't find myself going there as much as I used to. I love a bargain like everybody, but it's hard because I have to be frugal these days while the cost of living continues to rise. I don't let that hinder my creativity and neither should you! I hope these tips help you continue to thrive in your creative craftiness and save a little cash along the way.
Do you have a way of getting bargain fabric? I would love to here your comments! Thank you for stopping by and as always, happy sewing!
Diana ✀🧵😉
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