Where can I find cheap fabric for quilting?

Patchwork is a great hobby. Once you start, you can't stop. Patchwork has won you over, but if the fabrics seem too expensive to you, I'll tell you where you can find cheaper fabrics for patchwork and why patchwork is so expensive.

You can wear your old clothes

First of all, you don't necessarily need to buy fabric for patchwork. Although 100% cotton fabrics are usually used, you can consider using any old fabric that you happen to have. I recommend using fabrics with similar properties for one job. Sufficiently similar textiles and sufficiently similar thickness. In my opinion, the most suitable fabrics can be found in men's collared shirts, but great work has also been done from old jeans. Because denim fabrics are quite thick, they don't allow you to play with the fabric much, and you may not be able to create every pattern from denim fabrics in all scales. Lately I also saw very interesting works on men's old silk ties.

Above is a patchwork made by @laralittlescissors (Damla) from old clothes.

Above is a wall hanging made by @nordiccrafter (Irina) from old shirts.

Above, another patchwork made by @nordiccrafter from old jeans. In his blog, you can find the stories behind the work.

Fine patchwork has also been made from velvet or flannel. I often get asked if it is possible to do quilting with tricot. I believe that at least not all classic patchwork combinations can be created from elastic fabrics, but I have never tried it myself. However, I have seen some others make them into simple cute patterns.

Above are two pictures of @kikitekee 's (Kiki Borgström) stickwork from old silk ties.

The combinations of silk, lace and denim do not necessarily work very well for blankets, but they can be used to create works of art such as rugs or other art, for which such combinations are also well suited.

The quilt blankets of my childhood in our house were made of thick coat fabrics. Winter coat fabrics 40-50 years ago were very different from today. Winter coats used thick woolen fabrics, not artificial fibers. My mother had made the blankets by cutting up old thick coats and crocheting them together at the edges.

You can also use existing fabrics to learn new difficult blocks. Aren't @laralittlescissor's test blocks made from old shirts, or @nordiccrafter's wall hangings made from them wonderful? You can also look at @nordiccrafter's rug made from denim fabrics.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that fabrics made from natural materials, such as cotton, linen or silk, have a limited lifespan. As you know, sheets and duvet covers that have been used for a long time eventually tear on their own. The wear and tear of the old fabrics you use is directly reflected in the lifespan of the new works you make from them.

You can dye your fabric

Dyeing fabric is not very difficult. Through it, you get an even greater joy of self-creation. I have friends who make wonderful quilts with their own dyed fabrics in fabric dyeing classes. Since the fabrics used for dyeing are often a slightly thicker type of raw cotton or linen fabric, there can be difficulties with very small patchwork models. You should also pay attention to the adhesion of the dye to the fabric, so that the colors do not mix in the first wash or the dyes do not fade after a few washes.

IKEA, Eurokangas, Sinelli..

I have quilts I made from cheap "DITTE" cotton fabrics I bought at Ikea. The color range of Ikea's fabrics is very limited, for example DITTE has only four different colors, and the fabrics are slightly thicker and harder than the actual patchwork fabrics, but you can still make patchwork with them.

Sometimes you can find really beautiful pieces of fabric at Eurokanga and it's good to stop by there sometimes. You can get affordable fabric bundles from Sinelli. I made one of my first projects with fabrics I bought from Sinelli. I still can't believe how so much dye came out of one fabric in the first wash, even though I just washed it quickly in cold water and ironed. Unfortunately, Sinelli bundles are cheap fabrics from China.

You can buy from abroad

Of course, America is a paradise for cheap patchwork, which I'll talk about later.

You can also buy fabric directly from cotton-producing countries such as Turkey, Egypt, India and Pakistan, who have centuries of experience in this work and are thus able to keep prices reasonable. However, the rich color selection of classic patchwork fabrics is often not found in their country fabrics, because the dyeing techniques and materials for the fabrics are more limited. I urge you to be very careful when washing the fabrics you bought in India. A lot of dyes come off in the first washes.

Japan, Indonesia, Korea... These countries print great American designed fabrics and you can get great fabrics there at really affordable prices.

America, yes, it is the land of fabric shopping. Prices are seemingly cheap in the US because the manufacturing companies and raw materials are already in the US and there is no value added tax. Prices in Europe also rose along with shipping prices.

You can also get fabric from Great Britain a little cheaper. The value added tax on fabrics used to be lower there, but not as low as before. Still, it is possible to find relatively suitable patchwork fabrics there, as the market for fabrics is larger there. A large turnover helps to keep the prices affordable. When I bring five meters of fabric, I have to pay more per meter than when I bring fifteen meters. On the other hand, a lot of unluckily chosen 15 meters of fabric can remain unsold in Finland, in which case there is no joy in the price difference. Tilkkunen would rather bring a slightly more expensive and wider selection of fabrics than a lot of the same fabric.

Buying directly from abroad with its cheaper prices may be tempting, but it is easy to overlook the fact that you have to pay VAT in Finland for products bought outside the EU. There can also be delays with customs and parcels can be lost by postal providers.

So your creativity has no limits, you can create wonderful things even from limited and imperfect materials. On the other hand, you get better value for your money and time with high-quality fabrics specifically intended for patchwork. Lowering the price of patchwork fabrics in Finland cannot be achieved by opening more stores and hoping that the prices will fall only with that, but by spreading enthusiasm for patchwork and thus increasing the demand for patchwork fabrics. We are lucky in that there is a vibrant craft hobby and organization activity in Finland.

The range of high-quality patchwork fabrics in the world is huge. It is tedious to search and find the most inspiring ones and those that are not yet found in Finland. Your feedback and wishes have been an invaluable help. Finland's fabric supply is not enriched by offering the same fabrics in several stores, but by doing the painstaking selection work in each fabric store separately, listening to the customers' wishes. Warm thanks for your support on this journey of little Tilkkunen on this path of increasing your opportunities!