If you love to sew you are always looking for a good deal on fabric. And if you are just starting out you do not want to spend a lot, in case you make a mistake and have to begin again.
Here are the reliable places to look.
Remnant bins
Every fabric shop has one, and it is the first place to look. Remnants are the ends of bolts – often a metre or two – sold at a substantial discount because the shop wants the space.
For small projects, children’s clothes, cushion covers and practice pieces, remnants are ideal. The limitation is that you cannot go back for more, so they suit projects where you know the quantity in advance.
Charity shops
Two things worth looking for.
Fabric itself, which turns up regularly – often good quality, donated from someone’s stash.
And garments and household linen to cut up. A large cotton tablecloth, a curtain, or an oversized shirt gives you a lot of usable fabric for a couple of pounds. Bed sheets in particular are excellent for practising and for making toiles.
Sales and end of season
Fabric shops discount seasonally, and Christmas and summer prints drop sharply once the season passes. If you plan ahead, buying next year’s Christmas fabric in January costs a fraction.
Online
Good prices and a wide range, with the obvious drawback that you cannot feel it and colours photograph inaccurately.
Order swatches if the shop offers them, or buy a small amount of something unfamiliar before committing.
Repurposing what you have
The cheapest source of all.
Outgrown clothes, old curtains, worn sheets, tablecloths with a stain in one corner. Cut around the damage and there is often a great deal of good fabric left.
This is also the least wasteful option, and it is how a great deal of sewing was done for most of history.
What to buy when learning
Cheap cotton, and plenty of it.
A beginner should be able to make mistakes without counting the cost. Practising on expensive fabric makes people cautious, and caution while learning slows you down.
Plain quilting cotton or cheap calico is stable, easy to cut, easy to sew, and forgiving. Save the good fabric for when your technique is reliable.
And a warning
Cheap fabric accumulates. It is easy to buy a great deal because it costs little, and end up with a cupboard of material you will never use.
Buy for projects you intend to make. The best deal on fabric you never sew is not a deal.
