All My Eggs

In our current economy, many people are turning to making their gifts. Although we just got through Christmas, now is a great time to start planning for next year, as well as any other upcoming holidays and birthdays that you might want to make a gift.  I try to gather materials through out the year, and watch sales closely for things that I use on a regular basis in my sewing.

One place I like to look is my local Goodwill store.  Or any thrift shop would work.  I look for yardage, trims, buttons, yarn, and patterns.  I’ve also found batting and pillow forms.  I also watch for table coverings and sheets that can be used in the same way as yardage.

Another way to save is to sign up for e-mails from local and national fabric stores. I watch for door-buster sales, or sales where you can get an extra percentage off over a period of time, ie. a holiday weekend that may be three or four days. There are also end of season sales where the stores have to make room for the next season’s inventory.

Also watch fabric stores for clearance sales, and the remnant bins.  Remnants are usually marked 1/2 the regular price, and I have often found that I can get 1/2 off of the remnant price as well!

Another source are some business that do upholstery work.  Many may have bins of leather remnants that can be picked up, either by size or by weight. This is great if you don’t need lots of yardage for a project, although I have found some larger pieces.

Garage sales can also be a source of fabric.  People may clean out for spring garage sales, and moving sales and estate sales can yield some great finds.