And no one has mentioned how soft and luxurious used shirt fabrics feel. The tactile comfort is noteworthy. 😊

I scored a great deal, I bought 42 men’s shirts for $9! I did the happy dance all the way to my vehicle!

Throwback to the origins of American quilting when all pieced quilts were created from shirts, aprons, dresses, etc that were no longer wearable for various reasons or by using fabric flour sacks. I have numerous heirlooms where not one was made with purchased fabric. My mother quilted most of her life, and until she began making quilts for her children's and grandchildren's wedding gifts, she rarely purchased fabric for quilting - and that was because she was no longer sewing clothes for herself or her children - so no scraps. The backing was sheets or muslin. Born in 1929 and a product of the Depression, she never once ( ever) used a machine to piece her quilts. Even the sashing, borders, and binding were sewn by hand. I just finished repairing my sister's quilt from 1970 -she had the excess fabric from the original yardage. What I found was that my mother even ran a basting stitch along the seam allowances before sewing the squares together to ensure accuracy!! And Hand quilted each one. The last quilt she made was a many-year project because of the pain in her hands (which she would never admit - her reasoning was that she didn't like the quilt). Every time my sisters and I visited, we would quilt for at least an hour so our niece would finally get her wedding quilt - on her 6-year anniversary. The remaining grandchildren were given a choice of an heirloom quilt that many years ago I had labeled using muslin and a typewriter creating 1 x 1 1/2 inch tags noting the name of the creator, the approximate decade, the name of the quilt pattern and the location (county and state) where the quilt was made. What goes around comes around.

Hello Cathy, I love that you have a lot to say about it! I'm an info hog, and research things that interest me to the Nth degree. Just over a year ago, I started making quilts. KZfaqr's such as yourself, have shared your wealth of information, to which I am most grateful. When I started this quest, I didn't have any fabric to achieve even my first project. Luckily in my area there is a very small thrift shop, to which I now support regularly. All their clothing, bedding, curtains and donated scrap fabric used to cost just 25 cents each. But then, with the economic down turn, they've raised their prices to 50 cents. A value i just can't pass up considering the high cost of fabric online and in quilt shops. Thanks to the knowledge I've gained from your videos, I have successfully made four quilts within my first year of quilting, two of which were King size, using fabric obtained from shirts, sheets and pillowcases. I have had to invest in thread and batting however. I don't know or have a longarmer close, so my quilts are hand quilted, a job done with abundant love. As you can see, evidently you're not the only one with lots to say about things. So in conclusion, THANK YOU, for sharing your wealth of knowledge with the quilting world. I'm sure you've saved me thousands of dollars in this year long quest. I now have enough men's shirt fabric to make a dozen more quilts to make with love and gift to family members. Keep having "a lot to say about it!" I look forward to each of your videos,

Cathy when you started the video, I thought it better be cheeper! 😂 I pay $4.89 for a shirt which I think is pretty good. You’re to blame that I spend $30-70 dollars at a time when I go to the thrift store. I can’t help it. The thrill of the hunt is so fun, the shirts are buttery soft and different from the material choices at the quilt shops. An added bonus is no one will have a quilt like mine 😂❤ Keep the videos coming. We all love the information and inspiration!❤😊 oh and I LOVE the back of the quilt what a fun treat!

Hi Cathy, I’m a retired RN who has become a dedicated upcycling sewist. I make quilt coats, quilt top blouses, blouses and dresses made from pillowcases, embroidered textiles, and thrift shop fabrics. And thanks to your example, I now am always looking for men’s dress shirts at thrift stores. Down here in Dothan, Al and surrounding small town thrifts, I rarely ever pay more than $5 per shirt. Recently I traveled to some small towns in NW Florida and bought 23 shirts (mostly large sizes and long sleeves) for an average coast of $2.27 each, score!!! Love your videos, and agree that these shirts bring a multitude of quilty diversity to the quilts I make! Keep up your great videos, don’t stop having a lot to say about that. I’ve saved so much $ and derive indescribable joy from this wonderful obsession.

gathered skirts often have amazingly pretty fabric, as well as lots of yardage.

Great video! When did “everything” as far as fabric prices get so “crazy”. Mom quilted in the 70-90’s I know she purchased all her fabric at a local department store. She gave away so many quilts to her large family, that fabric had to be real cheap! Oh the good old day😂 BUT.. what I really wanted to say..brag..I can beat your cost by a lot! I rarely pay more than $2 per shirt. I Never shop Thrift Stores (really bad here). Best place to shop shirts are yard sales..and the very best are Church sales! My mind blowing finds at estate sales (quilt shop fabric/mats/rulers) not to be believed. Every Thursday night, I google yards sales/estate sales and create a map/times with my location/routes all planned out😂 This commitment is for those quilt lovers who might not know about this treasure hunting game I play. So fun❤(KH)

Am I the only one with a 'fabric store' of a whole wardrobe full of old clothes?! If I love it, but don't wear it any more, I'm definitely going to make with it! 😄

Hats off to the lady who bought 42 shirts for 9$. I made king size sampler out of 80% shirts and 20% purchased background. I had appx 100$ in whole quilt top. Definately worth my time of cutting up every shirt.

You just settled what I've thought about for years and never sat down to think it through. And, now I understand why my grandmother and great aunts were appalled because I bought "yard goods."

"Quilting should be accessible to everyone" say it louder for the fabric snobs in the back!! 🎉👏👏🎉 This was a great breakdown of costs!

We are blessed to have in our town two thrift stores selling men's shirts for .25 and .50. The cost of making a quilt or other projects is minimal.

What a delightful lady you are. I am totally with re thrift store shirts. So nice to "meet" you and you are the first gal who doesn't think me strange for doing it. It does take more time washing, cutting, etc. but the savings are wonderful. Being a member of our local quilt guild, I make what we call comfy quilts for children in need. Thank you so much. 😃

The other day I got Queen sized duvet covers from the thrift store for $1 each….. They were PERFECTLY ok (in fact, one I am keeping for my room!!!! And I am financial enough to buy a new one). The colours and thicknesses of the cottons are really good. I have recently made a scrappy child’s quilt using material from cutting the sleeves off my husband’s pyjamas. (This was quite a “special” pair of pyjamas as he recently had to go into hospital for a lung cancer operation). We had our first grandchild born at the same time. EDIT: Some thrifted materials (especially shirts) can be “rubbed” [worn]… what I’ve found is the WRONG side looks ok….. so if you use ALL the WRONG side, then there’s nothing to compare it to, so it won’t be noticed as being-on-the-wrong-side!

I love that you compared the money saved by using thrifted shirts or thrifted fabric vs. purchased fabric. I have been buying fabric at thrift stores when I find it. I also was gifted about two large garbage bags full of quilting fabric from an aquantice I met while standing in line at the post office. I talk to everyone apparently and she was looking to give her stash to a quilter. It was sweet of her.

❤ I love that you rehome clothing material ❤ imho, quilts are to be used & I'm going to do what the old timers did & use what materials I have on hand - used clothing needs to be rehomed & refashioned into something else other than useless landfill fodder. The sewing/quilting industry is just as expensive as the fast fashion & fast food sales ind.💕 "Waste not want not" 💕😊

I love all your videos! In my heart I want to quilt using cotton shirts, but alas - so much effort shopping and cutting them up, and I have production quotas (27 grandchildren, and foster kids’ quilts, and veterans). So I can’t meet my quotas unless I use yardage. 😂 Also, in my very rural area our only used clothing source is an overpriced thrift store. However, there is more than one way to slash those costs. Most of my fabric comes from estate sales, or the free table at quilt guild. I have bought beautiful name brand quilting cottons for fifty cents to a dollar a yard. I picked up red, white and blue fabrics for free last week - at least enough for two quilt tops. I feel like these beautiful fabrics were purchased by someone with good intentions, and I rescue the fabrics and allow them to be what they were meant to be all along - quilts to wrap a veteran or a foster child, or a nursing home patient, or a grandchild, in love. I also buy bolts of some colors for $5 a yard (Missouri Star - sale on Riley Blake bolts today, four bolts coming my way) and shop thrifty every way possible, including longarming them myself - meanders, loops, leaves, or hearts, because that is my skill level. In my heart I want to cut up shirts and build beautiful Catbird-inspired quilts, salvage my tiny cutoffs transformed into HSTs, and even hand quilt them sitting on my couch watching Britbox, but for now - quotas! “We hates it.” Cracked me up! As you often do. I am going to continue watching you, and learning, but mostly just enjoying the conversation. And some day I am going to make quilts from shirts. I wait for the day someone asks me - Can you take my loved one’s shirts and make me a memory quilt? I will jump at it, armed with knowledge. Thank you.

I really enjoyed this video. I wash all my cotton before quilting. I’m canadian and quilt fabric is $24 and upward. I do a lot of thrift shopping and noticed amazing men’s dress shirts some retail for $200-$300 a shirt. Their are gorgeous. So I figured seeing as I prewash my cotton I’d start buying XL OR LARGER sized dress shirts. I also buy duvet covers. Which I can pay between $7 to $13 each. If I find gorgeous or designer sheets I buy that for backing. It’s an incredible savings. Don’t forget to check out the women’s section large summer cotton dresses. I’m a purest and love 100 % cotton fabric Just try to make ch up the same weight of cottons. Happy quilting

In Canada fabric is very expensive at fabric stores. $20.00 to $28.00 per meter! Even tho used shirts at a second store are not cheap, usually about 8.00 to 12.00 per shirt. I try to ONLY buy fabric on clearance sales. I have noticed lately that we have fabric stores, not big chains ones, going out of business. I think that quilters are having a hard time affording high price fabric. My two cents

You're simply amazing! You can also mention that you are recycling all those shirts that often end up in landfills 👔👔👔👏

Cathy that was such a lovely story! I love how each part of the process played out for this person in your life to receive something so beautiful and lovingly made from you . Even though you were resistant the the vivid colors, you followed the clues from the universe to come full circle and receive and create happiness in your life and your quilters life and Vickie, and then in Shirley’s life! You are a wonderful person!

I'm in Ontario Canada and because of you and your channel I've started stalking shirts at the thrift stores. I won't go over $9.99 CAN for a shirt which is still considerably cheaper than quality quilting cottons in my area they typically run $20-23 + per metre! I now have a quilt tops worth of shirts in values of black, grey and white. The coolest one I found was typed font on a white shirt! To be perfectly honest, I will NOT pay $20 bucks for fabric unless it's something I can wear! You commented about not getting pink shirts in the mid west, maybe not but you can get fabric dye and white shirts! Still cheaper than quilting cottons!

You've created a monster here! I started watching you about 6 months ago and only used yardage then. Now, I almost solely quilt with only shirts, I have many hundreds of them I got from the local thrift shops for $3.50-5.00 each, and I find quilting with shirts and sheets immensely satisfying! It takes longer and is more of a challenge for all the reasons you mention in your videos, and that is precisely why I love it so much (aside from the fact that it is less expensive per quilt, and SO MANY plaids and ginghams!). I live close to NYC, and can find lots of purple, pink, and yellow men's shirts without issue. I go to Goodwill and predominantly buy shirts that are the color of the day, and that are size L or larger, and of course, 100% cotton or linen, or the rare find of other amazing natural blends like cashmere, or silk). I love to work in the damaged or quirky parts of the shirts too, like small holes, frayed edges, worn threads, etc. It gives the quilt so much more character and makes me think of the person who wore the garment that now is getting a second lease on life. I thank you for reigniting my quilting fire! I am on my third Irish chain throw in three months, a great pattern for shirts.

Thrifted Bedsheets are great too btw, or curtains. We garment sewists use them all the time ❤

That shirt you are wearing would be great in a quilt as others have noted! LOL OMG, the letter B and Golom reference made me spill my coffee today! 🤣🤣🤣 Your comparisons are valid I believe as those of us where shirts are more expensive, also pay exponentially more for fabric from a quilt store. My quilt store does sell by the inch/cm which is great. Have a great weekend.

I made memory quilts from my Dad’s shirts when he passed away. I can not remember how many I chopped up but I was completely surprised at how much fabric one man’s size large pearl snap shirts could produce. I made two identical twin size quilts, a smaller lap quilt and a queen size, and an 18x18 small one. I didn’t see a way to comment with photos. Probably a good idea to block that option because of internet trolling!!! Love the utility quilting method! I love the feel of the used fabrics! I love thrifting! I love people continuing to use the fabric in a different way! I think it is the connecting thread between (well it can be…) generations

Being a thrifty sort, I love this kind of thing. I have been making quilts using shirts for a long time...100% cotton, etc. The shirts are fantastic, the quilts are beautiful - and I save $. It's all a wonderful thing. I enjoy your videos a lot.

I love how you used the smaller HSTs on the back instead of tossing them in the bin. The motif you made is really stunning. Worth the time IMO.

Great video! I live in the Midwest and also struggle to find men’s pink shirts. However, I did see one in my husband’s side of the closet. Hmmmm…..

No matter where you purchased your fabric from it was made with love, laughter and well wishes. Great video! This entire message contains zero letters from our sponsor. 😂

Here in the UK I think we’re quite well provided with online shops that will do single fat quarters of most of their stock. It does mean I have to resist the urge to keep adding to my fat quarter stash, simply because I love beautiful fabric, though! A shirt from the charity shop usually costs me a little more than a FQ would, and I get so much more fabric. Thanks for another great informative video Cathy.

That was so revealing! Great job! Thanks for confirming what those of us who recycle fabric from clothing already suspected.

Thank you for all the research you did for us. I have a room of fabric.so always left overs. I never buy just enough. I always consider a quilt a gift. So I am thinking I am buying a gift . My cousins gift, he is over 6 feet tall, was so much more than a baby quilt. I would like everyone I love to have a quilt before I pass on! Wouldn't that be a great thing! Hugs from Tampa.

Wow! I love your breakdown of the tale of 2 quilts cost. I also like to use shirts for my sewing quilts. I like doing this because of cutting the cost but also the game of it all. The way you discussed the breakdown was great. Thanks for your efforts.

Part of the fun is the hunt for the fabric. Using shirts opens up the endless possibilities of prints and designs.

There are so many ways to curate a fabric stash. Yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores. Learning to quilt as you go allows you to quilt on your own machine. There are several great quilting teachers who have KZfaq channels detailing the methods. Think outside the box, I am very inspired to shop my closet and thrift stores to see what I can deconstr for a future project. Thanks for the inspiration!

Awesome. My son wears nice dress shirts all the time for work. I just texted him that the next time he gets rid of them that I want them. lol

Two beautiful quilts and such an interesting video. Thank you so much! All towns are different of course. We do have a Goodwill in my town. I have never been there. I will consider going. I buy my fabric online but we do have a Joann's in my town that I did buy all of my fabric at previous to buying online. I had never heard of designers that sold patterns for quilts and their own line of fabrics before until about 6 years ago and I was hooked. I fell in love with about 6 designer's fabrics, patterns and spent a fortune I hate to say but I also will say I am 71 now, a retired nurse of years and have been quilting for 44 years. I decided not to buy anymore fabric until I used up most of what I have, (I should be about 150 years old by then) but love every fabric and pattern I do have. All the designer's I follow have KZfaq channels and I love following them.

I am in the Dallas, Texas area and still find shirts for 2.99 to 5.99 range. Thanks for your experiment!

Wow wow your quilt is gorgeous. The back is as beautiful as the front. You are one determined person. Way to go! Great example of saving money.

Well done :). Pink shirts can be found in women’s shirts section. I am a lovely plus size and have been known to forward a pink cotton shirt from time to time to goodwill. Also when I order cotton fabric online from stores like Joann’s it has a 2 yard minimum. But you did a great job in calculating it all. Fascinating! Thanks for all your hard work & sharing it all!

Todays video brought to you by the letter “B” 😂 Great work today! Need to go shirt shopping

I really like your quilt much more than the other one.

I just happened to find your channel this evening. You are delightful to watch! I enjoy listening to you. I have dabbled in quilting in the past. It has been so many decades ago,but I still am enamored with them. Your video showed me that thrifting is always an option for me. I tend to forget about that. I am learning to sew again. So I need to remember that next time I want to make something. Thank you for video and I look forward to seeing you again!

Well I live in Greece and on the island that I live on, we don’t have thrift shops but we have bazaars. Something like a yard sale in your country. These bazaars are only held outside of the tourist season. I can buy 100% cotton shirts for a euro. I also get dresses and skirts anything 100% cotton. I only use recycled clothing in all my quilts. When I visit England I sometimes manage to get new fabric from the charity shops but not often. Fabric here in Greece is expensive too.

This is the first of your videos that I happened to watch last week. When our parents died, I made memory quilts for my two sisters and one for myself, mostly out of Daddy's flannel shirts. (Don't do it- flannel is so loosely woven, or at least a lot of his were and I would not use that again.). Anyway- I was impressed by the amount of fabric in a men's shirt- you said size large (at least) and long sleeve. Saturday I had a bit of time and went into the local St Vincent de Paul and they were having men's long-sleeve shirts 25% off, usually 4.99. However, I don't have a quilt in mind and have loads of material I need to use some of it up, first. Anyway- just looking- it was UNBELIEVABLE! There was a beautiful XXL pale yellow cotton Oxford cloth shirt that I almost bought. SO many of them are wrinkle-resistent (Why in the world can't they make wrinkle resistant women's blouses a cheaply as men's shirts? I don't get it!). Anyway- it's incredible and also the shades of colors that are available! So- You've opened my eyes and I am thankful. When I was doing the memory quilts, I started out cutting apart the shirts and taking off all the buttons, etc. Then I started using the design elements of the shirts in the quilt squares--like a pocket, or a fancy yoke, or even the front placket with buttons which I did sew shut-- you can unbutton them, but the other side is sewn shut. I also make blue jean stained glass window quilts and I have used pockets in those, as well- it adds character. :). I just wanted to say thank you so much....

I love this comparison. It’s funny how Jennifer’s and your quilts’ coloraways looked so similar. And once again comparing a FQ to the shirt pieces is eye opening. TFS

I make my own clothing, (mostly cottons and wools) for the sheer pleasure of it. I now make huge quilts that go from the floor to floor and can go down memory lane by looking at the fabrics in my quilts. Time consuming but absolutely, gloriously satisfying.

I'm catching up on your videos (had to go in order!) and loved your "little Brother" remark. I too have a little Brother machine AND a little brother (62 years old), so I named my machine Pat after him. It's my retreat and my FL snowbird machine.

I love this video. Can't wait for orange peel tutorial

I'm currently sitting in my crafting/sewing space working on my second baby quilted blanket. All of the materials are brand new, so I'm counting full purchase prices, not discounting for actual materials used. I'm using solid fabric sections, neither side is pieced, the batting is brand new and I'm quilting it myself on my Janome. For 2 quilted blankets, I spent $243 on materials. One side is cotton, the second side is a polyester-wool blend woven plaid in the Spirit of Scotland tartan. Those second sides cost me $160 for 4 yards tax included. The only difference between the quilts is the pattern with which I'm quilting them. These baby boys are very special, so I figured that they are worth the added expense. Dress shirts and sheets are probably going to be my materials going forward for a while. I also have 40 memory bears and bunnies to make using my grandparents' clothing after my grandpa passes. I come from a large extended family.

I love your detailed analysis. I too analysed the cost difference between quilt store cottons and men's shirt cottons, although my analysis was nothing like as detailed as what you did but, for fun, here's what I did. I figured 3 fat quarters per large long sleeved men's shirt, which is a slightly conservative estimate as there is always more useable fabric than that. I am a very scrappy quilter and any oddly shaped pieces don't slow me down a bit. I use my weird-shaped pieces and tidy fat quarters the same way: until there's nothing left. I live in Canada and all my $ amounts are CA$, so the numbers are different but the math is the same. Fat quarters are about $5 each so at 3 fat quarters per shirt, if I buy a shirt for

Im lucky to have a thrift store near me that sells shirts for 50 cents and has 1 weekend a month when they are 25 cents.The proceeds go to battered women and people in need of food. So it makes me feel good to shop there and I also donate things there which helps me to clear the clutter as well. I live in Oklahoma and clothes are a dime a dozen here. But Goodwills here are up to $5.99 for shirts too. Which I feel is crazy considering they are supposed to help support those on low income, and minimum wage hasn't increased like the price of those shirts. Anyways...on a tangent. Thanks for the inspiration and affirmation. Its always good to hear your cheerful voice, keep up the great work.😃

Hello Cathy. I'm thrilled to have found your work with repurposing shirts. I have saved several of my husband's shirts planning to make "fabric " from them. Now I know I'm not alone in this idea. Thanks so much. 😊

I’ve just finished making a quilt with our old worn, stained or ripped shirts, blouses & mostly cotton. Stories from the reused fabric is fun.

I sew and crochet but I've never quilted before. My son has so many shirts that he's overgrown but hangs onto, since he still loves the prints on them. Seeing this video inspired me to take those precious little shirts and try my hand at making him a little quilt. Thank you so much for posting this, and giving me the inspiration. You're lovely to watch.

This was fun to listen too and learn. It reminded me of my grandma using previously used fabrics. And I still have quite a few of them that I use and I’m 71 yrs. New subscriber also

I love your quilt back! What a good idea for those left over triangles!

That was great! I love that you did all that math. I have a whole big bag of men’s XL shirts that I bought to make summer tops, but I just started quilting, so I may have to raid that bag for a quilt. You didn’t mention getting fabric at estate sales, but they are a great source for fabrics, notions, and even sewing machines.

Quilts were originally made out of the scraps of good parts of the fabric left when a garment was too worn to use anymore, or from small pieces left from making clothes from new fabrics. The whole point was to not waste fabric, to make something useful from something that was too small to be otherwise of use. I could never understand the rise of modern “quilting,” where you purposefully purchased fabric only to make a quilt. The value in old quilts was the “life” the garments they were made from had seen, the remembrance of people whose clothes you used in them, and the artfulness of making a beautiful pattern when you had limited scraps to work with. “Rediscovering” the idea of making quilts from pre-used fabric is hilarious.

I am doing a quilt guild challenge project, and I'm using men's shirts for the first time. I find the most challenging thing is that when a shirt is gone, it is gone! That could force me to improvise, which is interesting.

❤ I want. To thank you again for the detail that you go into regarding prices and savings etcetera. Also, I want to thank you for taking the time to do the series of quilt Con. I'M not able to get to the USA. So that was a lovely overview of different quilts. I am truly blessed as I am able to get a shirt. Any size for $2 USA in Northern Ireland UK? The shirt colours are not very bright as we live in a very dull climate, but I take what I can and try to work with what I have and supplement them with other fabrics. I am Canadian but live in Northern Ireland. Thank you. Thank you so much to both of you, and be blessed.🍁☘️😊 Joanne Vervoordeldonk

I've made tons of quilts from old office shirts and use bedsheets for backings. Dylon is my best friend!

The very FIRST quilt I ever made was a hand pieced "Picket Fence" pattern made from shirts and various clothes. This was before I knew about rotary cutters. I cut all the trapezoid pieces by hand and sewed them together by hand (I drew the seam lines with an ink pen). I got the idea of using "repurposed" fabrics from a library book showing how our pioneer mothers used what they had on hand. I used unbleached muslin for the backing. Of course, I am STILL hand quilting it, (queen sized) but I am proud of this quilt that started my quilting journey.

Womens skirts, cotton sheets, drapery, all of those are potential quilt grade fabric!

Superb video & info… I began thrifting denim & men’s shirts for making rag quilts to sell… As I began looking for flannel men’s shirts, I noticed how so many shirts had such very nice fabrics (prints, hand & quality)-that’s when my thoughts went to regular quilting using that thrifted shirt fabric-so much of it is too nice to use for rag quilting LOL!!

Beautiful work and fantastic savings. And even at $60 for a total of 10 shirts, you'll still use the fabric leftover for other projects. For people who may not have access to thrift stores, or even those who do, I'd be looking for items being discarded due to damage, such as stains, minor tears, discolored collars, etc. One can always discard the bad parts, and use the good. ,I've seen huge bundles of clothing being prepped for shipment elsewhere ( stuff that doesn't sell) at the back area of thrift stores. I don't know if or how one could acquire such but I'd be asking store managers. And I'd also put up posts on local and neighborhood social media sites for unwanted shirts, as sometimes people dispose of such items rather than donating and are happy to have you take their stuff. I've been real lucky in acquiring items that way, as well as helping others who have posted in need of.

This is great. I'd never thought of using thrift store clothing. I make a lot of charity quilts, mostly lap quilts for people undergoing chemo, so soft shirts sound perfect. I'll be doing a tour of our local thrift stores tomorrow! I live in Australia where men love bright patterned shirts so I'm hopeful that I'll find some great fabric. Thanks for the inspiration.

I usually don't spend the time with talky tutorials. But...this was fun. Makes me want to go see how cheaply I can make a quilt. Enjoyed it - thanks!

Thrifted flat sheets and flat sheets from discount stores (washed in several rounds of very hot water!) make up my quilt backs. And every time my friends are getting rid of sheets just because they're tired of them, they always know just to give them to me. The bonus is that so often these sheet backs are beautifully soft and worn.

That was so informative. It's amazing how expensive fabric can be, and how we can make adjustments.

This was a fabulous tutorial!!!!!!! I have my own 1/2 ton of stash material, but I've also been gifted almost another 1/2 ton of retro, vintage, prints and solids, along with threads and misc. Seeing how you've penciled it out has made my heart very happy and raring to dig in and get it sorted and added to my stash. Thank you so much for your time and efforts ❤❤❤

I find thrifted shirts are getting ridiculously expensive….

You are so funny! I enjoyed watching your video and subscribed. All quilters have asked this question. I'm sure we all knew the answer, but you have documented it. The backing with the tiny half square triangles is amazing.

Although it's not an out-of-pocket cost, thrifting clothes for materials takes extra time. Besides cutting them apart to 'flatten them out,' you have to play around with fitting the pattern pieces so as to make the most of your oddly shaped pieces. So, if you put a price on your time, you'd have more involved in thrift-sewing. It's still fun to do and worth it! I go to rummage sales on the last day when it's bag day-- everything you can shove into a bag for a fixed price!

And I use sheets from my thrift stores and that’s a BIG saving and great quality cotton 👏👏👏

TY for sharing this interesting project. It was a labour of love. (cuz it's a baby quilt, LOL.) It is almost shocking how much we can save, when we put in the effort. The comparison is really striking. And you cannot call one better/ prettier/ superior to the other.

Hello, as I’m listing to you and seeing your shirt quilt, I’m thinking that it would be a great challenge for me to try it out. Also, there’s women’s blouses and dresses that could be used as yardage. I’m so glad I didn’t skip your video. Thank you!

Fascinating experiment! What an eye opener. Beautiful quilts in both cases. Loved this video. 💕

Hi! My mom sewed "sheets" out of old clothes because we where very poor and could not aford to buy bedding, she would not quilt I guess because she didn't have money to buy batting. I learned from her to use an old sewing machine wich she still uses to mend and to alterate clothes for herself. She mended a lot of my dad's jeans and shirts that he used in farming, also alterated our clothes like the seams of jeans, change a broken zipper, sew buttons and more. She did it out of necesity and to have a time for herself. Now I get it how much she enjoyed to have that time for herself, it was her way to entertainment after all tbe work involved in raising 8 children.

Very informative. I do not have a local quilt store. At QC I found out that there is one 1 hour away. BUT I have THE BEST thrift store less than 15 minutes from my house and they also sometimes have new and vintage quilting cottons. I've even snagged some flour sacks for $0.50 each. Everything in this thrift store has been donated to them, so they can sell everything really cheap. FQ size pieces are $0.25, up to HY $0.50, up to 1Y is $1 and so on. Men's dress shirts are $2 each. I snagged 2 - XXL white with pale stripes shirts for $1 yesterday. Did I need these shirts> NO! But I'd been silly to leave them behind for someone that might would actually wear them 🤣🤣Also at half price, they had been hanging there for 4 weeks untouched. Squeeeeeee! Yes I am blessed 😇😁 I feel very fortunate. BTW, I love yours and Jennifers quilts. I also love the blue one on the wall and can't wait for the orange peel tutorial.

Hey, Cathy! This video just popped up on my stream, and I’m SO glad it did! You have definitely shown a great comparison btwn using quilting fabric and thrifted shirting. I have picked up a for embellishing jean jackets and sweatshirts. Now you’ve convinced m3 to do so for other projects as well. This would make a huge savings on donation quilts. Just think…3 for the price of 1! Interesting that you mentioned denim shirts. I have been thrifting denim jeans for quilting and bagmaking projects. My absolute best deal was found when was camping in the Midwest in 2022. I found new long, wide-leg, cropped denim jeans-in both blue and black-for $5 USF on sal3 at a Walmart. I snapped up all of the XXL that they had. Bonus…they had buttoned flys (flies?…Hmmmm…is the plural for the fly in pants different that of the pesky insect??). But I digress. My plan is to use these as accents on future bags. I think they would be particularly fabulous incorporated in the bags made of jeans hems designed by Don Kym on his channel . Are you familiar with him? He upcycled as sorts of clothing-particularly shirts and jeans. Love his channel! You are a delight! You have truly brightened my day. You bring such joy to your channel-much like Amy Dement. I’m now subscribed to your channel, and I am looking binge-watching your past videos! Thank you, and stay well! EDIT: I’m half way through your wedding quilt video from a year ago, and I’m pretty sure that I caught a video of you shopping a thrift store with your husband. The comment re thrifting for linens tweaked my memory. Muskoka ON 🇨🇦😅,

I have two baskets of thrifted men’s shirts that I need to cut apart and start something!

I’m kicking myself now. I had a bag of my mom’s old clothes that I had thought I might make into a quilt one day. I’ve had them for a few years, and last week decided to take them to the thrift shop, because I just wasn’t feeling very inspired, and I have too many unfinished projects and too much stuff. Some of her shirts would have been perfect for this quilt. 😊😢❤ Mom passed 2.5 years ago.

Excellent video! always use shirts and sheets, table clothes, duvets, whatever thrifted cotton I can find🇮🇪🧵🧷🪡 I enjoy my quilts so much more when I do them this way. Have used old wool blankets for batting but heavy to quilt. Recently discovered fleece for backs and can leave out batting for lighter quilt and works well.

Just brilliant! ❤ shirts here in South Australia stay from about $7aud. Since covid - 2nd hand everything - has skyrocketed..

Thank you, Cathy, for doing this comparison for us!! Awesome information!! I am in the Midwest and while not in abundance (in the wild) I do find plenty of pink men's shirts. Possibly it is because I "frequent" the stores?? Usually once a week. Love the Geo Gems quilts and both of your choices in fabrics. Thank you for sharing!!

I have recently learned to but at thrift stores! I just got pillowcases for .99 cents each!!! I also had 2 cotton shirts that I had outgrown and cut them up!!!

I love the idea of upcycling high quality shirt fabric in quilts and I really enjoy your videos. One methodology point, you have to consistently count the cost either at purchase or at use (and I argue for at purchase). If you have to buy the entire bundle to get the fabric, your cost is what the entire bundle costs. Same goes for shirts. Then when you use leftover fabric you don’t count it. When you tallied up your friend’s quilt, you didn’t count the cost of the background fabric, because she had it as leftover, but if you aren’t counting the full purchase cost when purchased (i.e perhaps she originally bought 3.5 yards and only used 2) then you have to count it when you use it, or it never gets counted.) The other thing I personally have to keep in mind, if I make frankenbatting, quilt the quilt myself and dismantle shirts, there is a big additional time component that comes into play, to which I also might want to assign a value. I cut apart a few shirts and didn’t enjoy it much, so I ended up being less meticulous about preserving every inch of fabric (pockets, darts, cuffs, I’m looking at you!) but I wasn’t willing to invest my time for the limited benefit. The other thing that takes somewhat more time when using shirts is the pattern cutting and planning the cutting to get the best use out of the pieces and make sure things stay mainly on grain. I think the point of your video holds- if you want to make a quilt on the cheap, using leftovers and shirts, shopping sales, and quilting it yourself definitely cut the $$$, and these approaches are more ecologically sound and result in beautiful and unique quilts.BTW I love your aesthetic. I saw your quilt at Quilt Con and it looked even better in person. :)

I recently made a quilt with my gpa’s shirts plus thrifted shirts as filler. I love the information provided here. The thing that holds me back the most is the prep time of prepping the shirts so they’re usable as fabric. It’s a lot. But worth it if that’s what you’re after. Just not an approach I want to take personally on all of my quilts. Of course the point here is that it doesn’t have to be pricey if you’re willing to bargain shop and take the extra time. Anyone can truly quilt! Thank you for this Cathy!

I just wanted to say thank you Hun !! 😂😊😇✝️🙏🐇💕. I love how you showed me how to get the most fabric out of a men's shirt. And how to save so much money on, making a Quilt. 😮🙄😁😇✝️🙏🐇💕. Wow !! That is Great 😂😊

I live in Canada. Thrift store shirts may be more expensive here but so is quilting cotton. It is not unusual to pay much more then $12 a yard. So I expect it would still be significantly cheaper to use shirts here too. Great video. Loved it💕🇨🇦

If you absolutely have to have pinks and there aren't any pink men's shirts, dont forget the women's section for skirts and shirts. I also check out the tablecloth and curtains many 100% cotton options in those areas as well. Once i even found a beautiful mandala patterned shower curtain that was 100% cotton!

Ha too funny. I live in the Midwest and all pastels are alive and well here! Even pink.

We don’t have so many quilt shops in the U.K., but we can buy quarter metre of fabric online. However, some online shops just cut off a 1/4 metre, so it’s a skinny quarter, not a fat quarter. OK for some patterns but not all.

Great video and good information. I had never thought to go to the thrift store and buy shirts to sew into quilts. Awesome.

What a joy you are to watch. I love your sense of humour. I had so many chuckles. Much love from Canada 😘❤️🇨🇦

Listening to you mentioning all those prices made me drool. Here in Australia, to find material at $13AUD a metre is becoming more common, but it it still more usual to pay $24-30 AUD a metre. Batting is expensive - $80 or more for a queen size piece. However, single fat quarters are still readily available, though you can pay up to $7.50 AUD for the “pretty” ones - sometimes they are on sale, 10 for $20, that’s the time to buy. We can also usually buy as little as 10cms (4”) WOF, though 25cms (10”) is more common. All told, it seems quilting is a more expensive hobby here than in the States. (Can’t comment on the long arm cost as I’ve never used it, always considered the cost would be way out of my reach). Op. Shops are great, there are some great bargains to be had. Love your videos, keep up the good work.

Thank you. That helped quite a bit . I am amazed and it gives me hope for quilting.