An Introduction to The Thrifty Quilter

Last Friday, I gave you a brief rundown on the new direction I am taking with my quilting. If you didn't catch the post, read all about my future fun and games here (New Direction). I thought it would be nice if I used this week to go into a bit more detail about my plans.

What is The Thrifty Quilter?
This is a casual, fun series I will be adding to the blog. The idea is that, rather than racing out and buying that perfect fabric for a project, I start looking at thriftier options. The projects will be both sewing and quilting. For example, upcycling clothing into a bag, using second hand goods to make a quilt, or even finding thrifted items suitable as a replacement for quilt batting.

Why the thrifty change?
I have two main reasons for my thrifty change: Money and Creativity (three if you count 'saving the environment').

Early last year we made the switch to becoming a single income family. Raising my daughter full-time suits our family perfectly but, as with any such decision, sacrifices must be made. To be honest though, I can easily give up new fabric if it means playing with house renovations (seriously...my creative beast has pretty much taken over our home).

My second reason behind The Thrifty Quilter is that I have found the easier access I have to things, the less creative I become. It's relatively easy to pick up a coordinated fat quarter pack and whip up a reasonably eye-catching quilt. What's harder is having a limited selection of uncoordinated, second hand goods and turning those into something outstanding. For some reason, the harder option really appeals to me. Who doesn't love a challenge?

So no more new stuff?
Well now, hold on there Sparky. I never said that. I will still be using new items when the occasion calls for it. Sometimes I may not be able to source what is needed through thrifty methods. Other times I may simply really want to make something out of a new range. The point of this isn't to turn into some preachy, anti-consumerism, stick-it-to-the-man blogger. It's simply to experience a different approach to quilting and perhaps inspire others to try new (or should that be old?) methods.

Where to from here?
I have a few small projects I will tackle over the coming weeks, but my main plan is to attempt to make a completely thrifted quilt that is as eye-catching as one made from newly released fabric.

What do you think? Doesn't it sound like a great, regular addition to the blog?