Ask Joi: Is Quilting a Luxury for the Rich?

To a newbee, quilting can seem like more of an expense then it's really worth.
 (photo credit Color Me Quilty)

This question came in from Sara:

OMG! Why is quilting so expensive? I thought this was something our poor great grandmothers did? How did it get to be so expensive? Fabric cost $10+ a yard and I saw a sewing machine that cost more then the first car I owned in college. Who can even afford such an expensive hobby? I feel like I have to get a second job just to make a baby quilt!


Hey Sara,

Trust me I feel where you are coming from. Yes, quilting CAN be expensive, but only if you CHOOSE to make it that way. Noticed I capitalized those words? Because the expense is a choice. Yes, this was what our poor grandmothers did back in the day and they did a damn good job without all the bells and whistles that we have today.

I tend to look at the quilting industry the same way I look at the wedding industry. How much does it really cost to get married? Do you need a 1.5 million dollar wedding ring? Do you have to have a custom made Vera Wang wedding dress in order to say 'I Do"? No, you don't. You can get away with just going down to the court house and getting married for under sixty bucks. A wedding can be that simple. But as you know, there is an industry built around feeding our need to be bigger and better then the next person. This holds true to quilting.

Really all you need to start quilting are some scissors that can cut fabric, needle, thread and fabric. The fabric can simply be from old clothes you already have in your house. An old blanket and sheet can serve the job of being your batting and backing.

I think we forget that for someone starting out in the craft, quilting can seem like a luxury only for the rich. Social media is filled with quilters bragging about getting the latest designer fabrics, showing off their $2,000 sewing machines and having discussions about remodeling their homes just to make room for their new longarm. You can see how this would give the wrong impression to most quilters just entering the craft.

Please Sara, don't be discouraged by what you see. We are human and as such many of us do fall pray to 'keeping up with the Jones'. Now, it would be foolish not to recognize that there is a small few of us who have the lifestyle to support high-end everything. But for the majority of us, we are modest people doing the best we can with what we can afford.

Right now their is someone in a third-world country sewing a quilt out of fabric salvaged from a nearby landfill, using an old rusty needle and some recycled thread. Yet that quilt is no less beautiful and no less special then the one made by someone who buys nothing but top designer fabrics and has a sewing room set up with all the latest quilting tools and technology.

You do not need to be financially rich to make a quilt. You'll just feel rich in love after making one.