Last year I discovered Bonnie Hunter's blog and mystery quilts. Her quilts are made from recycled materials... clothing, scraps and leftovers from projects and fabrics donated to her by her adoring fans! I don't know exactly where I read it, but it was suggested that recycled fabrics could be gotten by purchasing shirts from Goodwill. Each size L shirt contains approximately one yard of fabric and with a cost of $.99-$2.50 per shirt, quilting could be very affordable and economical! I went to our local Goodwill in search of shirts to use for the neutrals needed to make Roll Roll Cotton Boll (here is the finished quilt I sent my niece for a wedding gift) Unfortunately, our local store carried mostly flannel or denim. I called my SIL in Baltimore who searched her local Goodwill and found 20 shirts for me! Enough to cut up for RRCB and still have leftovers for the next project. (see them on top of the pink boxes!)
Over the past year I have found 15 suitable to be use as neutrals and also purchased some denim and flannels for other projects.
But, on a recent trip we drove through Kentucky and I convinced my husband to stop at the Goodwill store we passed so I could look for a few shirts. I was absolutely amazed at what I found! 75 shirts in a variety of colors and neutrals! I am especially fond of the orange/reds!
Here they are color sorted and laid out on the floor and then placed on my shelves.
I will be spending many evenings deconstructing and deciding on how to cut them and make them into nice warm quilts!
