Pillowcase Fabric Buying Tips

Remember this post about the Million Pillowcase Challenge?

I made a personal goal to complete two each month for the 2010 year.
I thought I would share a few tips for stretching your dollar when purchasing fabric for your pillowcases.

1. Head straight to the Clearance section. This should be your first stop at the craft store. Often they are marked as $1/yard, $2/yard, etc.  WalMart is a great place for shelves like these.

2. Look for outdated seasonal prints. I headed to my local JoAnns last week and realized their seasonal prints were 60-75% off! My best tip is to look for seasonal prints that are not season specific. There are always a few in the mix. For example...

These fabrics were all seasonal, but they don't necessarily look seasonal.  From left to right: Green Celtic (St. Patrick's), Green Polka dot (Christmas), Multi-colored pattern (Christmas), Hearts (Valentine's) and red and white stripes (Christmas).  Each of these fabrics were around $2/yard...and a $2 pillowcase is a steal!

3. Ask for donations. Yes, your local fabric store may donate fabric for the cause. Make an appointment to speak with the Manager. Make sure to state a clear goal (like how many pillow-cases you intend to make, where you will drop them off and which local charity they will go to). If you have a blog, offer to link their store on your blog. Then commit to follow up regularly. Let them know how many pillowcases were made/take photos of finished pillow-cases and mail them directly to the Manager you spoke with.

Good luck and happy pillow making!