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The prices of everything have gone up in the last few years, and that goes for embroidery supplies too. However, the great thing about this craft is that because it has been around forever, there are ample supplies floating around out there which someone else might be looking to give to a new home. Here are seven ways to get your hands on embroidery supplies without blowing your craft budget.
Check out garage sales, or estate sales.
Warmer weather means it’s the time of year for garage sales. If you don’t mind taking the time to browse, garage sales and estate sales can be a great place to find unwanted embroidery supplies as well as clothes and home furnishings that can be given a new life with a little bit of stitched embellishment.
Organize a craft swap.
Do you have other friends, family, or neighbors who enjoy embroidery, sewing or other fiber crafts? Have everyone round up supplies that they don’t want anymore and get together to trade goods. You can theme your gathering, assign monetary values to supplies so people get even trades, and even have some snacks to munch on. Not only is this a fun way to get together and catch up, but others at the swap might have a supply that’s perfect for a project you’re working on, and vice versa.
Fabric remnants, repurposed vintage wooden frames and vintage embroidery hoops.
Visit thrift stores.
Similar to garage sales, thrift stores can be a veritable treasure trove of craft supplies. Look for vintage embroidery hoops, unwanted fabric, unused embroidery thread, and more!
Join a Buy Nothing group.
If you are not familiar with the Buy Nothing Project, it is a worldwide movement where people give their unwanted goods freely, no strings attached, and free of charge! You can use their app to gift supplies or ask for them, but I prefer to join a local Buy Nothing group on FaceBook. Search right on FaceBook for one in your area, or scroll down on this website to select your country, area, and a nearby FB group.
Shop scraps.
Keep an eye out for fabric scraps from your favorite stitching shops or craft stores. I find this is a great way to score fabric that is perfect for embroidery projects, such as cotton or linen, as well as wool for felt appliqué. Look for wool felt scrap bags and felt remnants online, or check out the remnants section of your local fabric store to get discounted fabric from the end of a bolt.
Accept hand-me-downs.
When people know that you love to stitch, they tend to go out of their way to offer you supplies that they no longer want. I have had so many people offer me skeins of embroidery floss and embroidery hoops leftover from other craft projects. Even if you receive a mishmosh of random colors, it can be a great creative challenge to put together a project using gifted threads.
Browse around your home.
Using existing supplies is one of the best ways to stretch your creativity! Poke around your home and try using unusual fibers (such as rope, twine, or yarn) and found objects (like key rings, pipe cleaners, wire, bits of wood, buttons, etc.) in your embroidery. All of these can be great for couching as well as stumpwork. Repurpose leftover threads, needles and other supplies from previous embroidery projects and use them on something new. For fabric, use old clothes, blankets, or other fabric that you can repurpose. Some of my favorite embroidery projects were stitched on an old pair of jeans that I cut up before stitching.
