DD wants to take up sewing, where do you buy affordable fabric??

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DD is home for the summer (a uni student) and is bored stiff already so was thinking about getting her Gran's old sewing machine out and trying her hand at making some bits.
Obviously as a student she hasn't got the world to spend on material, so where would she suggest she looks?? I've done no more than sew (sow?) nametags in school uniforms for a good 20 years so am no help to her at all!!
Any tips for her getting started/easy project ideas as well?? She was thinking of making some cushions for her (grim) student flat.

Thanks :)

When I was a student I bought a roll of satiny stuff from a market stall and made a ball gown for myself, which I wore at the Uni ball. My mum thought it was brilliant.

Markets are great, she can pick up all sorts there. I'd start off small, cushion covers are very easy.

Fabricland.The website is hideous but lovely fabrics for cheap as chips.

Or Chawla's also v cheap.

Or hunt out old duvet covers etc in charity shops and upcycle them.

Also ebay is good, and can be v reasonable depending on what she's looking for.

Thanks :) She's going to head into town tomorrow for a look in the market and charity shops, and have a rummage through the spare room at the thousands of single bed sets we still have despite the fact there are no single beds in the house anymore

I once found some fab sequinned and some velvet tube skirts in Primark reduced to £1. I made a bag from the one I bought but they could equally be turned into simple cushion covers.

The key to cheap fabrics is thinking outside the box I reckon.

Charity shops and markets are a great start, if you are in London Fabrics Galore is brilliant.

Aberkhan have loads of offcuts and do 'off cut bags'.

Ask around on Freegle, too.
I got into patchwork this summer, very simple to knock out a basic quilt & plenty of videos on youtube to explain the basics.

Ikea?

• Fabricland
• Ikea
• Abakhan
• Local market (Shepherds' bush market is good, including the shops around it, always full of fashion students)
• Double duvet sets in the "clearance" section of Primark or TK Maxx
• Some fabrics are always good value - cotton gingham seems to be cheap wherever you buy it.

There's Dalston mill fabrics www.dalstonmillfabrics.co.uk/about.asp, it's like a freakin' Alladin's cave.