How to find fabric to upholster with when broke

I’m a stay at home mom and beyond the expenses of bills and basic needs, there’s not much we can spare for money for creative projects.

We’re really needing to reupholster our built in banquet bench, and my husband is pretty handy so we’re gonna DIY to save money. Ive calculated we’ll need 7 yards of fabric. But when I look at the local upholstery shops, they’re pretty expensive, as expected, since they cater to designers and people of a different lifestyle. I’ve tried looking online (eBay) but it’s hours of scrolling and weeding through fabric not matching our palette or just not enough of it to cover the 7 yds we need.

I have a crazy idea to maybe try my hand at thrift stores. Could I use alternative fabrics to upholstery with, like curtains/comforters/quilts/table cloths? Maybe I could break up the bench into one fabric for the back and one for the seat, mixing colors & patterns to get a tasteful maximalist outcome? Are my ideas too crazy? I’ve never reupholstered before because the price of fabric is always a sticking point, but the current fabric is trashed. Luckily the foam is still great! 😅