You don't have to use new coffee filters either, shake out most of the grounds, and you can use the filter after it's made a pot of coffee for you, too. If you use the cone-style filters instead of the fluted ones like Lin's, just tear them down one side to spread them out.
I made prom dresses for my neighbor's daughter, two years in a row, and had some tulle (bridal veil netting) scraps left over. That stuff is also great for filtering at the bottom of a pot. I tried it to protect my figs on the tree, too, but the squirrels just tore right through it.
