Five Tips for Thrifting Fabric
Click HERE or on the image above to watch the video.
Let’s Talk Thrifting!
As many of you know, I LOVE thrifting. I buy most things second hand, from clothing for myself to decor to quilting fabric. It really is so much fun for me to go into a thrift shop and look around for hours. I love seeing the styles, reminisce about old books, toys, or decor, and imagine what I can do with all the amazing treasures.
Not only is it fun for me, it is also rewarding. With the average person discarding an estimated 81.5 lbs (source: https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/) each year, upcycling items, especially clothing, gives fabrics a new life. It feels good to keep clothing, linens, and more items like this out of our landfills.
With the overabundance of fabric that is readily available and inexpensive, we, as quilters, can get a lot of wonderful fabrics to use in our projects simply by shopping at thrift stores, yard sales, and other second hand places. We can save money, use what is already produced, and help save the quilting fabric from landfills.
One area I especially love is thinking about how I can reuse, repurpose, repair, or upcycle fabric from thrift stores. I have been thrifting for over 30 years now, and here are my top tips for finding quilting fabric and supplies at thrift shops. Here are my top five tips for finding fabric at thrift shops.
Home Decor
This includes curtains, table coverings, placemats, cloth napkins, tea towels, and more. Not only can you use the fabric from these items to make quilts and other projects, you can also see how things are made, create templates, and think of new ways to use items like this in your sewing room. For example, I bought rag wreaths and used the fabric to make a string quilt for the fall.
Clothing
This one may be obvious, but hear me out: there is so much we can use from the fabric section of thrift stores—many you may not have thought of such as making pillows, scrunchies, tote bags, table runners, and even quilts from the fabric we can harvest from the clothing that is out there. Here are some tips:
Natural Fibers: I always like to look at the fiber content and usually stick with natural fibers, but you can also find some beautiful items that have a mix of natural and synthetic fibers. That said, knowing your style and your favorite fabrics to work with is key when looking for clothing to use for fabric. You don’t want to add more clutter with something you won’t use, either.
Bigger is Better: Look for clothing that is very large. I love looking in the mens big and tall section. You can get a lot of fabric from one garment in this area.
Flannel Is Everywhere! Look for flannel in both the women and men department, especially in the area with pajamas. One of my favorite places to get flannel is from long flannel nightgowns and pajama sets.
Don’t Forget The Buttons & Zippers: As you are finding fabric, make sure to look at the buttons, zippers, appliqués, and other embellishments that you can harvest from these garments. All of these things are expensive to buy new and many times the quality is better on garments.
Scrubs: Probably my favorite tip is to look for scrubs. Thrift stores, at least around my area, seem to have a huge section devoted to scrubs. These are usually made of cotton, they often have fun prints, and are usually well-made sturdy material.
Accessories
This is another great place to find fabric and/or projects to make. Look a tote bags, purses, scarves, hair accessories, men’s ties—so many possibilities! Make sure to check this area, too, and again, make sure to look at the hardware on purses and totes.
Baby Items
I find that this is one area that people don’t think of when looking for sewing and quilting supplies. There are so many great finds in the baby section! From receiving blankets to bedding to cushions and more, you can find a lot of treasures in this area.
Bedding
From quilts (you know I love quilts, especially old quilts!) to sheets to pillows and shams, there are so many things we can make from these items. Here are a few ideas:
Sheets: Sheets, especially 100% sheets, are everywhere at thrift stores. You can even find flannel sheets, which are extra cozy on the backs of quilts. Sheets make great foundations for string-pieced blocks, too. Cut them up and use them for that or for quilts!
Pillows: Many pillows can be upcycled by using the fabric, stuffing, zippers, and more. There is also a treasure trove of information if you are making your own pillows.
Mattress Pads: Personally, I haven’t done this yet, but it is on my list of things to do, but I know people who have used mattress pads are batting in quilts.
Quilts: Of course I love the quilts, especially the vintage and antique quilts, but don’t overlook the store-bought quilts, too! These are great for making tote bags, hoodies, and other projects. You can also use them to practice quilting, if you want. They make great pillows, as well. Think of all the possibilities!
What are your favorite ways to use thrifted fabric? I would love to hear!
Happy Thrifting and Quilting!
Kris
