craft

I was wondering if anyone on here recycles clothes for the fabric to make your quilts and other craft items. Where do you find clothes to use and what do you look for?

meyert

I have made a number of quilts from clothes. I have made each of my boys tshirt quilts, I have used their old jeans and mine to make quilts. I am working quilts now from mens shirts.

Some people like Goodwill to buy clothes from, but my local Goodwill doesn't have any great prices on their clothes. I have had luck picking up some things at yard sales and estate sales

dublb

I have a few times. I go to Goodwill & buy 100% cotton Men's shirts. I am picky about the fabric. I have also bought some 100% cotton sheets. It can be challenging to find the tag on the sheets so when I can't I go by feel. I have been fooled a few times & got sheets that had some poly in 'em. Those are good for straining the fruit when I am making jelly so not a total waste.

sprice

I have used men's 100% cotton shirts. Worked out fine but I decided it was too much work to "debone" the shirts first. But they do make nice soft quilts.

meyert

yes sheets! certain times of year flannel sheets are on sale and they make for great backings

Mariposa

I check out local thrift shops in the area, and if I travel. I look for 100% cotton sheets, men's cotton shirts, misc. wool, and 100% cotton denim. I also look for misc. knits, etc. to use in 18" doll clothes.

Tartan

I don’t use recycled clothing for quilting. If I am going to make a quilt, I want it to last. With that being said, there is a lot of good fabric in men’s shirts if you buy gently used ones. If I didn’t have a good stash or if money was an issue, I would use them. I have bought sale sheets at Walmart for backings before. I now have a quilt shop close that sells 108X108 backings for $36 so I use those now.

pocoellie

I try not to buy clothes for fabric, but it's HARD, I'll tell you, the main reason is I really don't need any more fabric. When we were "decluttering" our house to put on the market, I donated 10 big black garbage bags full of clothes that I had bought strictly for the fabric. LOL Since then I try to limit my clothes for fabric purchases. LOL I usually find clothing at yard sales and thrift stores.

craft

Fabric and supplies are hard for me to get that's why I was thinking about using clothes to make my quilts. I make quilts for local churches around me for babies, toddlers, children and for senior citizens who are shut-ins. This winter in Michigan has been really cold.

Scraplady

I do use old clothing, as well purchased fabric. And yes (gasp!) I have even been known to mix them in the same quilt. I don't do it because I need fabric (I definitely do NOT) but because I learned how much of the clothing we donate winds up in landfills when it can't be sold. Some of it is sent overseas, but much of it just gets thrown away after a certain time. I love the idea of repurposing items that are less likely to be purchased because they are seriously out of date, are torn have missing buttons or broken zippers, etc.

I have bought men's shirts, skirts and sheets at thrift shops. There's a lot of yardage in a large man's shirt or a very full skirt. I too am particular about the pieces I buy, although I am not averse to a quality blend as long as there is a lot more cotton than poly. I go by the feel of the fabric as much as anything. If you go look around on Pinterest or Etsy, vintage sheets are very trendy right now for quiltmaking. There are folks selling them as fat quarters, charm packs, etc. Just a side note: sheets that are worn or discolored in the center are usually still in excellent condition around the sides.

Also, men's flannel pajama pants and robes, as well as flannel sheets would make wonderful donation quilts in those cold climates.