Earth Day is a perfect time to talk about fabric thrifting and reuse. One of my favorite sources of fabric is houseware items like tablecloths and curtains, although I’ve used sheets, blankets and bedspreads too. They are often just big rectangles with plenty of useable fabric and few seams.
There are a few things to consider when reusing an item for garment sewing. First of all, I consider fabric content. Can you guess what it is? Is there still a label? Is this fabric washable? Burning a small piece of your fabric can help determine content. This burn test guide from Threads can teach you how different materials react to burning.
Most of my reuse fabrics have been cotton or mostly cotton. I always prewash to check for shrinkage and color fastness. While a tablecloth may have been washed many times, a curtain might not have been. If there are trims, pleats, or hooks, carefully unpick and remove them before washing.
Now that your fabric is washed, what is its condition? Check for sun fading and small holes. In a big piece of fabric, it is easy to cut around small areas of damage, but make sure you mark them before you lay out your pattern. I cut two shirts out of a damaged bedspread, so don’t assume that a little hole means the fabric is ruined.
Because you can’t control the size of a reused item, lay out your pattern carefully before cutting. Be flexible about cutting on the cross grain or using a different fabric for facings. Sometimes you may have to include a seam or other detail from the original item. Making it work is part of the fun.
There are lots of great reasons to reuse and thrift. I like to give new life to something that is no longer being used. It is also a great way to save money. Most of my reused items have been gifts from people who knew that I sew. Sometimes an older item is something unique that you would never find in a fabric store. I currently have a tablecloth that’s just waiting for the right pattern.
Thrifting and Buying Vintage Fabric
by Tanya Hughes
Over the past few years I have got into collecting and using vintage fabrics. Not only do they often have more interesting prints than new fabrics, but they are usually better quality. These are fabrics that are already out there, so they aren’t causing any harm to our environment to produce. Vintage fabrics are often forgotten or unwanted, so you are giving them new life when you transform them into garments.
Vintage fabrics can be purchased online or in person. My favorite place to buy vintage fabric is on eBay, as I can often score a deal on these beautiful pieces. I also buy vintage fabric from sellers on Instagram, on Etsy, at estate sales and antique and thrift stores.
Along with being cost-effective and earth-friendly, with vintage fabrics you can find fabrics that are no longer produced today. I can’t imagine buying new sheer wool or cold rayon in 2019.
You do need to be aware of fabric condition as you’re dealing with textiles that are 50+ years old. Vintage fabrics are often lovingly stored by their former owners, but you can sometimes see problems with fold lines, moth holes or dye bleed. These are things that you can often deal with by cutting around the “flaws”. Dirty fabrics can be soaked in different solutions, which will usually remove any dinginess or debris. I start by soaking in water and ivory soap and then move on to oxy clean or retro clean depending on the fabric and the severity of the staining. Sometimes it just takes a round in the washing machine, which is why my favorite vintage fabrics are cottons.
You can also re-purpose vintage fabrics from things like drapes. A couple of years ago I looked through some old trunks that were my grandparents and found a bunch of curtains from the 1950’s. I soaked the usable fabrics and made two dresses out of those curtains. All it took was some time spent with my seam ripper and I had unique fabrics ready to be cut into dresses. A lot of sewists like to use sheets, duvet covers and tablecloths as well as curtains.
When I’m searching for fabric “in the wild”, I don’t just look for vintage fabrics. I am also on the hunt for any usable pieces that suit my fancy. A few months ago I came across the “mother lode” of newer cotton fabrics that were all 3-6 yards and perfect for summer dresses. You never know what will be hiding in a box of fleece and quilting scraps at a thrift store. In addition to fabrics, I also pick up sewing supplies when I’m thrifting and thanks to my obsession, I have quite a stash of vintage notions in my sewing room. My goal has been to purchase less “new” things and use more vintage fabrics and notions that are usually unwanted and often discarded.
I really need to work on my fabric testing skills- if I wear something with polyester near my armpits for 15 minutes I can tell but to feel it with my hands in the store I’m a bit lost. This stops me from doing much thrifting (or even re-purposing of sheets and other items)! Thanks for the helpful link so that I can start doing my research!
A cool handwash cycle with no detergent but a cup of white vinegar thrown in might help. I’d cut off a little square and test first.
Or, the bellydance costume trick I used to get cigarette smoke smells out of beaded veils was to dilute vodka with water and spray mist the water vodka over the veil. It neutralizes the smell.
I find Jolie Kerrs hilarious ‘ask a clean person’podcast great for cleaning tips on how to treat fabric that is stained, delicate, she has an amazing series on laundry. It has helped me decide on which thrift fabrics to buy, feeling confident that I can get a mark or a faint smell out of a piece of fabric.
I use thrifted and second hand fabric a lot, it helps me stay within my budget. I also like the thrill that comes from knowing the dress I’m getting compliments on was actually a table cloth or curtains. It’s good for muslin and lining too.
You guys are women after my own heart! I often “remake” things. I have a friend at work who wears a lot of long full skirts and she gives them to me when she is tired of them or they have a hole somewhere and I have several summer “remade” tops. I don’t ever throw out something that has some yardage to it or has a cute print that could become an accent on something else. I think as sewists, we see fabric and garments differently than the rest of the population. I loved all of your garments – they were beautiful!
Brill article. I started learning to sew 2017. I was taught to practice on curtains and sheets. If you get lined curtains its even better as double the fabric. I seem to be very good at finding laura ashley curtains which is lovely material too.
A friend of mine brought me a dress she found at a thrift store that fit her perfectly but she didn’t like the fabric, so I picked it apart and made pattern pieces from it and made her several dresses with different fabrics.
I made a mid-calf length dress from a blue chambray bed sheet given to me by my hairdresser and put a button closure down the entire front, using antique silver buttons I bought on Ebay.
After salvaging two linen sheets from my mom’s house after her passing, I made a duvet cover and used some old wooden buttons I found in her sewing basket for the closure.
Unfortunately, thrift stores aren’t what they used to be. When higher income people use thrift stores, prices go up, leaving fewer options for low income people who often rely on thrift stores for clothing. Sometimes buying a garment to re-use isn’t less expensive than buying new similar fabric off a bolt. I’m getting away from using thrift stores for this reason. The less people of means use thrift stores, IMO, the better.
I don’t generally buy clothing at thrift stores. I respect that people may need those items. Fabric and sheets are another matter.
I also thrift zippers, buttons,and purse hardware. I go to the clearance racks for items that are $.50 or $1.00. A little seam ripping, and you’ve got some great sewing notions for a lot cheaper than new.
If you live in an area that weaves/knits fabrics for upholstery and drapery, you can often score incredible fabric finds after a furniture market — great armloads of samples get plonked out on the sidewalk for pick up by city trash trucks. All you need is a friend with a truck, and to get there before the garbage truck does.
I just love that you reuse fabric and you are a talented seamstress. Enjoy your posts.
Great post! Recently, I used my own soft cotton king size bedsheet (the actual bed was discarded/donated long ago) for trying out a new pattern. It turned out so good, I’m going to wear it a lot this summer.
I’ve also used a flannel sheet to interline a wool coat. There are so many uses for sheets.
This is a cool post! I have some gorgeous secondhand wool that I got from a reuse shop, but it has that icky old wool smell. I’ve tried steaming in the dryer with a wet towel and hanging up in the sun, but it’s still pretty strong. Any advice? I don’t mind if the fabric shrinks up a bit.
I’ve had good luck getting bad smells out of fabric with Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap (I like peppermint). I use a strong-ish solution and soak for a while.
Good Luck!
Good tip! I’ll try it.
A cool handwash cycle with no detergent but a cup of white vinegar thrown in might help. I’d cut off a little square and test first.
Or, the bellydance costume trick I used to get cigarette smoke smells out of beaded veils was to dilute vodka with water and spray mist the water vodka over the veil. It neutralizes the smell.
Wonderful article. After all, Scarlett O’Hara used her mother’s drapes to make a dress! I am now looking at household items from a new perspective.
I’m sewing 15 Renaissance costumes for our middle school’s play and am relying heavily on thrifted material as we have no money to buy new. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how easy much of the curtain fabric is to sew — much less fraying and bias warping than ‘fancy fabric’ yardage I’ve bought at fabric stores. One word of caution about tablecloths, however, as they are almost always stained and often with grease which can be hard to see at first, especially in low light thrift stores…