How to Reuse and Repurpose as a Quilter: Tips for Sustainable Sewing

Quilters are some of the best "repurposers" I can think of. (I don't think that's a real word but you know what I mean. 😉 ) We're great at seeing the potential in a pile of leftover scraps or making new sentimental gifts from a cast-off item. It's who we are and we've been doing it for generations! In honor of Earth Day, I've put together a list of some ideas to repurpose, reuse and increase our sewing sustainability as quilters.

Using Fabric Scraps

All of us quilters end up with fabric scraps some way or another. And there are a gazillion ways to use fabric scraps! As costs of new fabric increase, we especially want to get the most out we can of that investment!

How I organize my scraps

I've got a whole post about how I organize my scraps so that I use them. I've also got a list of some of my favorite ideas for USING your fabric scraps:

Here are a couple of my favorite projects made with scraps:

• Mini Scrap Quilt Tutorial
• Rainbow Connection Quilt
• Improv Log Cabin Quilt Tutorial
• Wonky Scrap Log Cabin Blocks Tutorial

Have more scraps than you know what to do with? Consider donating them (more on that below), using them as stuffing for a pillow, or shred them (cut them into smaller pieces) to be donated to animal shelters (check your local shelter to make sure the accept them first) or even add them to your compost!

Repurpose Used Items

T-Shirt Quilts

Memory T-shirt quilts are a great example of repurposing sentimental items into something useful as well as a way to preserve memories!

When making a T-shirt quilt you definitely want to add press-on stabilizer to the back of the t-shirts before you square them up to prevent stretch.

I've never made a T-shirt quilt, but polling those who have, they recommend Pellon SF101 stabilizer to stabilize t-shirts for durable quilts. Heat N Bond also just recently released a specific stabilizer for T-Shirt quilts. It's 100% cotton with a fusible backing, soft finish, and is available in white and black

You can find lots of other t-shirt quilt tools and stabilizers on Amazon.

T-Shirt Quilt Tutorials

There are loads of t-shirt quilt tutorials online. Here are few good places to start to get ideas:

• The Baby Lock blog has a basic T-shirt Tutorial here.
• The Fat Quarter Shop has a tutorial (and video demo) for a t-shirt quilt with sashing here.
• Rob Appell walks through the process on YouTube.

Lacie Messerly of Messy Quilts has some great examples of making memory quilts not only from T-shirts, but all kinds of repurposed clothing items such as uniforms, costumes, baby clothes, and other sentimental items. She also takes on custom quilt projects with your materials if you're looking for help!

Repurposing Other Clothing Items

A couple of years ago I had a really sweet experience repurposing a family "heirloom." My cousin reached out to me to ask for my help with a special project for his dad, who was going to celebrate his 85th birthday.

During my growing-up years my Uncle's almost-daily at-home outfit was a polyester flight suit/leisure suit. I remember it vividly through the 70's and 80's. His son had rescued the suit before it was thrown away and held onto it for years, unsure what to do with it, before asking if I could try making some pillows from the jumpsuit.

The project definitely took some creativity plus trial and error - I've never made pillows from a polyester jumpsuit before. 😅 It was a bit of a wing and a prayer experience for me. Lots of ripping seams and unpicking visible elements (pockets, buckles, etc.) that could be spread around to the different pillows.

I used Pellon Shape Flex SF101 stabilizer to stabilize the stretchy polyester and that helped a ton to make the fabric less stretchy.

(Please don't ask me how I did it or if I'll do the same for you. I'll only ever do this for someone that I share DNA with. lol)

But the finished product and especially the reaction when the pillows were pulled out and shared with family members was priceless. It will always be a sweet memory and probably a more meaningful gift than anything bought from a store.

Repurposing Ideas with Denim

Using denim from discarded jeans is another great way to repurpose fabric. Denim quilts have been popular for years. You can find a really simple beginner-jeans quilt tutorial here.

If you're looking to take your repurposing of denim to the next level, check out the website Sewing Through the Fog for lots of great content on how to deconstruct jeans and use them to make beautiful projects.

I also have a pinboard of more inspiration for Creating with Denim here.

Repurposed Quilts

Some vintage quilts are loved to shreds. Isn't that the best sign that something beloved has fulfilled a great purpose? In days past those shredded quilts were often used as the batting layer when making a new quilt.

Not all old quilts can be mended, but they can still be useful - and beautiful too! I've seen lots of "cutter quilts" (pieced quilts with lots of wear and tear in places beyond mending that are cut up) used to make new textiles and projects.

One of my favorite sources of inspiration for using "cutter quilts" is the Instagram account of Farm Down the Lane. Tami has so much creative goodness giving life to worn-out quilts.

Tamara from Remi Vail Designs shows how she made an adorable holiday garland using a cutter quilt. You could take this idea and shapes for any holiday. (How cute would hearts be?)

And of course, Quilt Coats are a super popular trend right now and a great way to repurpose an old quilt. Or even a new quilt!

Suzy Quilts has a post with tips and tools for making a quilted coat.

Here's a video tutorial walking through the steps to make a custom quilted jacket, creating a pattern at home.

Quilts from Vintage Sheets

I have been a collector of vintage cotton-poly sheets for years now and have made multiple quilts from these vintage linens.

This is my most recent vintage sheet patchwork quilt. It's become a favorite napping quilt because it's SO soft. And because its made from cotton/poly blends it's super durable too.

I simply cut 6" patchwork squares from sheets that I found at local thrift shops over the years. Thrifted sheets also make great and often durable quilt backings.

If you love the look of these vintage linens, but don't have time or good thrift stores near you, or you just want to find a little more variety of prints to use with the ones you've already got: you can find vintage sheets on Etsy that others have rescued.

Sourcing Materials from Thrift Stores

Thrift/Secondhand stores are a great way to source additional textiles including: wool - either wool fabric or yarn. Knit sweaters can also be "felted" - which is washed and shrunk in hot water, creating a solid fiber for lots of projects such as felted wool bags or stockings made from second-hand wool sweaters.

I have a pinboard with lots of project ideas using felted wool from secondhand sweaters here.

Caroline from Sew Can She recently shared this hack for finding a cheap stabilizer alternative as well as other hidden sewing supplies at your local thrift store.

I've also had luck finding high quality irons at the thrift store.

Recycle your own supplies

Find a local second-hand craft store to donate and support

Another great option cropping up in more places lately are second-hand CRAFT stores. These stores are specifically geared toward accepting and selling crafting goods. For example here in Utah, Making Space Thrift is doing just this. It's a great spot to donate craft and sewing supplies because you know they'll end up in the hands of someone who appreciates them and it's also a great place to find supplies for a much lower price - and they even have a "free section". So great!

Another example is FabMo in Sunnyvale, California that rescues fabric and materials from clothing and design studios in the greater San Francisco area.  They then give away or sell for small amounts--promoting create reuse of fabric, tiles, etc.

Radha at Sewing Through Fog has compiled a great list of second hand fabric stores across North America! Check to see if there's one in your community.

Know of any other similar stores in your area? Tell us about them in the comments so others can find them.

Donate fabric

If you have more fabric than you'll ever use yourself, consider donating fabric to a great cause.

There are SO MANY groups and individuals who take donated fabric and do so much good with it. You can see (and add to!) a list of places accepting fabric donations here.

Other repurposed Sewing Items:

It's not just textiles that can be repurposed for great sewing notions! Here are some other ideas:

Make a magnetic pin holder from a favorite porcelain bowl or used mint tin. Or use a bowl to make a stuffed pincushion.

• Magnetic Pin Bowl Tutorial
• Magnetized Pin Storage Container Tutorial using a tin box
• Simple Pin Cushion Bowl Tutorial

A Design Wall is one of the must-have features of my sewing room. These are really easy to create from a flannel sheet or the flannel backing of a vinyl picnic tablecloth.

Another item in my sewing room that I use daily is the Pressing Table I made from an inexpensive, wooden TV tray. This is something you can find a local big box store or even keep your eye out for at the thrift store.

When my pressing table cover starts to fade and wear out, I just add a new fabric layer. I've been using this same table every day for the past 10 years!

Repurpose and Sustainable Quilting Tips

So there you go! So many really simple ideas for sustainable sewing tips and tools! And many of them you're probably already doing. Our foremothers would be so proud.

I've put together a Pinboard of other Repurposed Project Ideas - sewing related and otherwise. Happy Earth Day!