Shopping Thrift Stores for Repurposed Sewing Projects

Granted, you are probably not going to find a garment that will provide enough cloth for a two piece ensemble or even a long dress for a normal sized woman. But you certainly could find a used dress that may supply enough fabric for a tote bag, an apron, or a child's garment.

If you are open to mixing fabrics in your project, you will find charity shop bargains a viable alternative to buying off-the-bolt fabric. When you use a patchwork style with contrasting ties, waistbands, pockets, or ruffles, your thrift store finds will go farther. 

My favorite thrift store for finding sewing material is one where all the textiles are sold by the pound. For less than $10, I come home with a huge bag of old clothes that I can cut apart, totally guilt-free. If my project is a disaster, well, I didn't invest a huge amount of money and I probably learned from my mistakes. Your second-hand shops may be much more expensive. 

Here are more tips for green sewing by repurposing old clothes into new creations.

When shopping for clothing to repurpose, look at fabrics first. Those terrible seersucker pants you wouldn't be caught dead in will provide great fabric for other projects. So look beyond the clothes to the fabrics.

Be observant for:

• quality cotton and linen --gingham, denim, cotton sheeting are sewing staples
• attractive colors and patterns
• interesting embroidery
• holiday fabrics
• pretty edging details

One advantage of second hand finds is that the clothes are normally already pre-washed. Any possible shrinkage has already happened. Of course, I do wash the items again once I get them home before cutting them up.

Jeans are amazingly versatile for repurposing projects. The fabric is durable, and jeans conjure up both comfort and style in our minds.

Be sure to check for stains, rips, and tears that would ruin the fabric for repurposing. 

A garment with interesting buttons may be worth its cost just to salvage those precious buttons! Buttons can be very expensive, so never throw away any buttons when you cut up a garment for its fabric. Even the boring white shirt buttons can be used for crafts.

Green sewing is not just about the fabric. Think about the sewing notions you use.

For example, belts can be repurposed into tote bag handles. That is much cheaper than buying webbing by the yard at the fabric store.

Belt clasps can be repurposed for new belts or for making adjustable apron straps.

Hook and eye closures can be removed and re-used. Zippers can even be removed and reused in other projects.

Once you start looking at second hand clothes as a source for green sewing, you'll never throw away another scrap again. It all will go into your sewing stash, available for use in a project.