Recycle Fabric Scraps and Worn Out Clothes at Goodwill

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Tasha

I like saving scraps of fabric from my sewing. They usually come in handy for other projects. However, there is a point when a scrap is just too small to be worth saving, and I don’t want to clutter up my storage space with tiny little bits. On the other hand, I feel like the scraps are perfectly good clean fibers, and I hate to just send them to the landfill.

A while back, Zoe mentioned that in the UK, the charity she used to work for (TRAID) sent scraps on for textile recycling—to be turned into insulation and stuffing and whatever else uses short mixed fibers. I wondered if any of the thrift shops on my side of the pond were doing the same thing. I started saving a (large) bag of just the fabric scraps too small to keep, which took a surprisingly long time to fill up, considering it had all the scraps from this fall’s batches of Fiddleheads. (Probably due to the fact that I can’t bring myself to part with any piece of slightly felted cashmere big enough to be remotely useful. Want some cashmere pieces? Let me know!) I also had a few garments that weren’t really fixable any more, but I figured had life left in at least some of the fibers.

I thought about contacting charity shops every once in a while, but basically put it off until the scrap bag was too full to ignore, and then sent out emails. Good news, USA-dwelling, fabric-cutting folks: Goodwill will take your scraps!

This was my message:

Hello,

I have some worn-out clothing and fabric scraps which I don’t think a thrift store would be able to sell. However, I would still like to keep them out of the landfill! I know that some thrift stores pass on worn out clothes and scraps to recyclers so that they can be remade into something else, and I am wondering if your store does this?

And this is what I got back:

Yes, most fabrics that cannot be sold continue to be recycled in the manner outlined below at all our locations.

Hooray! Now I ~~don’t feel like an idiot for saving a big bag of tiny fabric scraps~~ can be a good citizen and recycle. I also took some things I was ready to part with that I thought Goodwill would be able to sell—seems only fair as they are providing this service.

A note: if you don’t have a Goodwill store in your area and decide to contact local thrift shops, I’ve had much better results via email than over the phone. The people I got when I called were more likely to assure me that they try to sell everything before sending it overseas, etc., than to have the answer I was looking for.

Good luck!

DIY Envelopes

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Tasha

Really, why didn’t I think of this ages ago? But actually, my lovely aunt Barbara introduced me to this idea at our craft retreat, which she in turn got from one of her teachers. I have made a few handmade cards, and looked for envelopes to fit them, but it never occurred to me to just make one! And, you can use all kind of cool recycled paper. The kind that is too pretty/interesting to just put in the bin. I going to use this map and guide from The Art Institute of Chicago, mostly because it has the word “varoom!” on it in big letters.

I’ve had this red envelope for quite a while, I love the shape and the old-style closure. You can use any envelope you like as a pattern, just peel it apart carefully so that you have clean edges to trace. You can also buy plastic templates in various sizes, or print out paper ones from lots of online sources, search for “envelope template.” I like using an envelope you already have to start, since it’s right here ready to go.

In any case, check out the placement of your envelope on the new paper to make sure any motifs you really like will be where you want them. Either use a paper cutting blade (hence my very old cutting mat is my backdrop today) or trace around your envelope and cut it out with scissors. Use a bone folder, or similar hard but not too sharp object, to score along the folding lines.

Fold in the sides and stick your envelope together using glue stick, paper glue or ATG (borrowed from the matting and framing part of our studio).

For a simple envelope, you are done! Just glue the top when you are ready to mail. Ridiculously easy.

I wanted to recreate the loop and tie closure from my pattern envelope, so marked the position of the circles from the original when I cut it out. I traced a penny on heavier paper, and used two thicknesses glued together for each circle. I used metal brads and a bit of top stitching thread, tying the thread in a knot around the brad, and slipping the knot under the paper circle before sticking it through the envelope. Gluing an extra circle on the back for reinforcement seemed like a good idea as well.

I also think it would look great to glue or sew on a big snap to close the envelope, or a use buttons and loops, or make a reusable envelope out of something hefty and sew it together, or make your own folders . . . sometimes I think the measure of a good idea is when it gives you ten other ideas at once!

At our retreat I made a big map-velope which has two layers to make it sturdy, plus some small ones, to hold business cards, etc. And of course you can decorate them!

I hope this gives you a bunch of new ideas, too!

(If you want to keep up with all my new ideas you can now Follow my blog with Bloglovin Actually, you could before, but now I am officially claiming it.)

A Permanent Fabric Exchange – Fabric Recycles!

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Tasha

In Kansas City last week, we stumbled on a great idea: a resale store for fabric and notions! It’s called Fabric Recycles. It’s full of rolls of fabric, notions, thread, books, patterns, and all kinds of other sewing and crafting bits and pieces from real vintage to practically new.

I could have spent quite a while there; digging through odds and ends for that special something is the kind of shopping I really like, like a treasure hunt. The fabric isn’t labeled for content, so you will have to do your own burn testing if you want to find out what’s in it. If you are in the area, I would definitely stop by, you might find a gem. I also think this is idea worth trying in more than one place. It works for books and music . . .