pippa45

:thumbup: Yes I sure do, look in the baby clothing in the op shops, I have picked up some little cotton dresses there to use.

auniqueview

I picked up a sheet today, looked like one custom made, that I am going to use to make new beds for my dogs. What caught my eye was the wide boarder at the bottom. It reads, No PLACE LIKE HOME, NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

There sure isn't, lol.

Jacque

Yes, I do but does someone have a quick pattern for salvaging shirts?

hsquiltingmom

I do this as well. I am also the one who ends up with other people's scraps. I love Bonnie Hunter's site and am going through, trying to organize my fabrics. I am making quilts for family members this year, and every one of them is coming from my stash. I don't use sheets for backing, as I get my backing fabric (really wide, can't remember the width) for 5.99 or 6.99 a yard.

BETTY62

Yes, I do recycle fabric. I also get some great finds on fabric at yard sales thrift stores and various resale shops. I hope you get the sales position. It sounds like fun.

JulieD

Our local salvation Army store has men's shirts for $2.00, (only $1.00 apiece when they have their half price sale.) Some of these shirts have such very nice sturdy fabric! (Sometimes the shirt has been washed so many times that the fabric content/size/etc. tag no longer has any ink left on it, but the fabric is just as nice as can be. I know which brands are almost always 100% cotton. I've been doing this "awhile.") I find a large variety of plaids, and all different colors of solid shirts, too, (so that in your quilt, "the eye can rest." I look at the largest of sizes first! Sometimes I score a XXX- lots of fabric in these! One of my best finds was a $1.00 yard sale all cotton queen duvet cover...had a little bit of mildewing at the bottom on one side, but 95% of the thing was usable. (Base for strip quilt blocks.) Duvet covers are quite a score! Just check the tag inside to determine the fabric content, if you want it to be 100% cotton. I gotta look around my sewing area and made a list of all my sewing treasures "found." LOVE the thrill of the chase!

lynmccoy

I bought anything made out of soft velour from our Good Will shop and from yard sales for 2 years and then made myself a beautiful quilt/shams using the crazy quilt pattern. I went back over each seam with a bright gold embroidery thread when I was quilting it. My top binding is gold braid.

lynmccoy

I asked the guy who comes to my nephew's apartment building to spray for insects monthly. He told me that the heat of a regular dryer set on normal heat is hot enough to kill anything that could be on fabric. Just put it in the dryer for 15-20 minutes and the items are safe.

Dragonomine

Sometimes I'll get sheets to reuse. I've put things aside (clothes, tableclothes, etc) because I've loved the pattern but they'll mostly stay on my shelf for years because I can't find anything to do with them so then they just get thrown away. I work the opposite now. I buy bolts of fabric for decorating (mostly Halloween stuff) and then reuse for quilts!