For anyone who loves to repurpose fabric for quilting, I was just introduced to recycle heaven!
In short - The Goodwill Outlet store.
Recently many of us have been somewhat put off by the rising prices in the thrift store industry, but this is a new one for me.
Don't even get me started on the whole issue of WHY a thrift store should even need an 'outlet' in the first place, but I digress.
In this outlet, everything is $1.40 a pound. If you buy over 25 pounds of 'stuff', it goes down to $1 a pound. But there is a catch. This is not a "browsing" opportunity. You have to move fast.
A worker dumps a bin of clothing onto a table. Shoppers rummage through it taking what they like, then 15 minutes later that worker cleans off the table and it goes into the back (where is a mystery - maybe ground up and resold as loose fiber or something). He then dumps a new pile onto the table. The outlet has a dozen or so such tables. So basically, you take a shopping cart, grab anything that might even vaguely appeal to you and dump it in. When you are "done" ( for me that was in more ways than one) you take your cart aside a go through it. Anything you decide doesn't make the cut, you just toss back onto a table. Then you pay for what you decide you'll take. It's amazing how much you can cram into a bag and still be under 10 pounds!
I am in the process of collecting used denim for a project and scored 7 pair of jeans that I could use. 2 were brand new so I gifted them on freecycle because I just couldn't face cutting them up. I also took a brown suede coat that I'll repurpose into a leather purse, even reusing some of the buckles and clasps. I got several bath sized towels, again some brand new, that will serve my son this summer - who has a real problem thinking that towels are only to be used once, then lost. :( I picked up several cotton bed sheets in good shape that I'll either use for foundation piecing or take with me when our club does a charity sew in for cancer care. Then there is the dreamy ultrasuede jacket that I have yet to decide what to make with it, but LOVE the color and the softness of it.
I found 14 brand new "Magic Schoolhouse" books that I gifted to my son's school grade 1 teacher. I also picked up a "First Communion " book that I'm going to use as a guide to make First Communion scrapbooks for my great nieces.
I think I'm hooked. Just like when you get addicted to vintage sewing machines, it's a sickness. But it's fun!!!

sounds like fun..... and crazy!

Yaaaaay! How neat...... ifyou ever feel like filling a bag, let me know, and I will pay yu for it....we are starting up a new sewing club at y school, and my girls can use anything!!!!!

That is crazy! LOL. You are dedicated!

Thats cool and addicting I bet!

I would love that. It sounds like alot of fun. :P

You scored! I find many things in the thrift stores here that I can sew or make into something useful, but not the item's original intention.

We have a Salvation Army Store near-by, but they never have anything useful. My daughter gets blankets for her dog very cheap, so she just throws them out when they get dirty or chewed up. I read somewhere that they sell items to other charities if it is something that they don't carry. They also ship to other outlets if it is something that doesn't sell well at that particular store. That's probably what they do with the items after they are picked through.
Sue

I saw that in a news story here not to long ago. They were talking about the by the pound thrift shopping. They talked to a guy who buy old metal pizza pans, cleans them up then paints scences on them. It was a neat idea. I understand though sometime you competition can be other thrift store owners. Not sure how I would deal with it.

I went to one of the Goodwill Outlet stores in Ashville, NC the last time I was at my daughter's house. We found lots of great quality brand name clothing. She also found some rugs and other household items that still had tags on them.

We had one here near my home in Bakersfield, CA, but the local Goodwill administration decided that each store should process their own stuff and not send any to such an outlet, so they closed it. Bummer!!! :thumbdown: :thumbdown: