Shirts from thrift store......
 

After reading B. Hunter's book Scraps &Shirttails, I decided to "try" cutting into shirts.... Found 5 at local Goodwill on 50 percent off deal, washed and cut into one...My question is....do you save all those buttons...how about the collar and cuffs that have the stiffening on it. I will finish "repurposing" these shirts but am not sure I will do this again. Any thoughts on this?

I don't save anything other then plain flat fabric from shirts and usually just cut the back and front and open the sleeves for fabric. And I don't buy used shirts unless they are 2xx or larger. If I get desperate for fabric I may save every inch but I'm not into having a green needle.

I don't save/use any fabric from the collar or cuffs unless it is a very unusual print. As for the buttons, I do save them most of the time. And I also try to get the biggest size of shirt to get the most fabric.

What a great idea, never thought of it. Guess I have to hit the thrift store today.

What a great idea to gather fabrics for a scrappy quilt....I will have to make a run to our local thrift store.....do you think you could get a fat quarters worth of fabric from a shirt?

I just went to my goodwill this morning. Ours must just be higher priced than everybody else's. $4 for a shirt. $4.50 for a belt and $1.50 for men's ties. They don't do bag days very often either. I just want this stuff for crafting; I can't imagine if I needed to purchase there for everyday wearing. But back to your question if I use a shirt I always save the buttons. I have a button addiction even if they are the plain white ones! New buttons can be pricey!

I save the buttons myself. A couple of my favorites I saved the cuffs in case I ever get around to using the tute to make wallets out of them. Also I know there are a number of people on the board that collect buttons.

I just finished a rag/denim quilt using plaid shirts... some of DH's, and some from local thrift shops... I chose for fabric (was looking for pretty plaids) and ended up with a couple of children's sizes and managed to get enough for 2 blocks, plus a few good scrap pieces. I, too, save buttons.... just love buttons and will try to do something with them sometime. I found several shirts on the sale rack and they were $.50 each. A few others I paid $3... all-in-all, I think I spent about $35 for shirts and have a LOT of fabric left over for another quilt I'm working on next week at a retreat. Once I get the quilt laundered, I'll try to post a pic... I'm a new fan of the thrift store!!!

The Salvation Army store is much cheaper then Goodwill. Goodwill here is overpriced on the clothing. We have a Savers store and when there is a 50% or bag sale, the shirts are a good buy. I won't pay over $1.50 for big size 100% cotton shirt. I find some very interesting prints in the men's shirts.