Quilting with Scraps of Fabric

Take a step back into the old days and try quilting with scraps of fabric. Quilts made of clothing scraps are a great way to reduce landfill overload, revive an old-fashioned skill and save money.

Reader Contribution by Linda Holliday
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by AdobeStock/Susan

Take a step back into the old days and try quilting with scraps of fabric. Quilts made of clothing scraps are a great way to reduce landfill overload, revive an old-fashioned skill and save money.

My mother never visited a fabric store until she was in her sixties, yet she sewed clothes for my sister and me, made beautiful quilts and decorated our humble home with delightful handmade curtains, tablecloths and couch covers for years. One of my favorite dresses as a youngster was an outrageously bright jumper she made from an old housecoat.

My mother carefully saved each button, zipper and scrap of eyelet trim for other projects. I’d watch as she ripped apart old clothes to remake them into something for us, and I’d think how when I grew up, I’d buy brand new fabric from a real store for sewing.

With five sisters who still like to exchange outgrown clothing with each other, my mother filled the hall closet with hand-me-down “glad rags” from my aunts and cousins. Even in the 1960s, this was an outdated practice. Today, it is almost unheard of while stores overflow with cheap clothing and textiles. Thrift stores receive so much donated clothing that they often give it away, as do churches and schools.

In the 1700s and earlier, clothing was among the most costly items for an American household. After a garment was completely used up, thrifty housewives would save even the tiniest bits of fabric for quilts, meticulously cutting out any stains and mending tears. In the 1800s and early 1900s, peddlers (often called “the rag man”) would trade wares for discarded clothing, pieces of rugs and other fabric scraps. According to the American Agriculturalist of 1880, a worn out pair of pantaloons could fetch 20 cents, not a bad sum more than a century ago.

  • Updated on Nov 13, 2022
  • Originally Published on Jul 10, 2020
Tagged with: Linda Holliday, Missouri, quilting, Reader Contributions, sewing
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