What to Do With Fabric

[Britesea]

More ideas for cloth and clothes....

Old socks can be slipped over every other jar in a case of canned goods to protect against breakage in the event of a trembler...

old soft sheets (especially flannel) could be cut into squares (6x8" is good) either pinked or ziz-zag hem, and used for "family cloths" to save toilet paper. Just use them for Number 1, and drop into a small hamper/bucket until washing day. In a SHTF pinch, I would use them for Number 2 as well, but the bucket would then have water and sanitizer as well.

I buy flat sheets at the thrift store and use them to make simple summer clothes (think scrubs and muumuus). Way cheaper than buying material at the fabric store.

 

[Puck-Puck]

I read with interest the uses for old socks...it takes more time to darn than to wear new holes. Udder wipes make sense, but I only need so many dust rags. Are there more uses for a sockpile stockpile? Hate to just throw them out.

 

[Beekissed]

I had a couple of pair of really nice thick winter socks that had worn holes on the soles, but the tops were still like brand new. Couldn't bear to throw them out so...I went ahead and darned them. Very relaxing to sit and darn socks while you visit with folks or listen to a book or sermon. Maybe just take the time to go ahead and darn the socks? It's very cathartic and kind of tickles me to turn back the hands of time when people were not a throw away society and everything was used up completely before being discarded. Sort of like the suggestions on this thread...my granny used to use worn out old long underwear and undershirts for quilt batting.

I didn't have a darning egg so used an old orange..smelled great but stretched out the sock a temporarily. I had never darned socks before but it turned out great and the holes and thin spots were completely covered and reinforced. The cotton yarn I chose blended well with the texture of the sock and didn't leave a bumpy feeling.

 

[Denim Deb]

Don't know how to darn socks, but I have 2 darning eggs I got when I was a kid from the neighbor.

When I was a kid, I had a pair of toe socks that I loved. And, I wore out the bottoms. So, since I didn't know how to darn, I patched em and continued to wear them for quite some time.

 

[Beekissed]

They have some really simple how-to's on darning socks when you do a search for it. That's how I just learned and it's super easy. I always thought it involved embroidery thread and perfect stitches and all but it doesn't.

Here's one such: http://diyfashion.about.com/od/repairclothing/ss/How-To-Darn-A-Sock_2.htm

 

[Hinotori]

Thanks for that link, saved it. I've never darned a sock either.

 

[ducks4you]

beekissed, that is an excellent article on how to darn a sock. I never know to do it this way. Thanks for sharing!! DD's have bought and left so much yard (for projects) that I'll never run out, so now I know what I can do with it!

 

[Beekissed]

I thought so too! It looked so easy that even a kid could do it...and it was. I kept wishing i had more socks to darn because it's something I couldn't really mess up. I'm not much of a seamstress or crafty at all with a needle. My sister can make anything with her needles of all kinds...I expect she could craft a passable house if she wanted...she got all the talent in the family for those sorts of things.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I have a great pattern for very, very warm crocheted slippers.....after I finish making the slippers, I put them down on a piece of denim and draw the soles + 1/2 inch more around, cllip curves and turn in. Then hem it around and apply to the under side of the slipper for reinforcement.....sometimes I do 2 layers and form a pillow, one side sheet material and one side denim and form a pillow with a little filling for a softer feel under the feet, while walking, plus more insulation. Very warm.
My grandmother would cut up old tee shirts for rags and keep them in her kitchen closet.......always a use for a rag. She kept some in the trunk of her car too.
I cut a single tee in one inch strips very, very long (going around and around) to tie up my tomatoes. One tee usually takes care of all my vines.
I use whatever fabric I have to make my patches. Sometimes I get as wild as I can with the choices of colors, just to make a crazy looking garment.

 

[DianeS]

I have seen people take a t-shirt with a nice logo or pattern on it, and wrap it around corkboard (staple it on the back), to make an interesting bulletin board. Especially great for school t-shirts, or those with cartoon characters.