Five Uses for Old Sheets

By: Ann Solsyt

I admit to being a bit of a saver. I stash paper scraps, accumulate unique bottles, and squirrel away odd buttons like precious treasures, but in my defense I try to re-use whenever possible. The paper scraps are written upon, the bottles used as decoration or in still lives, and the buttons are rifled through to find just the right replacement for the one on that shirt cuff that mysteriously disappeared. And, although at times, my scrap paper pile needs thinning, I recycle that interesting bottle rather than add it to the shelf, and I resolve to leave the button I found on the sidewalk where it is (or at least throw it away), I almost never say no to an old sheet. In this post I will pass along five of my most common uses for old sheets.

1. Rags

As a painter I always have a use for a cheap, sturdy, but ultimately disposable rag, but to buy a rag just to fill it up with globs of paint and eventually throw it away feels like a waste. Using a paper towel feels even worse since it is necessary to use three paper towels to do the job of one fabric rag.
So what am I to do? Use a scrap of fabric of corse! Digging through my sewing stash, however, I feel a little reluctant to use those scraps with the lovely patterns for paint rags when I could use them for something more special. Enter the affable sheet!  Here is a piece of fabric that is too used up or ripped  to be of any use for its original purpose but still has large areas of fabric ready and willing to be useful as a rag.

The painting studio is not the only place a cheap rag comes in handy. Zak finds innumerable woodworking uses for a rag in applying stain, poly, oil, varnish etc. Furthermore, the texture of a sheet is great for dusting or can be used in the kitchen as reusable paper towels. Really, the cleaning potential of sheet rags is enormous!

2. Drop-cloth

Sometimes you just need to get messy! Those plants need re-poting, that paper mâché project isn't going to make itself, break out the glitter, it's craft time! But you don't want to spend a half hour afterword picking scraps off your floor or cleaning glue and glitter (a very dangerous combination) off the table. Just take out your handy drop-cloth sheet. Sheets are lightweight and fold to a reasonable, storable size and can be just right for those projects that, no matter how hard you try to be a respectable tidy adult, are just plain messy. Once your project is finished all you do is pick up the sheet, shake the detritus into the trash, maybe toss the sheet in the laundry, and voila! Cleaning done!

3. Muslin

Rags and drop-cloths are great and everything but what about something that requires a little more creativity? Well, lucky for you old sheets can be used for sew much more! (See what I did there?). Of corse the most obvious use for a large piece of fabric is in a sewing project.
When making clothes it is often recommended to first practice sewing your shirt, pants, petticoat, what have you, with a less expensive fabric before cutting up the fancy, designer silk you cherish. This practice project is called a muslin. Although it may not always be necessary to sew a muslin if, for example, your project is simple or uses a pattern you have sewn before, making a muslin is useful if  you are sewing something special (or maybe just really tricky). You can make fit adjustments, practice those techniques, and work through mistakes on a low risk fabric.

I made my own wedding dress and it was a multi layered affair of wool, silk, and velvet, all quite expensive types of fabric and notoriously difficult to work with, being either bulky or slippery or just plain confusing. It was essential for me to sew a muslin (or three) to make sure I had everything exactly they way I wanted it before cutting up my precious fabric.

Photo credit, BlueVega Studio

4. Lining

Continuing with the sewing theme, old sheets can be used on finished products as well as in preparation. Linings are a great opportunity to re-use perfectly functional but perhaps less pristine fabric. A little ware, a little fading is generally not an issue when the fabric is inside your project. You can line a tote bag, use it for pockets, even as a way to give your curtains some extra density to block out the light, all without buying brand new fabric.
I can sometimes find very good, high thread count sheets at a place like Goodwill, that provide a soft, comfy lining in a nice pattern for less money than a lower quality fabric at a fabric store. They provide yards of fabric, are generally around $5, and are a way to re-use a pre-existing product.

5. Embroidery

Pansy embroidery design by Kazuko Aoki 

I love using old sheets for embroidery. They provide a strong surface with a tight weave so your stitches show up smooth and crisp. Even if the sheet you have isn't the right color for your project you can still use the fabric to practice a new stitch or experimenting with a new design. And have I mentioned yet, using an old sheet costs little to no money because you were just going to throw it away?

Bonus Use: Forts

Ok, so this one is maybe a little silly but the point is to use your imagination. A nice piece of fabric as wide as a sheet is truly a useful thing and although it may be a little stained or worn out in places it still has potential! So think about your life, your habits, your projects and the next time you retire you current sheets, consider if their usefulness can be prolonged in a new way.