I strive to repurpose and reuse common household items to reduce my and my family's carbon footprint. It's not just about buying less plastic or using cloth towels more frequently than paper towels to clean up spills and messes. It's about making a real difference for our planet.
But what can be done with a surplus of linens, whether vintage or not? Perhaps you inherited a collection of cloth hankies or hand-embroidered sheets from Grandma. You can't just throw them away—they're too sentimental.
What you can do will depend on how handy or crafty you are and how big of a project you’d like to take on, but here are some inspiring ideas.
Pin Cushions
If you grew up with a mother who loved to sew, you most likely recall pin cushions that looked like tomatoes. They were all the rage back in the day and are still in circulation today.
However, making your own pin cushion from old sheets or pillowcases is a great way to repurpose worn linens. Multiple patterns and YouTube tutorials are available online to create these nifty little sewing assistants.
Quilts
If you receive several old-fashioned handkerchiefs and are a capable quilter, creating a beautiful quilt from the hankies is the perfect solution to reusing these items. The quilt will serve as a reminder of the person who gave you the hankies and will add a touch of coziness to your home decor. If you don’t have the quilting skills, look for someone you can pay to put it together for you.
Place Mats
Another great idea for those vintage hankies is to create matching placemats with them. Select the ones that have a matching theme or colors then sew them into stylish placemats for your table settings.
If you’re lucky enough with the selection you have, you can create enough for specific holiday themes.
Reupholstering Chairs
Reupholstering chairs takes someone with way more talent than myself, but some very patient and capable crafters could easily handle the task. If your vintage linen collection includes old flour or feed sacks, reuse them as seat cushions or cover a whole chair completely. If your home has a cottage-chic vibe, this will add to the motif seamlessly.
Nightgowns and Dresses
I love the idea of turning vintage pillowcases and sheets into nightgowns or summer dresses for young girls. Select the prettiest ones from your collection and get to sewing. There are some great blogs dedicated to creating delicate clothes like this.
Curtains or Valences
If you have an excess of doilies or lace, use these items to create curtains and valences or even embellish the drapes you already have hanging in your home. Larger pieces of lace can be cut and sewn to make swooping valences for your kitchen windows or a bay window that needs the right touch to bring it to life. You can also sew doilies to the bottom of existing curtains to breathe new life into the stale appearance of your current drapes.
Shower Curtains
Another great idea is to repurpose vintage sheets that are still in excellent condition and make them into shower curtains. If your aesthetic is farmhouse or shabby chic, a delicate floral pattern in pastel colors will provide the perfect backdrop in a more feminine bathroom.
Here’s a no-sew pattern for a pinch pleat shower curtain from vintage linens.
Aprons
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do was help my mom with her hemming and sewing. My first sewing project was making an apron with leftover material she had from another project. However, you can also turn sheets, oversized pillowcases, and handkerchiefs into aprons.
If you use vintage hankies, you can create a layered apron by blocking the materials on top of each other, ensuring a super cute creation.
Decorative Pillows
You can never have enough decorative pillows—unless you’re my husband, who doesn’t understand why I want so many on our bed. However, if your home lacks decorative pillows, reusing vintage sheets is a great way to add some to liven up your space.
Select the sheets with the best pattern and matching color scheme, cut them down to various sizes and shapes, and sew your heart out. If you’re extra crafty, you can always make small cloth flowers in complementary colors to embellish the pillows.
Artwork
Another excellent option for repurposing vintage linens is to display them as artwork in your home. You can starch and iron handkerchiefs, embroidered tea towels, or monikered linens and layer them over short rods.
You can also place doilies and pieces of delicate lace in shadow boxes and display these beautiful pieces that way.
Tablecloths
If you’re like me, you like to have a tablecloth on your table. Large flat sheets make great tablecloths, either for inside or outside dining. If you plan to use the cloth for mostly outside dining, I recommend applying fabric wax to the material first. This will add to the longevity of the fabric, ensuring you can use it for years to come.
Table Runners
While we’re on the topic of linens for your table, you can always use your vintage linens to make a unique runner for the dining table. This fabric accent will elevate your home decor or dinner party game.
To turn that game up yet another notch, pull out those oversized doilies you inherited from Grandma or Great Aunt Lucy and place one in the middle of your table for the centerpiece to sit on.
Heating Pad
Skip buying a heating pad and save money by making your own with the linens you already have. It’s not as hard as you think, either. Use an old sheet, cut a rectangle from the fabric of your old bed sheet, then sew it closed on two sides. Fill the pouch with dry rice or dry beans and stitch the open edge closed.
Now, you have a homemade heating pad ready to provide comfort and relief whenever needed, soothing away cramps and other aches.
Plastic Bag Holder
Another excellent option for repurposing linens is making a holder for all the plastic bags you’ve collected under your sink or in your pantry.
Keep your home tidy and organized by following a simple tutorial to create your own cylindrical holder. It’s a great way to repurpose those old sheets and reduce waste while adding a touch of charm to your space.
Picnic Blanket
It seems straightforward, but a simple and practical solution to reusing old linens is to create a picnic blanket to be used on sunny days to enjoy the outdoors without worrying about dirty clothes.
The same blanket can also create a cozy indoor picnic in your living room. With an old sheet transformed into a picnic essential, your outdoor adventures and indoor picnics will be even more delightful if you build a fort with your old sheets.
With a passion for travel, great food, and beautiful art, Julie put aside her 15-year career in the tech industry and dove head-first into a more creative sphere. Utilizing her degree in Communications, she is pursuing freelance writing. An avid traveler, Julie has experience writing and documenting the amazing spots she has visited and explored, the delicious food she has tasted, and the incredible art she has admired and purchased. When she’s not writing, she can be spotted around Austin, TX, at various art gallery openings, having a delicious meal with her husband and friends, and playing with her two dogs.
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