How I harvest cloth from old clothes for Slow Stitch 

I’m 74 and have revamped clothes for years.(since I was 7 or 8). Made clothes for three daughters and their dolls. Word got out and developed into quite a hobby. My shopping adventures were heading to my local thrift store. I learned types and weights for everything from hats to French bonnets. The beautiful French bonnets were my specialty. I have a disabled daughter and most of my time is caring for her needs now. Sewing and creating things has been a wonderful therapy for me. I love seeing the joy of those who receive my gifts from my heart. Love this video!💕

I knew an elderly lady who used to do this for making quilts for charity. People would drop off bags of clothes on her doorstep and she would turn them into the most beautiful quilts. Sadly, she is gone, but she lived a long life (age 104).

Nothing like a good cloth-surgery with my morning coffee! I just heard on the radio that most of the returned online bought clothes are actually being burned because it is cheaper than to try to actually sell them again. Can you imagine that waste? So yes, definitely operate on and reuse all cloth for beautiful art!🍀💖

Selvages and seams make strong twine for tying up plants in the garden.

Years ago, I bought a coat for my son at a rummage sale. I replaced all the pockets. It was a gorgeous coat. I used scraps of thrifted clothing to make doll clothing and accessories. I'm wearing second hand clothing as I watch you. Near O'Hare airport. Tina, Al's wife

CUTTING YOUR COAT ACCORDING TO YOUR CLOTH. This takes me back just over 40 years, children were born in 1980 and 1983, a time of not much money in my family as I had given up work . . Adult Trousers, jeans. Skirts, dresses, lots of other things. from jumble sales when most items were only 10p or 20p. All deconstructed and made into trousers, dungarees, shorts for the children. Unused pieces were kept for patching, for making hand puppets, toiletry bags to give as Xmas and birthday gifts complete with some bought hand creams, perfumed soaps. . Bedding could line flimsy curtains, or make inner covers for cushion pads, or be cut down for pram and cot bedding, and bumper pads, and mobiles over the cot, sometimes patchwork items . All tape, ribbon, lace, buttons and zips and other fastenings were kept. My laddered tights became plant ties - suitably stretchy but didn't cut into the stems. . Any jumble sale clothes that were good enough to launder and wear were passed on to the toddler and playgroup 10p table, or a charity shop, when we had finished with them. Some years ago I couldn't afford evening wear for a dinner dance - 3 charity shops yielded skirt, top and evening jacket, all matching velvet, tops embellished with bugle beads and glitter. All made the one outfit. All for £7.50 total. . I never throw anything away - even the unwearable and unrecyclable can now go for waste material which will add a little income to charities that take it. Buttons - my family had a huge button tin, full. When we played cards we would " bet" with buttons.

As the oldest daughter of 7 kids my Mom used a lot of materials from hand-me-downs to great new clothes for me.

Repurposed cloth has so much more interest for me. I can't even imagine toiling over a project using new fabric, especially those packs of coordinated colours so many quilters use. You have encouraged me and inspired me to us natural dying.

I have made many handbags n patchworks using leftover pieces from dressmakers n remnants from shops. A good hobby to indulge in without spending much

Thanks so much. I now work in a charity shop. As a keen sticher, I feel that I'm helping the community and also working in a stitchery gold mine😅

My mom grew up during the depression. I'm 70 now. And she taught me to sew clothes, as she sewed a lot of ours. She told me once that during her sewing class in high school, they were going to sew a skirt. She had no money for fabric and her teacher told her to find a skirt no one wanted and she would teach her a wonderful lesson. My mom said she brought in an old wool skirt of my grandma's. Her teacher taught her how to deconstruct it for the fabric and she made a beautiful new wool skirt. My mom was so happy to learn that skill and used it over and over on all kinds of things!

I call this process “unsewing” and it’s one of my favourite things to do!

I have always harvested clothes as my grandmother and mother saved all the useful bits and pieces which were used for other projects especially the buttons.........so different as in the charity shops in the 1970's they were so cheap and so many buttons were made of glass and hand made.

Watching you is like meditation, it relaxes the soul. Both instructive and relaxing, thank you❤

It was great to see someone else deconstruct old clothes into usable fabric besides myself.

Yes, there is already do much stock to the point of literally overflowing in op shops/thrift shops that harvesting fabric from your own clothes or buying from op ships for the purpose of cutting up for sewing is perfectly fine. Either eay the fabruc is being saved from landfill and the money being spent goes to charity. Always enjoy your videos and chats ❤ Australia

One of the best ways to harvest fabric, I've been doing it since I have memory, doing dolls and all kinds of stuff when I was a girl, but you got me screaming, don't throw away the labels! 😆😅

O boy! I'm now so chilled. You gifted me with a sense that there is enough space and time for whatever needs doing today. Thank you. So many useful titbits scattered throughout. I felt a pang when you talked about feeling responsible for the jeans pockets! I always save old clothes because they are from good cloth or well made, but since I don't quilt or craft, I just end up with huge bags of stuff. I am going to look into this quilting thing.....love love love this approach

Excellent video ❤️. Thank you for sharing. I do exactly the same thing. In fact, I shop at thrift stores for clothes to use as fabric for my slow stitch and quilting projects. And I also look for 100% wool to felt. ❤️

Stumbled on your channel and was immediately engaged. I did this for years and thought I was nuts. I subscribed!

i love harvesting fabric this way, and almost enjoy doing it, even more than i ever did creating clothes. Maybe the sewing of clothing is something that one enjoys and sees a lot of value in when younger. And I did. I absolutely love making fabric twine now, and envisioning new uses for textiles that are more art and art for art's sake. Enjoyed this very much

Hello from another harvester love the natural fabrics especially the older ones. Congratulations Kathryn over Thirty Thousand Subscribers now. x 💐

Just found your channel and find it inspiring. Thank you for sharing this. 👌👍

I made a crazy quilt using satin blouses from a second hand store.embroidered.

Hats off to you! I throw away a lot more, starting with zippers. I will not say that I will save them, but I will save those that I find interesting from now on. Thank you!

Yes as mentioned “with the precision of a surgeon “…….to live another day……thinking of Earth Day everyday……

Cutting up old clothes is so relaxing and satisfying. I used to keep only the larger pieces for doll clothes, but I'm starting to save the smaller bits for slow stitching. Thank you for the inspiration 💚

I’ve saved numerous zippers from many garments, trousers, jeans etc. as a matter of fact, I just labeled my zippers I& put them into a large empty & cleaned clear Plastic nut container. Then put a label on the front of the container, labeled some new & used zippers. With the color, size, cotton with metal, or synthetic fabric with plastic or synthetic zipper teeth. I even had a couple of hidden zippers . I only had about 20 all in all, but now so happy I measured each one.

Such an inspiring video! I've recently cut up my husband's old linen shirt (he had "grown out of it" if you know what I mean 😂) but I threw out all the seams, because I didn't think of using them as a string. Thank you! Now I will cut one of my own shirts, which I wore when I was pregnant. That is so brilliant: turning something that is mostly a problem into piles of useful stuff that spark inspiration and bring joy ❤

I never did this before, normally bring my old clothes to the salvation army but I will give it a try now.

Ohh, good tip about where not to use your good scissors. Thanks, this is the first video of this channel I've seen and look forward to more.

You may want to add a 28mm rotary cutter to your harvesting tools. I use it all the time. I also use a 10mm rotary cutter. You can hold it like a pencil and smooth cutting right down the seam. I keep all button and zipper strips in tact when I harvest. Intact button strips make great closures for pillow making. I usually keep at least a one half inch to an inch strip of fabric on each side of the strip. including shirt cuffs. I've used the side seams of pants to make rugs like rope products, baskets etc. Love harvesting but only do it when I need the fabric. I always prewash in Dawn dish soap and vinegar to rid the fabric of any odor or stain. Harvesting fabric is great for de stressing, also!!

39:43 I currently knit more than fabric work, but your videos have inspired me to return to slow stitching. This video gave me an idea to ask our church quilt guild for scraps. I'm even walking about my house looking at my old mixed embroidery/slow stitch pieces and thinking about how to add to them. Love your work and the community comments.

I find it really relaxing and satisfying to cut old clothes up been doing it for years, I cut the spare button off new clothes as soon as I get them to add to my button tin (tins) lol

The “strings” I use to tie up staked vegetables like tomatoes in the garden. I do use 100% cotton from my quilting. The extras I can give to someone who makes dog beds from scraps for the humane society. I’m new to slow stitching but I am a gardener and quilter for many years.

I have a large fabric stash from doing this. I just made an apron for a grandaughter from a pair of old jeans, very satisfying.

*Bereavement story. Trigger warning* Kathryn, this is just what I need. Just over a year ago, I suddenly lost the man who had been my husband/soul mate/best friend for 23 years. He had a massive stroke at home and died in front of me, in less than 2 minutes.The shock and heartbreak was/is profound. Eventually I sorted out his clothes and they were in the car ready to donate. But I wasn't ready to let them go. Then I found your channel and heard you talking about your Dad's shirts. So, after many months, Phil's clothes came back into the house and I am so relieved that I didn't let them go but I wasn't sure how to deal with them. Now, this is the nudge I need to start processing them into happy memories. I will be especially interested in the coming T shirt video as he had so many (battle scarred with welding holes and bleached out bits) that were bagged up for dusters and the tip but they will be perfect for twine. Your channel is many things to me - a life affirming inspiration, a refuge, a comfort and my happy place. Thank you Kathryn. P.S. Before we relocated to the Outer Hebrides, Phil was a Quarry and Landfill manager. I have seen the HUGE amounts of clothes...layer after layer...and that's just one landfill. If we all repurpose clothes it will make a difference. Mary x

Nice , I have a few thrifted men’s shirts which I’m planning to dismember this weekend. Find it very rewarding using clothing for my slow stitching 🧵

We in America also refer to where your bottom goes as the seat of your pants. I’m new to slow stitching and found this very informative. Thanks so much!

I really enjoyed this video, and your soft voice. Thanks for sharing.

Because of you, I now shop at the local thrift shop. There is a .99 cent color of the week, so I head to the X large men's shirt aisle and look for cotton or silk shirts. I've made a patchwork skirt and a wallet pouch. I've crocheted a purse using cotton twine and leftover wool from knitting socks and used the shirt material to line it. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

This is so amazing to me - I had no idea how MUCH material is actually in skirts!! WOW!

That was very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

Hoi K3n! Love to see you harvesting! I buy almost all the clothes for me and my children second hand, already teaching them to keep the waste to a minimum. I use the waistbands of jeans to make fanny packs. The button closes them up nicely.

I’m a harvester as well. Love linen and jeans and gingham and flannel and old tablecloths. It’s all old. The older the better! And if it doesn’t look old enough I tea dye. lol ❤

I'd like to see something you made out of some harvested fabric

Thank you for sharing this video, I have a skirt and jacket that I’m going to disassemble and you have given me a lot of good ideas . Thanks again 🪡🧵♥️

I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for sharing all your cloth tales ❤❤❤😊

Cloth archeology ❤❤❤❤❤❤

Love this! I will become more discerning about what little bits I keep. Now I just need ideas for what to do with collars and cuffs.

Cloth pouch of denim with pocket. Oh yes!!💖

If you open the waistband on the jeans youll find its a beautiful piece of fabric that almost looks tie-dyed. I have used them a lot to make bags ❤

Excellent, informative video. Cathy Martin, Catbirdquilts taught me about breaking down men’s shirts for lovely fabric stash. It takes courage to cut into lovely old clothing!

I love doing this! Perfect for slow stitch projects. Thanks for sharing. 😊

That was what l did with old clothes when l was learning to sew. Old pleated skirt n old baggy pants provide me with materials to experiment on. Today after been stitching garments for more than half a century, lm still keen on using old pieces to make new ones

Loved your video thank you,and giggled at your fantastic terminology of "cloth archeology"..I hope you don't mind but I will think of that every time I deconstruct cloth ! Yes it's just like retrieving treasure ! you're just so lovely...xx

I keep good parts of used clothing and use the very worn parts for rags.

I agree Marion is exceptionally brilliant ❤ Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Congratulations on 30k+ subs 🎉🎉🎉. I harvested cloth from my old clothes last year. They were old worn favourites that weren’t suitable for donation. I made a queen sized patchwork quilt cover with all of the cloth. I used an old quilt for the batting and a cotton sheet for the backing. The quilt was store bought and made 35+ years ago, falling apart and much loved by my cats when it was on the bed. I’m now in the process of knotting the 3 layers together. I’ve got another batch of clothes to harvest and will pay more attention to the structure of each piece as I harvest this time. I enjoyed watching your process.

Some prints have flowers or something you can cut out the shape and use for an applique.There is also revearse applique. You can Google how to do that.

I spent this afternoon deconstructing a shirt I picked up in my local charity shop a couple of weeks ago. I started unpicking the seams because I find it quite relaxing, but I ended up cutting and tearing, which is therapeutic in a different way. I have a couple more shirts, a couple of skirts and a pair of old jeans to do.

Thank you for sharing. Without really knowing how to harvest fabric from worn clothing, I was happy to see that instinctively did something similar to your process. I am new to this. However, I really found it useful to hear your thoughts regarding future use when harvesting. In terms of cutting or donating to charity I will donate if I think it would be useful to someone. Yet having said that, I feel that if I like it and want to use it, I will definitely harvest no matter! After all, I did buy it and it’s my prerogative.

After experimenting with natural dyes and visiting charity shops and rummaging through our closets, I don’t see why I ever need to buy a new piece of fabric again in my life. There is so much waste, and so many donated clothes end up on a beach or lining gutters in underdeveloped countries. Save some garments from your charity shop and make old new again ❤

Here I thought I was being brilliant and no one else does this. Where I live, a store isn’t right here for supplies, so I take out zippers, pockets, Velcro, elastic on garments that can’t be repaired and cut out the biggest swaths of fabric I can for different uses. I have had several tops that got stained on the belly (from cooking I guess) so I tie them up and tie-dye bleach them and voila, the stain is gone.😂. In the old days women would cut these pieces into squares and make quilts. The older I get, the less I like to waste things.

Thank you ❤

Now that’s one thing I can say I’m expert in, I cannot bring myself to throw any garment without checking it over and seeing what can be made from it first, I’ve had some great homemade projects from “dustbin cloth”

My mother, in the 50s Ireland, would ‘turn’ tweed fabric of old coats into nice warm coats for us children. Usually could hear from my bed the singer sewing machine humming as the bread for tomorrow baked.

Razor blades work well for some seams. You can get a razor handle at the hardware store to protect your hand. I also have some taller a third hard which clips to the table and the garment. It allows you to put tension and more easily take seams apart.

Just discovered your channel and ❤ the very informative and fun video....now going to binge watch more I have liked and subscribed to show support for your channel....hugs from Scotland 🤗

When you open up the waistband you will get some interesting lined denim. I have used it in a denim quilt, it’s unique.

First time viewer. Great video, informative & relaxing. Thanks for sharing.

Very interesting. Thank you for the information

Honey applaud your effort. I do this too. Waste not , want not. However, you need a better pair of scissors for this job and sewing in general.

Some great tips, I have been looking for more ways to reuse some of the clothes that are too far gone for the charity store, thanks for sharing!🤩

Catching up on your videos and was thrilled to see your denim harvest. I was inspired by you to make a rice bag a few months ago and used the back pocket pieces of old jeans for each side. Then it happened that the waistband just fit the top perimeter! I kept the button closure and loops for the drawstring - made from the cut off seams, of course. The only ‘problem’ is there are five belt loops so it doesn’t close symmetrically. Planning to do some decorative stitching on it.

I used the front fly zipper and button assembly on a rice-type bag, using it to close an internal pocket. The pocket was made by the space between the inner and outer fabric of the bag. It made a relatively secure pocket b/c it was not easy to reach into when the bag was standing open. And it was sort of cute.

I use old clothes too

😂😂😂… I’m looking at the intro picture and see mischief… what is the girl up to?…😉…yes that’s how I dissect my unwanteds/ unusables…

Beautiful hands

Been saying for years i was going to do this but many clothes seems like they've been donated multiple times and cloth is very worn

My mother made crazy quilts out of harvested fabric. Unfortunately in each of the quilts one or more of the fabrics has degraded. Sometimes I wish she had used new fabric so that the quilts would wear better even though I harvest fabric as well. Are there any criteria one could use to ensure that the fabric you are harvesting will last?

Thinking out side the box

Do you keep all the bits together when you have deconstructed or put them in with squares, strings, zips etc? I have been harvesting for years as well as buying new fabric and also gathering other peoples scraps that they don’t want! Now I’m overwhelmed and only making small slow stitched pieces ahhh help ! Love your videos whatever they are about 😊❤

Hi K3n, is there such a thing as a scissor that produces a 'torn-like' edge on fabrics that cannot be easily torn by hand? I believe there is one for paper, but I don't think it works on fabric. I love your work and your easy-going nature! Such beautiful little pieces of art!

Maybe cut some foil to sharpen scissors

I love this and learned a few useful things. I’m wondering, however, why you are not using cutting mat and the rotary cutter for some of these processes. Perhaps it is the meditative nature of cutting with scissors or adding all the more to the “slow” aspect of it?

Do you ever cut fabric up to refashion/upcycle into other clothes? I love your work too btw.

I was watching a professional tailors video a few weeks ago and did you know we use a seam ripper upside down??!!! Omg my 40 years of sewing i never knew this. Hahaha. Apparently we must put the red ball end into the seam with the longer point out and low and behold....rip!!! 😂😂. Learn something new no matter how old we are. But its all good i use little scissors instead of seam rippers. Maybe this is why i dont like them ive been using it wrong. Lololol.

Hi K3N! Could you starch the pocket fabric to use as "paper" in a journal? perhaps for a spine? or liner between colth appleeeeeque pages???

Hello from Beautiful British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦 In the second skirt the triangle panels??godet?

I saw a documentary from Africa,it showed them buying whole shipping containers of goodwill used clothing. The person buying the load would open the loads righ at the harbor & pay a group of women to pick through into one pile to throw out, then a few price points maybe $2 ,5, 7, & so on.The better garments shirt’s & coats are put on hangers & rolled away on hangers , pants stacked by size put on carts and rolled straight to street venders & stores. They the leave what they don’t want in a pile scattered at the dock area ,it was very sloppy. I also thought this clothing was for charity,not for private auction the profit going to whoever shoved the money into there pockets.

😍❤❤❤🌹🙏🏻

I have always done this mostly with damaged clothes. But what is slow stitch?

That was a really nice skirt. It seems a shame to have cut it up.

It seems a real shame to have cut up a really pretty and perfectly good skirt or any item that is not past its best, i do harvest fabric but woukd have felt better donating this back to a charity, unless I had a specific purpose for it. X

I am new to sewing and to practice I buy from the 1 pound rail in the charity shops, wash them and remake them into something I would wear. So there, new clothes, more sewing practice and being thrifty and it's great for the environment.

So satisfying to see someone else take time to deconstruct clothes. I saw an exhibition of slow stitching on shirt cuffs and collars and have started a collection of my own. I only keep my husband’s shirts that are very worn in that area so they are good for that purpose. In the 1950’s my mum bought all our clothes from jumble sales. She made sure she was at the front of the queue to get the good stuff. I hated wearing other people’s clothes as a child. However when I was a teenager in the 60’s I went to them with her and as I was very slim and it was the era of the mini skirt, I was able to deconstruct clothes and make new clothes on a tight budget. Buying new cloth was out of reach for me. All through my married life when money was tight I repurposed whenever I could. One winter I made a wonderful dressing gown out of a candlewick bedspread.

Wow! You blessed me in just the first 2 minutes! I never gave it any thought that scissors blades would "blunt" if I used them on non-natural fabrics.

Never harvested cloth before and I can’t believe how much fabric you got from the 3 items, such a useful video, so thank you Kathryn. Loved listening to the cloth being cut ❤

I just discovered your channel. It is so resfreshing to find others who do not want to fill up the landfills.