How can I make a vibrant quilt using repurposed fabric?

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Basted hexagons, made with repurposed silk ties

Capturing memories with textiles is an age-old tradition in many countries, either to remember a special occasion or precious times with a loved one who since passed away. Repurposing clothes and bedlinen into a quilt to enjoy for decades doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice beauty.

Makers sometimes assume that re-using fabric means they can’t achieve a fun, vibrant effect with their quilt top. This is simply not the case. Here are a few suggestions to bust this myth.

1. Be selective in repurposing fabric

   Let’s get straight to the point: if you didn’t like a pattern as a piece of clothing, it will be harder for you to love it inserted in a quilt. I believe it was Bonnie Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) who once said that if you felt a fabric was ugly, you hadn’t cut the piece small enough. This may well be the case however, if you dislike the fabric in the first place, I’d recommend not using it in a quilt.

2. Store your repurposed and quilting fabrics in the same place

   This may seem an obvious suggestion, yet is worth mentioning. As you start collecting bedlinen or clothes you’d like to include in your quilting, my suggestion is for you to prepare them, ready to be used. Wash them, cut them along the seams, discard the stained, faded or ripped areas and iron them so that they are ready to be used.
   Last step is to store them with your quilting fabric, adding them to your stash. You will be more likely to incorporate them in your next project.

3. Mix the old with the new

   A great way to create a vibrant top is to mix the repurposed fabric with your favourite range of quilting fabric. Depending on your personal preferences, you can opt for either coordinating or contrasting colours. This allows you to personalise your quilt top, without sacrificing beauty.
   My rule of thumb is 20/80 for normal quilts and 80/20 for memory quilts. By this I mean that I would repurpose 20% of the fabric needed for a normal quilt top and use 80% of quilting fabric. In a memory quilt, I would switch this to using about 80% of the yardage as repurposed fabric, complementing it with 20% of quilting fabric.

   Experiment to gauge what works for you.

4. Mix textures

   I tend to work with natural textiles such as cotton, linen, silk and hemp. If I really like the fabric, I’ll also use polycotton and will mix all these textiles in a quilt. I find that this creates a subtle diversity and adds both visual and tactile interest. In some cases, these will need stabiliser, but that’s a topic for another post.
   I tend to stay away from man-made fibres simply because I don’t enjoy the texture as much - this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t, of course. Again, experiment and find out which combinations spark joy for you.
   

5. Mix colours

   Consider colour combination and contrasts as you would for any other quilts, guided by the colour wheel. If you need a little help in doing so, this free online resource may guide you - Color wheel - color theory and calculator | Canva Colors

A great gateway to repurposing fabric is simply to include it in a small baby quilt. My first experience was using a white bedlinen as a background fabric for a small quilt. Alternatively, you could add some of your repurposed textile into one or more blocks. For instance, your favourite red blouse could be used as the centre of a traditional logcabin block.

I hope these tips encourage you on your first steps to re-using textiles you have around the house and start your own journey towards sustainable quilting.