That beginning of New Year energy has kicked in, you have cleaned out and sorted through your sewing room - Congratulations, you deserve a pat on the back! But now, what do you do with all the stuff? How do you dispose of those wonderful sewing supplies that are perfectly fine but you no longer need or want? How do you get the supplies to someone who would appreciate them and be happy to have them? And what about all the scraps that your sewing hobby produces? If there a way to sustainably and responsibly dispose of your sewing stuff? You may wish to sell your supplies or donate them, but most of all keep them out of the landfill! I have several options for you! If you prefer to listen, scroll to the video at the bottom.
Use Facebook Groups to Recycle Sewing Supplies by Selling or Giving Away Items.
Facebook has a group for every hobby or material that you are trying to dispose of. Rather than go to Facebook Marketplace, go to groups and search for "destash" and whatever you wish to sell or give away. I found groups for needlepoint, sewing patterns, heirloom sewing & smocking destash, craft supplies and of course, fabric. These groups are often huge and provide a good chance to find someone who would love what you are trying to discard. You can even sell your half-completed craft! The downside of this choice is the time it takes from you to take photos, post the listing and then package it up and mail it. If you want to try and avoid the mailing piece, look for a local group. I am in Connecticut and found a Connecticut Craft Destashing Group! Marketplace is also an option if you wish to only deal locally, but the more specific you can be the better chance you have of finding someone who will love what you are offering.
Donate Sewing Supplies to a Creative Reuse Center
Creative reuse centers are located throughout the US. I have also seen listings in Europe, Canada and Australia. A reuse center accepts donations of craft and sewing supplies with the purpose of recycling and reusing them and thus keeping them out of the landfill. For the most part they are not for profit organizations run by volunteers. They often have classes that encourage art using the donated supplies and usually provide discounts for teachers so they can have the supplies for their classrooms. Here are two listings of Reuse Centers: one just for the US and one that includes the other countries I mentioned above.
Donate Supplies to your local Sewing, Smocking, Quilting or Craft Group
Contact your local sewing, smocking or quilting group and see if they would like the donation. My smocking group has received many such donations and we were glad to receive them. All the items were put out at a meeting and we were all able to help ourselves. The downside of this option is that items that no one wants will probably then be thrown in the garbage.
Donate Fabric to a Local Sewing Program
A quick google search of your area will probably turn up several local sewing programs either for children or for refugees. I found several sewing programs in Connecticut that were teaching sewing skills to refugee women to help them earn an income. They may not need everything that you are clearing out, but many were happy to take fabric and possibly machines as well.
To Dispose of Sewing Scraps, consider Retold Recycle.
Retold Recycle is a company that keeps textiles out of the landfill. You purchase one of their bags, (yes, there is a cost to you), fill it as full as you can and simply drop it in the mail. The cost of the bag includes the shipping and it comes with the mailing lable. The donated scraps will be sorted and then made into new items. Handling scraps is a challenge because of the various fiber contents, but Retold Recycle has a bag specifically for sewing scraps!
I hope this post gives you some ideas of how to pass on your sewing supplies in a way that helps others. Happy Sewing!
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