15 Ways to Upcycle, Sew and Craft with Vintage Sheets
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There’s nothing quite like finding the perfect vintage sheet at a thrift store. They are already soft as can be and have the cutest patterns. Plus you can find them for so much cheaper than buying new fabric. I collect sheets and have used them for so many different purposes. You can search for vintage sheets at thrift stores or buy vintage sheets online.
Here are 15 different ways to repurpose or use sheets:
Bunting and Garland
I made a lot of vintage sheet bunting for my wedding. When I was down to little scraps I made the garland for my drink table by tying strips together onto a piece of twine. I love the look of vintage floral fabric blowing in the breeze! Check out my blog post 10 Easy DIY Garland Ideas for inspiration or my how to sew bunting post.
If you want to buy already made vintage sheet bunting check out AFeteBeckons Etsy Shop. She makes the cutest vintage fabric buntings!
2. Junk Journals
Junk Journals are a great place to use up your vintage sheet scraps. I made a collage out of smal1 1 inch pieces by placing them on the sticky side of two shipping labels. You can also make adorable pockets from vintage sheet hems. My friend Amy at Kittywitty Papercraft made a great Youtube video for how to use vintage fabrics in your junk journal which you can watch below.
3. Wrap Presents Furoshiki Style
To save on gift wrap you can use a vintage sheet to wrap a present. I found a large toy castle at a thrift shop that I was giving as a present but the box was huge! I wrapped it in a vintage sheet for my nephew to unwrap. He loved it and then I took the sheet back home to reuse in another way.
4. Cover a Lampshade
I covered these thrift store lamps with $2 vintage fabric. All it takes is some hot glue and you have a new lampshade! The possibilities are endless with vintage sheet patterns and different lamp bases. Check out my lampshade recovering DIY blog post.
5. Curtains
There are so many different types of curtains you can make with vintage sheets. I’ve made curtains to replace cabinet doors in my kitchen and lined curtains for my living room (As you can see in my Spring Garden Mantel photo). I’ve replaced the door to my laundry room with a bright floral sheet curtain and I made a curtain for my rainbow shelf so I could have hidden storage.
6. Quilt Squares
Probably my favorite thing to make with vintage sheets is a new quilt. You instantly have a perfectly soft quilt that feels like Grandma made it. Vintage Fabric Studio on Etsy sells vintage sheet charm packs but you can definitely make your own! You can make any size or shape you want for quilting.
If you want to buy an already made vintage sheet quilt check out Amelie and Atticus Etsy Shop. They are absolutely adorable!
7. Quilt Backing
You can keep an entire sheet intact by using it to back a quilt.
8. Throw Pillows
I love making pillow shams out of vintage sheets! I use an envelop style closure so that when the seasons change I can switch the shams out for holiday themes. You just need a basic pillow insert to slip inside the pillow sham. You can make a pillow out of one vintage sheet or make a quilted sham.
9. Dresses, Skirts and Other Clothing
If you want to create a unique wardrobe, look no further than using vintage linens! Making your own clothes can take time and patience but the end result is so worth it. I made a skirt and dress out of $2 vintage sheets, talk about frugal! I followed Rosery Apparel’s dress tutorial on Youtube to make my dress and Gertie’s gathered skirt Youtube tutorial for the skirt.
10. Ephemera Art Add-On
Whenever I make framed ephemera art I like to include vintage sheet scraps. Instead of only using paper, I like to use a different texture and add fabric. In this photo, you can see that I added two strips of pink striped fabric. I have a tutorial on how to make ephemera art on my blog.
11. Table Runner
I just made a runner for my coffee table using a vintage sheet and pom pom trim. I love how it turned out and it is an easy sewing project to do in a few hours. Check out my DIY table runner blog post.
12. Retro Knot Headwrap
Rosie the Riveter is an icon and her knotted headscarf screams retro. Making your own headwrap is really easy and you can make tons of them in different patterns. On my to-make list are scrunchies too. I’m sure vintage sheets would make great scrunchies!
BONUS TIP: In the above photo I used a vintage sheet as a photo backdrop. You can tape them temporarily on a wall or hang them on a clothesline for a cute backdrop.
13. Backing for Shelves
If you want to spice up a plain dresser or shelf, a vintage sheet will do the job! For the shelf above I cut out some cardboard to the correct size and then hot glued fabric over the top of it. I love the pop of color and I get to see one of my favorite vintage linens every day in my dining room.
14. Display as Decoration
All of my old linens are on display in my sewing room. I used to keep them hidden in boxes in my closet and I never got to see them. Even if they aren’t being used for projects yet, display those cuties! In the above picture, I have all of my vintage pillowcases on display in rainbow order. Now every time I see them they spark joy for me instead of being stuffed in a box somewhere.
15. Picnic Blanket
Vintage sheets make every picnic special. The photos are from my picnic themed wedding so I used one of my favorite sheets. But for a regular picnic, I like to use sheets that have stains or are thin and faded so if I spill on them it’s no big deal.
I love using all vintage sheets, even the stained or thin ones. You can learn more about how I wash and care for vintage linens here.
You can watch me organize my vintage sheets and declutter my sewing room in the video above!
