what do you do with your unwanted clothes

[maggie144]

Hi Everyone

I wondered today what all of you do with your unwanted clothes, us well we have ours collected by the great north air ambulance, they then sell them on at boot fairs etc and the profit goes towards keeping the helicoptor in the air.

Living in a remote part of Cumbria as i do, i tink it is important to keep this great machine in the air, ready to save peoples lives at a drop of a hat.

regards maggie

[Bonniegirl]

Charity shops usually, got a pile of stuff ready to go.

In the UK I used to put them in the big bin thingummywotsits!!

[farmerdrea]

Depends on the condition. If they're good enough to be used again, they go to the Sallys. If not, they get turned into dusters, dog or goat kid bedding, or I rip them into strips and use in plaited rag rugs. Or rag rug, I should say, as I'm plaiting a HUGE one for the lounge, which has been a labour of love (and frustration!) for about 3 years.

Cheers
Andrea
NZ

[Bonniegirl]

Hallo Andrea!

[Stonehead]

Hi Everyone

I wondered today what all of you do with your unwanted clothes, us well we have ours collected by the great north air ambulance, they then sell them on at boot fairs etc and the profit goes towards keeping the helicoptor in the air.

Living in a remote part of Cumbria as i do, i tink it is important to keep this great machine in the air, ready to save peoples lives at a drop of a hat.

regards maggie

I wear mine until the collars come off, the sleeves have no elbows, the cuffs are worn through and the knees have patches on patches. The remains are then used for either patches, cleaning cloths or rags for use on the car, tools etc. Oh, and T-shirts are worn even after the collar has come off while socks are darned until there's more repair than sock.

Unfortunately, the OH's sewing machine died of old age so we can't reverse the collars and cuffs any more or the shirts would last even longer!

I have one pair of good trousers, one good shirt and two largely intact boiler suits left. All the rest are very, very well worn.

Yes, really.

(And I really should not have got sucked into posting, but I don't see any point in giving away or throwing away clothes until there's nothing left to wear. Besides, buying new clothes for the OH and I would just cost money we don't have. The boys do get "new" clothes so don't worry about them!)

[Wombat]

Our stuff goes to the Sallies.

Nev

[red]

if it can't be worn or turned into something else.. like knackered jeans into shorts or cusions, or rags. ...

if they are in good condition then i take them to the local charity shop.. then sadly usually come home with more than I took...

[farmerdrea]

I agree with you, Aberdeenshire, almost entirely. My husband and I don't buy clothes very frequently (it's been years, really, 'cept for socks and underwear!)... wear it out before we use it up! I was referring to the children's clothes, which they outgrow before they wear out, usually.

At one time, when my husband's grandmother was alive, I'd save the children's denim jeans, and she'd make them quilts from them - beautiful stuff. I haven't had a sewing machine for years, but I can still hand sew very well, and have taught both my children to sew by hand. They do their own clothing repairs, sew on buttons, etc., and my daughter makes little pillows and blankets from clothing scraps.

Cheers
Andrea
NZ

[Boots]

I have just lost a couple of sizes and now have a lot of clothes that hang off me. I am still wearing them, and kind of enjoying the fact they are baggy now but there are some that are just not much chop, and are becoming ridiculously hippy.

I will restock from an opshop and just deliver whatever is no good once i do a sort.

Teenage daughters are a different story completely. They tend to buy lots of new things and just hoard ooodles of clothes. They stain and mark heaps quick, which means they cant "possibly" be worn in public again. So I stopped buying pyjamas and swim shirts etc, and they just have one set of pj's for if they stay at a friends place, and otherwise they have to use the "not so hot" gear that has either become outdated or has an invisible mark that only teenagers can see.

We always seem to have a basket that is full of stuff that is on its way to the op shop, and that's what we all reach for if we need rags, bedding or whatever.

[Millymollymandy]

I haven't thrown out (to charity bins) any clothes since I becamse Self-Sufficientish.

Old really had it clothes become cleaning rags, old T-shirts get worn in bed and my jeans just keep on going strong! I think it is the lycra in them which stops them from ripping, because when I used to buy non-stretch jeans they always went on the knees after a couple of years.

I don't darn but just keep wearing my favourite jumpers with mothholes.

Of course I do put on respectable clothes when I go out anywhere!

[maggie144]

Hi Everyone

I thought i would just add another comment here, OH and I don't have new clothes, and its mainly the kids clothes that go to the air ambulance as they of course are teenagers and you know how fast they grow

regards maggie

[Jarmara]

the odd thing goes to charty shops but itry not to do that as i usually come out with somthing new i remake and mend or turn in to dog toys or dog bed or cat bed or rags. One of the things i want to try to do this year is not to buy any readymade new clothes, im wondering how to turn t shirts and worn out night shirts in to new underwear with out buying a pattern (but i think i might have to but a pattern though) any ideas ?

[Cassiepod]

If you want to make new versions of something, take a old set that fitted ok and unpick them then use that as your pattern for making new. Never actually had anything shop bought that fitted well enough to warrant this treatment, but undies might be an exception.

[yugogypsy]

I take mine to the Sally, or give them to a friend in need, or if they're too worn out, they become dusters or grease rags

And I'm starting to recycle some clothing. I've pared my wardrobe down to where it whimpers and still own mostly work clothes.

I'll be throwing out more as I gain weight and get my health back, then I'll have to go to the Sally on a buying trip instead.

My partner wears his clothes right out, so theres never a shortage of rags-and we wear our bedding and towels right out too. Pretty near everything in my house is 2nd hand and a lot of it I got free , so I can't complain. Just keep on doing my bit-and when I have something other than clothes to give away it goes on Freecycle or in the Buy,Sell & Trade paper locally.

Lois

[yugogypsy]

Another use for the good parts of clothes is to make doll clothes.

Theres a book by Anita Crane called "Two Hour Doll Clothes"-well 2 hours if you've got a machine that works.

I sew everything by hand and Rick, my partner hems and patches his own clothes so I am saved that chore.

So if you've got an item with beautiful materials or trim-you may want to try making doll clothes-these are for bigger dolls-12-18" so they aren't fiddly like Barbie clothes.

Lois