Tutorials
11.22.2023
Let me know if this sounds familiar:
Your craft room, normally one of your favorite places to spend time and relax, has become unruly. Shelves are packed to the brim, drawers are stuffed so tightly that you can barely pull out a fat quarter and your closet’s doors don’t close anymore. When you start looking for that one piece of fabric you need, you realize pretty quickly that it’s going to be a hunt.
The quilters here at the Connecting Threads’ office like to joke that sewing and collecting fabric are two different hobbies. Sometimes, we buy fabric with a specific vision, a project we can’t wait to sink our teeth into! Other times, we buy fabric because it’s beautiful, add it to our growing stash and move on.
While both hobbies are fun, the problem of “too much fabric” is tough to combat. This blog post is all about how we, as quilters, can repurpose some of our supplies and donate them to good causes.
Let’s start with the most obvious way we can get rid of extra fabric: pass it around to friends, family, quilt guilds, church groups and more! If you have quilty friends, grandkids getting into sewing, a local quilt shop that hosts a free sewing night, church groups that need supplies for charity quilts; they all can be wonderful people and groups to give excess fabric. So often, our neighbors can be a perfect starting point for where to give old supplies!
If you’re like me, your crafty friends have the same problem you do – too much fabric! – so giving them your extra fat quarters isn’t an option. That’s where Craft Reuse or Resale Centers come into the picture!
Craft Reuse Centers are typically non-profits that collect donations from locals looking to unload unwanted supplies and either resell them at a discount to the public or donate them to organizations in need. If you’re new to this concept, we have a brand new Youtube video all about Connecting Threads staff members visiting a reuse center called MECCA in Eugene, Oregon.
Jump over to Youtube and watch it here!
MECCA is a beautiful example of what a Craft Reuse Center can do, getting supplies into the hands of young artists through the store and their Teacher Resource Center. However, we know that not all our customers live near Eugene, OR, making a MECCA visit a bit tough.
Below, we’ve created a list of Craft Reuse Centers all over the US and Canada to highlight places you can donate your extra fabric and craft supplies. While we couldn’t find one in every single state or province, we’re hoping YOU can help: if you know of a Craft Reuse Center not listed below, please comment with details at the bottom of this post!
A few other notes:
- States are listed in alphabetical order and not all states are included on the list.
- Online Reuse Centers and Canadian Reuse Centers are listed at the bottom.
- Always check a shop’s website prior to visiting: “open to the public” hours may vary!
- Many stores have a Donations page on their website that details what supplies they need and what items they might not be taking. Always check an individual store’s donation policies!
- If an address or website looks incorrect, please feel free to let us know in the comments!
CRAFT REUSE CENTERS IN THE US
Arizona
910 South Hohokam Dr, Suite 105, Tempe, AZ 85281
California
12958 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066
The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse
4695 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
2150 Newcomb Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
1240 Birchwood Drive, Suite 2, Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Colorado
ArtParts Creative Reuse Center
3080 Valmont Rd, Boulder, CO 80301
65 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204
Connecticut
89 State St. North Haven, CT 06473
Florida
772 W Lumsden Rd, Brandon, FL 33511
1920 NE 23rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32609
2508 Florida Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Georgia
2130 Henderson Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30345
2438 Bull St, Savannah, GA 31401
Idaho
3777 W Chinden Blvd, Garden City, ID 83714
Illinois
The Waste Shed (2 locations)
1754 N. Kimball, Chicago IL 60647
1245 Hartrey Ave, Evanston, IL 60202
125 Lincoln Square, Urbana, IL 61801
Iowa
615 Center Point Rd NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
Kansas
9268 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66212
Kentucky
110 Luigart Ct, Unit 150, Lexington, KY 40508
Louisiana
1927 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70113
Maine
39 Blueberry Rd, Portland, ME 04102
Maryland
913 W Barre St, Baltimore, MD 21230
Massachusetts
21 Hawkins St, Somerville, MA 02143
Swanson’s Fabric (fabric only, no craft supplies)
320 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA 01376
Michigan
4567 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
16135 Harper Ave, Detroit, MI 48224
Minnesota
ArtStart’s ArtScraps Reuse Center
1459 St. Clair Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105
Missouri
3269 Roanoke Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111
1506 E. St. Louis St, Springfield, MO 65802
Nebraska
218 W 18th St, Kearney, NE 68845
New Mexico
Española Valley Fiber Arts Center
325 South Paseo de Oñate, Española, NM 87532
New York
Crafting For Good (no website, Facebook page only)
4390 Buffalo Road, North Chili, NY 14514
112 W Green St, #5, Ithaca, NY 14850
North Carolina
2050 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham, NC 27707
4118 Spring Garden St, Greensboro, NC 27407
Ohio
1334 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Oregon
555 High St, Eugene, OR 97401
1 N Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97217
1736 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205
Pennsylvania
1800 N American St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Rhode Island
The Creative Reuse Center of RI
991 Waterman Ave, East Providence, RI 02914
South Carolina
2439 Laurens Rd, Greenville, SC 29607
Tennessee
2416 Music Valley Drive, Suite 106, Nashville, TN 37214
Texas
2005 Wheless Ln, Austin, Texas 78723
Houston Center For Creative Reuse
1719 Live Oak St, Houston, TX, 77003
Spare Parts Center for Creative Reuse
13491 Wetmore Rd, San Antonio, TX 78247
Utah
Fabric, quilt and blanket donations only, no storefront. Check website for details.
685 South Main St, Springville UT, 84663
Virginia
1745 Allied St, Suite C, Charlottesville, VA 22903
119 W Brookland Park Blvd, Richmond, VA 23222
Washington
2600 Martin Way East, Suite C, Olympia WA 98506
Seattle ReCreative (2 locations)
8408 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
6521 5th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108
Wisconsin
Hello Happiness Creativity Center
1504 New Jersey Ave, Sheboygan, WI 53081
524 East Main Street, Studio 1, Stoughton, WI 53589
CRAFT REUSE CENTERS IN CANADA
3126 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5T 3G7
560 Johnson Street, Victoria, BC V8W 3C6
594 Rte 52, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1C9
Online only shop, local donations can be made in Montreal.
ONLINE CRAFT REUSE SHOPS (Check websites for donation standards!)
Newlight Creative Reuse Studio & Marketplace
We hope you can find a Craft Reuse Center near you on this list! Or maybe you found one, but it seems a bit far for a solo drive? Consider a crafty donation road trip with your best friends! Just make sure to check that you’ll be arriving on a day when your (somewhat) local shop is open for donations.
Also, please remember to comment if we missed shops in your area!
Happy donating!
