How to Make Fabric Yarn from Old Sheets!

Fabric yarn is starting to become more and more popular in the crochet and crafting community, but did you know you could easily make it yourself at home? All you need for this is an old sheet and some scissors, and you can make your own fabric yarn for any project you might need!

I hate when it happens, but it always does. That pair of sheets you’ve been using on your bed for way too long finally rip and you are left with a perfectly good top sheet and a giant hole in the mattress sheet. *Sigh* “Oh well, I guess I need to shop for some more bed sheets.” So off I go to buy another set.

But the worst part about the bottom sheet ripping is feeling like you are wasting a top sheet. I didn’t want to throw away something that wasn’t broken, so I started thinking of different ways I could reuse the sheet without needing a sewing machine. That’s when it hit me. Fabric yarn! 

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Why should you make your own fabric yarn?

Now, I don’t know if any of you have ever used fabric yarn before, but it is much thicker and can be used for a lot of unique projects. You could easily use it for a coaster, rug, basket, or bag for example, and it would take rough use better than regular yarn because of its construction. However, fabric from the store can be really expensive without including all the time it would take to make, and I’m not really a fan of spending money on things that I have already, which for me was this extra top sheet. Naturally, I had to try making the fabric yarn myself, and let me say, it was really simple and a lot of fun!

I do have to say that this was a little stress relieving if you can believe it. if you have never worked with cotton fabric before, don’t be intimidated by this. All you will need to do is make a small straight cut, and then, the most fun part about this process for me, rip the sheet. The sheet will keep the cut line that you made from the beginning and you just have to tear the sheet apart.

What kind of sheets should you use to make fabric yarn?

While this process works great with 100% cotton fabric, I know there may be some blends or stitch combinations out there in bed sheets. I have only tested this with 100% cotton sheets, so I would test this process on the edge piece that I tell you to cut off before moving on. I have some directions below if you have flannel sheets or other materials that don’t tear easily or along nice lines.

Finally, you could use the bottom sheet of an old set too if you wanted. However, I suggest you check the thickness and durability of the sheet before you use it. Bottom sheets tend to wear out much faster than top sheets, and you don’t want your fabric yarn falling apart while you use it, or worse, after you’ve used it in a project.

Supplies:

-Scissors (Fabric would be best, but you can use whatever sharp pair you have.)

-Top Sheet

-Books or Paper Weight (something to hold down the sheet, if needed – check tips section)

How to Make Your Own Fabric Yarn:

To start, you will need to open the sheet up and place the bottom of the bed sheet so that it is the closest to you. If you aren’t sure which side is which, usually the top has a wider edge piece, and the bottom has the tag.

Along the two sides, carefully cut off the border seam. This should only be about an inch to two inches wide. You can save this for your project, or if it is too thick of a piece, you can discard it or use it elsewhere.

Then, using the scissors, carefully make small cuts through the seam along the bottom of the sheet at 1 inch intervals. You do not need to be exact, but you will want them to be similar in size.

Grabbing the seam portion of one of the outside cuts in one hand and the rest of the sheet in the other, you will pull firmly to tear along the same cut line that the scissors made originally. Continue to tear until you stop at the top edge. Then, cut off that section with the scissors, and set to the side in a pile.

Repeat the previous step along the entire sheet. You will end up with a lot of the stray threads, which you can pull away and discard as they come off.

Now, you will need to wind up your yarn and attach the pieces together. The best way I have found to do this is by wrapping the yarn like you would rope around your arm. Hold the end in your hand and wrap around your elbow and back up to your hand, again and again. I just double knotted the pieces of yarn together and continued winding until all the pieces were together.

Now you have your own DIY Fabric Yarn!

How to Make Your Own Fabric Yarn with Flannel & Fuzzy Fabric:

When you want to create fabric yarn with flannel or fuzzy sheets or fabric, you will follow the above directions, but with just these changes:

-You will not tear the fabric. Instead, you should weigh down the top edge of the sheet and cut the fabric strips with scissors all the way up the sheet. This will take more time, but will leave you with a better result.

Why are the steps different for flannel and fuzzy fabric? These fabrics don’t tear true to the first cut, and depending on the orientation of the fabric when it was sewn, it will sometimes not tear at all and leave you with a stretched out fabric piece instead.

Tips:

• If you don’t have time to complete the entire sheet at once, that’s fine! You can continue to do a few pieces at a time following the above procedure. I would suggest that you wrap and attach the fabric pieces before moving on to other activities though just so the process will be easier when you come back to it.
• If you want to put a weight on the top edge of the sheet to keep it from moving around, you could. I created my fabric yarn while standing up and just brought the sheet toward me as I pulled, so it isn’t necessary but could be helpful to some.

What do you use fabric yarn for?

Fabric yarn can be used for many projects that require thicker or more sturdy yarn types. Some examples might be bags, coasters, rugs, baskets, seat covers, or even trivets if you used the correct fabric type. The limit as always is your imagination! What will you make with your homemade fabric yarn?