I have been helping an elderly relative sort some cupboards & we have found a great hoard of fabrics - various lengths & types but very 1970's & 1980's (like flowery knit fabric & corduroys etc)
She has insisted that they are all good bits but she hasnt got around yet to using them (shes 78 so not sure this will happen :) ) so I offered to take it to an op-shop or to sell it on her behalf but when I got it home some of the pieces have (what I hope to be) watermarks along the fold lines.

I suspect that being folded & in storage for so long will mean that they are not "as new" but my question is - should this stuff just be binned.
Does anyone really want to cut out/around damaged parts of fabric to utilise what they can.
I know that Spotlight for example sell pretty cheap fabrics so dated & partly damaged stuff probably doesnt reach a target market haha
Thanks.

buzz123 - 2021-09-02 16:38:00

There might be a real market for 'vintage' fabrics even with fold marks etc. People are very crafty with old blankets etc for example.... you might be surprised at how much they are worth. Not sure whether it's best to try here, or FB marketplace - which a lot more people are turning to these days?

lyl_guy - 2021-09-02 17:16:00

Please don't bin it. We have a real textile waste issue. Op shops will take it, and if you have the time, as lg says, listing here will also get interest.

oh_hunnihunni - 2021-09-02 17:41:00

it will sell on here or even give it to people via Freecycle.

Op shops next in line and never bin it......

To sell on here sort into categories, velvets, cottons, corduroy knits etc, photograph, be unflinching in your description about fades, fold lines. (NB fold lines will mostly wash out)

PS I have saved you to my sellers list in case you sell on here.

Edited by shanreagh at 8:48 am, Fri 3 Sep

shanreagh - 2021-09-03 08:46:00

About 17 years ago Webbs Auction in Auckland sold a very large accumulation of vintage material and the buyers waged war over it all. I know - cost me a small fortune to buy

kiwialan - 2021-09-03 11:05:00

I agree that you should try to sell it - who knows what material designs are on our internal wish list. I saw some Crown Lynn plates that reminded me of going to the factory shop in Auckland with my mum in the early 70s. they are super hideous. I would buy them to get the reminder of my mum, and that would go for material as well because she sewed all my clothes (as hideous as crockery patterns), but I like stuff that makes me think of her and love for me (the favourite child).

sumstyle - 2021-09-03 12:32:00

Great stuff. I can see vintage aprons and potmitts

Also shopping bags and smaller produce ones. Great cheap useful Christmas gifts.
It there lots of cottons?

Patchworkers will keep a look out too. Easy to cut around fold lines

lilyfield - 2021-09-03 15:48:00

Sell on here. Lot of demand for that vintage fabric, better quality than today

voyager4 - 2021-09-03 16:12:00

I agree to the - please do not bin.. work out how much fading there is in parts & price accordingly - if it doesn't sell, then op shop for those that would use parts

urbanrefugee54 - 2021-09-04 18:50:00

Have a look around here on TM, to see what this market is like. I would be fairly certain you will sell it on TM, and get some good prices. People love anything vintage.

crafters_corner - 2021-09-04 23:40:00

Nothing wrong with a fold mark, it can be ironed out. I'm wondering if the marks are actually where the fabric has been exposed to light and has faded. I'd give it to an opshop or sell on Trademe. Lots of people will still like it.

spidermurti - 2021-09-05 01:22:00

Thanks for all the helpful comments (& sorry for my delayed reply - I've been at work the last few days & so very tired).
I shall sort it (& wash it all), measure it & list it on here - probably in a week or so :)

buzz123 - 2021-09-05 14:26:00

I have accepted and am still accepting lots of fabrics, remnants and off cuts that grandma and others have had stored for a long time. I repurpose it into patchwork cot quilts and donate them all to Give A Kid A Blanket. If you are going to donate it I am sure, I, like many others would be happy to have them and use them to make useful items for the benefit of others.

northrow - 2021-09-08 15:16:00

Crafters and zero waste people will love this, they even hold de-stash markets to sell such materials. You could advertise on Trade Me. Or on face book try neighbourhood pages, craft pages or zero waste pages.

kowhai60 - 2021-09-08 19:48:00

I buy great fabrics from op shops. They very much sought after.

brightlights60 - 2021-09-16 17:49:00