Crafters, or at least the crafters I know, are usually a thrifty bunch, making the most of their fabric and yarn stash, minimising on waste and re-using as much as they can.

Over the past couple of years I’ve been learning crafting skills with the aim to make more things for my wardrobe and our home. When I began I decided I wanted to make as little impact on the environment as I could. It would defeat the point of making my own things if I started buying materials that had wasted energy and caused lots of pollution in its production.

So here are 5 handy ways to craft green that I’ve picked up along the way:

1. Charity shops make good craft shops too

If you buy new fabric from the shops or market do you know what went into making it? Conventional cotton, for example, is extremely polluting and resource hungry so unless you buy organic then you can’t be sure that your pretty hand made item hasn’t contributed to putting all kinds of chemicals into the environment. That’s why charity shops make good craft shops.

You may not always be able to buy fabric on the roll or by the metre at your local charity shops but you can get great fabric from other items like curtains, sheets and duvet covers and turn them into other things like cushion covers, skirts and napkins.

If you’re lucky you might find yarn, embroidery threads, cottons and needles in charity shops too!

2. Look after the odds and ends

You’ve probably heard the saying “save the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves”. Well a similar rule applies to the odds and ends in your fabric and yarn stash or leftover paint from the last time you decorated. Keep those little bits and pieces and when you put them together you can make something bigger. Saving the end of a ball of yarn could go towards a colorful knitting or crochet project like a blanket, fabric scraps could be used to stuff cushions or soft toys and paint could give a piece of furniture or picture frame a new lease of life.

3. Save the template

Save the backs of notepads or cereal boxes to make sturdy card templates for patterns. Drawing on the back of leftover wallpaper does the same job for larger projects like tops or bags.

4. Give to craft class

If like me you pick up second hand fabric from anywhere and everywhere you’ll probably soon come to the conclusion that you’ll never use it all. You could donate the pieces you don’t want to your local charity shop or you might find that nearby craft courses could use them for students to practice their sewing, embroidery, dyeing, anything. Think of it as spreading a little craft love.

5. Take it to your wardrobe

If you haven’t already guessed by now I’m a big fan of charity shopping. I’d always say donate your old clothes to charity shops first but only if they’re in good condition (the sort of condition you would expect to buy). If you have clothes that aren’t good enough for the charity shop, if they’re damaged and beyond repair see what you can salvage before you throw them away like zips, buttons and ribbons. It saves you buying these things from new for your next project. The leftover fabric could then go to a textile bank (some local councils have these at their recycling centres) where it will be cleaned, shredded and used again.

Check out Crafting a Green World for lots and lots more green crafting tips!