I was wrong about thrift store bedsheets for cosplay fabric

For years I thought using old bedsheets for a costume was just a cop out. Then last winter I tried making a Ghostbusters jumpsuit from a pair of blue king-size sheets I found at Goodwill for $8. The cotton was soft enough to sew easily on my machine and the color matched perfectly after a quick dye job with RIT. Total cost was under $15 versus $40 for new fabric at Joann's. Has anyone else found surprising uses for thrifted linens in their builds?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_rodriguez5d ago

oh wait hold on, i gotta jump in here real quick because that's actually not quite right about the RIT dye lol. RIT is great for natural fibers like cotton but it fades super fast on synthetic blends and bedsheets are almost always a poly-cotton mix these days. i learned that the hard way when my "perfect" color washed out after one con weekend and my costume looked all patchy and weird. you gotta check the tag first and if it's even 10% polyester you're better off with iDye Poly or a fiber reactive dye like Procion MX. trust me on this one, i ruined two good sheets before i figured out the dye chemistry thing. still a total win for $8 though, just gotta match the dye to the fabric type.

emery6035d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah okay you're totally right, I used to think RIT was the holy grail but you just changed my mind.