What to do with Polyester fabric?

Hi. I was gifted yard and yards of polyester fabric. The stuff is probably from the 70s or maybe even older. It is in good shape and not a weird pattern on it or anything. Just looking for ideas on what to use it for. I am pretty sure people don't sew clothing with it anymore, though I understand why they did, it is durable and doesn't need ironing. I am not in the market for a polyester pant suit at the moment lol.

Depends on what your life is like. I use a lot of polyester, because it's cheap second hand, and useful. Drapes, or drape liners is good, it resists rotting. Make heavy winter drapes that are poly on the glass side, then a blanket, then something pretty, helps a LOT with the heat bills.
I have some being drapes to hide shelves, some being used weird for air flow under the dinner table (hard to explain.) There's some covering a fake hearth in this rental that leaks air like a sieve that I have insulated with carpet padding, then covered with poly, then cushions we like on top to make a bench out of a serious draft point.
Oh! There's some on the roof of my truck, holding down Styrofoam insulation that I put there when I had chickens living inthe camper (first time I ever slip covered a truck!) Chickens have been gone for over 2 years, fabric is still holding!

I do wear some, thin stuff. I made work pants out of some, it's funny, I watched a tick try to climb my leg and sliiiiide right off the stuff :D

So I'd say think of what you might not want to waste expensive fabric on, that will take a lot of potential damage, and use it there. To me cheap polyester is a tool, there are some places you use one tool, some you use another. There are places I prefer good fabrics, and places I like something abuseable.

Wow. Thanks for the ideas. You are right it does have a nice drape. Drapes and curtain lining would work well. This is the thicker type stuff too. I will hang onto it, just looking for ideas. I have yards of an off white, cream color. Very pretty. Some blue too.

Pearl Sutton wrote:Depends on what your life is like. I use a lot of polyester, because it's cheap second hand, and useful. Drapes, or drape liners is good, it resists rotting. Make heavy winter drapes that are poly on the glass side, then a blanket, then something pretty, helps a LOT with the heat bills.
I have some being drapes to hide shelves, some being used weird for air flow under the dinner table (hard to explain.) There's some covering a fake hearth in this rental that leaks air like a sieve that I have insulated with carpet padding, then covered with poly, then cushions we like on top to make a bench out of a serious draft point.
Oh! There's some on the roof of my truck, holding down Styrofoam insulation that I put there when I had chickens living inthe camper (first time I ever slip covered a truck!) Chickens have been gone for over 2 years, fabric is still holding!

I do wear some, thin stuff. I made work pants out of some, it's funny, I watched a tick try to climb my leg and sliiiiide right off the stuff :D

So I'd say think of what you might not want to waste expensive fabric on, that will take a lot of potential damage, and use it there. To me cheap polyester is a tool, there are some places you use one tool, some you use another. There are places I prefer good fabrics, and places I like something abuseable.

Besides that it doesn't rot, it is also extremely UV stable. I've been using the same thin polyester shower curtains as outside window curtains for several years. They are thin enough to see through a little, and they work great at reducing solar heating in the summer. Stopping the heat outside is much better I think than trapping it between the window and a shade inside.

We had maybe 2000 linear yards of polyester fabric 60" wide. We tried selling it on Craigslist and marketplace for a couple of years. Not a nibble! So, we needed fabric under our stone what we were putting in our driveway.  4 rolls wide overlapping half-way. We used it under 600 feet of driveway stone to keep it from sinking into the muddy abyss. Worked great! Cheaper than road fabric for us. We bought it cheap at auction so we were not out much, plus we gained some storage space.

Then one day, I realized the local Amish wore the same royal blue color in their shirts and dresses. I asked a friend if his girls used polyester fabric. "Sure!" he said. I sold what we had left to him and he, in turn, sold what his family would not use in the next few years to the rest of the community.

Crazy, but true.

my kid makes a lot of clothes for cosplayers and other people who need short-durability "event clothing" and it's mostly poly, much of which I've also inherited from people who move or clean out houses. It's easy to sew.
I also use bigger pieces in the garden, frost covers, fruit tree covers, big sheet for carrying things I chip (up there you might use it for raking leaves or carrying lawn waste, etc).

I had some that I made a tablecloth from.

Our only table has an oak finish, so to protect it from spills, etc.  I used that tablecloth under a piece of heavy clear vinyl.

We just happened to redo everything yesterday because the new kitty cat likes to play with the vinyl.

naughty kitty lol

Anne Miller wrote:I had some that I made a tablecloth from.

Our only table has an oak finish, so to protect it from spills, etc.  I used that tablecloth under a piece of heavy clear vinyl.

We just happened to redo everything yesterday because the new kitty cat likes to play with the vinyl.

What an awesome idea. Sounds like it is holding up also. It really is a miracle fabric.

Anthony Friot wrote:We had maybe 2000 linear yards of polyester fabric 60" wide. We tried selling it on Craigslist and marketplace for a couple of years. Not a nibble! So, we needed fabric under our stone what we were putting in our driveway.  4 rolls wide overlapping half-way. We used it under 600 feet of driveway stone to keep it from sinking into the muddy abyss. Worked great! Cheaper than road fabric for us. We bought it cheap at auction so we were not out much, plus we gained some storage space.

Then one day, I realized the local Amish wore the same royal blue color in their shirts and dresses. I asked a friend if his girls used polyester fabric. "Sure!" he said. I sold what we had left to him and he, in turn, sold what his family would not use in the next few years to the rest of the community.

Crazy, but true.

Great ideas. Thank you. I love the cosplay movement, though I don't do it myself. Maybe some day.

Tereza Okava wrote:my kid makes a lot of clothes for cosplayers and other people who need short-durability "event clothing" and it's mostly poly, much of which I've also inherited from people who move or clean out houses. It's easy to sew.
I also use bigger pieces in the garden, frost covers, fruit tree covers, big sheet for carrying things I chip (up there you might use it for raking leaves or carrying lawn waste, etc).

Does polyester shed microplastics like other synthetics? I'd avoid using it in anything requiring regular laundering if so...

Mari Henry wrote:naughty kitty lol

Anne Miller wrote:I had some that I made a tablecloth from.

Our only table has an oak finish, so to protect it from spills, etc.  I used that tablecloth under a piece of heavy clear vinyl.

We just happened to redo everything yesterday because the new kitty cat likes to play with the vinyl.

This is where the Zep Professional Spray bottle filled with water and a straight shooting stream of over 6 feet comes into play for discouraging kitty from playing with the vinyl....*LOL*...my cats will stop whatever they are doing when they see that spray bottle come out or I shake it so they hear the water slosh....

Mark Reed wrote:Besides that it doesn't rot, it is also extremely UV stable. I've been using the same thin polyester shower curtains as outside window curtains for several years. They are thin enough to see through a little, and they work great at reducing solar heating in the summer. Stopping the heat outside is much better I think than trapping it between the window and a shade inside.

Pearl already said what I wanted to say.

For window treatment, I cut rectangle of white felt the size of the window plus a few inches extra in length to fold over. I slide a tension rod inside and place it as close to the glass as possible and it greatly reduces the heat from outside. I have a frequently used south facing glass door and I can't do the same thing. When I saw this post I wanted to give it a try.

So I opened the side seams of the deep hem of a bed sheet and put a PVC pipe through the channel then I place this end inside the gutter over the glass door. It is temporary but is working great!  We are having the unusually hot summer this year and this simple set up gotta saving my electricity bill. Thanks Mark!

The only problem it tends to get blown out of place in windy days even with a steel rod at the bottom. I am wondering what kind of fixture technique people are using for outside shade like this.

May Lotito wrote: I have a frequently used south facing glass door and I can't do the same thing. When I saw this post I wanted to give it a try.

So I opened the side seams of the deep hem of a bed sheet and put a PVC pipe through the channel then I place this end inside the gutter over the glass door. It is temporary but is working great!  We are having the unusually hot summer this year and this simple set up gotta saving my electricity bill. Thanks Mark!

The only problem it tends to get blown out of place in windy days even with a steel rod at the bottom. I am wondering what kind of fixture technique people are using for outside shade like this.

Velcro and magnets here.  I'm limited to things I can double sticky tape on, can't put screws in the exterior walls, doors or frames.