Thank you for supporting the Common Threads: Creative Reuse and Community Studio! Your donations help us share creative materials, encourage reuse, and build community. To make the best use of our limited space and volunteer time, please follow these guidelines.
We Happily Accept
Clean, usable craft supplies, including:
- Fabric, yarn, thread, notions, patterns
- Sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet, and embroidery supplies
- Paper crafts, scrapbooking, card-making supplies
- Beads and jewelry-making materials
- Paints (watercolor or acrylic), brushes, drawing supplies
- Craft kits (complete or mostly complete)
- Scissors, rulers, glue, tape, basic craft tools
Please donate items you would feel comfortable using yourself.
We Cannot Accept
For safety and space reasons, we are unable to accept:
- Moldy, mildewed, wet, or pest-damaged items
- Heavily soiled, torn beyond use, or broken items
- Hazardous or toxic materials
- Oil paints, solvents, spray paint, aerosols
- Items with strong odors (smoke, chemicals, pets)
- Magazines, encyclopedias, or non-craft books
- Household items not intended for creative reuse
- Clothing
Donation Details
- Donations are accepted during posted donation hours only – We’ll have set days/times once we’re fully set up!
- Please do not leave items outside the building
- Donations may be limited during high-volume periods
- We reserve the right to decline items based on current needs
Donation receipts are available upon request.
How Your Donations Are Used
Donated items may be:
- Offered for sale at low cost
- Used in classes and Craft Club sessions
- Available for community use in our Creative Studio Space
- Set aside for community or service projects
Not all donations will be sold. The proceeds from items sold go towards our missions and programs at Bates United Methodist Church.
F.A.Q.’s
Sewing
What kinds of fabric do you take, and will you take fabric scraps?
We take sewing and home decor fabrics in yardage or as scraps!
Will you take sewing machines?
If they run! Be sure to bring the machine, power cord, foot petal, and any accessories (bobbins, feet). We’ll take sergers and embroidery machines too. We may use some of the machines in our Creative Studio Space.
What threads will you take?
We take all kinds! Full spools, partial spools, tiny spools, large cones. Cotton, polyester, silk, machine embroidery, buttonhole… did you know there were so many kinds?!
My mother has boxes of sewing patterns. Will you take them?
Yes! We take sewing and quilting patterns, books, and magazines from any era!
Knitting, Crochet, Weaving
What types of yarns can I donate?
All kinds! Wool, cotton, poly, blends… full skeins or partial. If the skeins have the ball band on them, great! If they don’t, we’ll take them too. We’ll also take yarn on cones.
Any weight yarn is acceptable: from lace weight to bulky. We just ask that the yarn be in useable condition.
I have some mismatched knitting needles. Will you only take a pair of straight needles?
We’ll take any number of knitting needles, even one. All needles welcome – straight needles, circular, crochet hooks, weird ones that look like a combo of knitting needle and crochet hook.
What about knitting machines?
Sure. Please have any power cords and accessories (and instructions if you have them) packaged with the machine. We may use machine in our Creative Studio Space.
I have a loom and a spinning wheel. Do you take those?
If the machines are compact (so not a 10′ loom!) we’ll certainly consider taking them. Please try to include and accessories or spare parts that come with the machine. We may use the loom or spinning wheel in our Creative Studio Space.
What kinds of notions will you take?
Needles and hooks, darning needles, stitch markers, tatting shuttles, sock elastic, lace bobbins, yarn bobbins… the list is too long.
We also take knitting & crochet patterns, magazines, and books.
Scrapbooking & Card Making
I have a partially used pad of scrapbook paper. Will you take it?
Yep! We’ll even take pieces of paper.
What scrapbooking supplies will you take?
Decorative edge scissors, punches, stickers, paper (whole sheets or partial), adhesives, rubber stamps, stamp pads, pens, markers, pencils, albums, scrapbooking magazines & books, ribbons, washi tape…
Painting & Drawing
I have paints and brushes I’m not using. Can I donate them?
As long as the paints are NOT dried out, yes. We do not currently accept oil paints or house paint. Craft paints, acrylic, gouache, watercolors, chalk paint – all good!
Brushes should be clean and pliable. If the bristles are hard as a rock – toss it!
What about partially used sketchbooks?
Absolutely! Please remove any used pages and we’ll take the rest.
Cross Stitch & Embroidery
I found boxes of embroidery floss and maybe some tiny skeins of thin yarn in my Grandma’s attic. Will you take it?
Yes. The tiny skeins of yarn are probably needlepoint yarns, and we take those too. We’ll also take cross stitch cloth (aida, linen, monk’s cloth) and needlepoint canvases. If Grandma had her floss and skeins organized on bobbins, bring them in that way!
Will you take patterns?
Yes! Any craft patterns, books, and magazines we’ll take – from any era!
Craft Kits & Unfinished Projects
I started a project from a kit and am not going to finish it. Can I donate it?
If you’re not finishing it because you’re stuck – we might be able to help you get unstuck!
We’ll possibly take it. Please try to have all the remaining components needed to complete the item packaged with the kit, including instructions. If not all components are available, we may still take the kit and repackage what components there are to make available separately.