Instead of buying new fabric for your upcoming project, consider upcycling a bed sheet; reusing linens is both cost-effective and eco-friendly and to help you out, we’ve rounded up 10 awesome ideas for using and/or re-using bed linens.

10. One of the most economical things to do with bedsheets is to make curtains. Fabric can be pricey. So can commercially-made curtains. But by using bedsheets, you can save green while going green. You don’t even need to know how to sew to make curtains out of bed sheets.

Krystal at My Life of Travels and Adventures has a step-by-step “no sew” tutorial showing how to transform a flat sheet into curtains. Another tutorial for curtains made from bedsheets can be found at A Boy, a Girl, and a Pug.

You can also use a bed sheet as a curtain liner. That extra layer of fabric will help insulate your home. Bed sheets also make great shower curtains!

9. We love this duvet cover by Jessica at The Creative Mama. A duvet cover is basically a bed spread pillow case. Simply sew two same-sized bed sheets (identical, color coordinated, or completely different!) together and voila! A duvet cover.

8. Reusable Shopping Bags

Making shopping bags out of an old bed sheet is a brilliant idea. Unlike some other reusable shopping bags, these are washable, which is important since unwashed bags can easily harbor E.Coli and other nasty bacteria.

7. From bed sheet to basket liner: Follow this tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to make a basket liner.

6. Tent Fort

Sheet tents are a must-make. And hey, if you’re going to do it, go big and buy bulk linens. Sheets are lightweight, come in a myriad of designs, colors, and sizes, and cost pennies compared to new fabric. Check out Craftionary‘s list for 14 more ways to make your very own sheet tent.

5. Bunk Bed Hideaway

Another no-sew curtain project, this one for the bottom bunk.

4. Throw Pillows can easily be recovered using fabric from a bed sheet.

This tutorial is excellent and easy to follow. She uses new fabric, but it could easily be swapped out for second-hand fabric….like a bed sheet. Best of all, this particular case is removable so it can be washed.

3. How awesome is this bed sheet rag rug? (And here’s another cool one)

2. And of course since it’s almost Halloween, you could even make your own costume. But forget togas, mummies, and ghosts. Using a simple bed sheet you can make some seriously awesome costumes! We’ve compiled a few of the best one on our Pinterest Board Genius Projects for Bed Sheets.

1. And now for the pièce de ré·sis·tance: Clothing. Just look at this stunning Art Nouveau dress from the Cation Designs blog.

Who would’ve thought that such a beautiful and stylish dress was once a cast-off bed sheet?

There you have it! 10 ingenious projects for upcycling bed sheets! We hope you’ve been able to see that linens are versatile and are an economical resource for many projects!

Bonus: How to remove body oil stains and odors from sheets

Added bonus: How to get fabric free or almost free