JOANN'S CLOSURE
AND THE RISE OF
thrifted fabric

The closing of JOANN is a big deal for the sewing and crafting world. For so many of us, JOANN was the spot — fabric, notions, patterns, and a little dose of inspiration every time you walked in. Without it, makers everywhere are asking: so what now? The answer might just be in the growing wave of thrift flipping — paired with tools that help us rethink how we sew.

The Shift Toward Thrift Flipping

No JOANN down the street? Sewists are getting scrappy (literally). Thrift stores, closets, and secondhand marketplaces are turning into our new fabric aisles. Instead of buying bolts of fabric, people are grabbing oversized button-downs, vintage skirts, or old sheets and giving them a new life. That's thrift flipping — turning something pre-loved into something brand new and uniquely you.

And it's not just clever — it's sustainable. Every flip saves textiles from landfills, reduces the demand for mass fabric production, and pushes fashion toward a more circular, eco-conscious future.

The Pattern Problem

But here's the thing: traditional sewing patterns were never designed for thrift flips. They assume you've got two or three yards of pristine fabric, laid flat and ready to go. That's not reality when you're working with secondhand clothes.

• Limited yardage: That thrifted skirt might only give you a yard of usable fabric when the pattern calls for three.
• Existing features: Waistbands, hems, collars — they're already there, and patterns don't account for that.
• Mismatch in scale: Your fabric pieces may simply not fit the pattern layout without serious hacking.

For beginners, this can be discouraging. Even experienced sewists often ditch the pattern when thrift flipping.

Why Tools Like ReStitch Matter

This is where something like ReStitch changes the game. Instead of wrestling with rigid patterns, ReStitch lets you work with what you actually have. It's measurement-based and adaptive:

• Got an oversized men's shirt? → ReStitch shows you exactly how to turn it into a baby tee.
• Found a thrifted maxi skirt? → ReStitch walks you through reworking it into a two-piece set.

The app emphasizes efficiency too, reusing features like hems and waistbands instead of making you start from scratch. It makes thrift flipping easier for beginners, but also way faster for anyone who sews regularly.

Sustainability Meets Efficiency

The closing of JOANN is bittersweet. Yes, it removes a familiar resource — but it also pushes us toward a new era of sewing. An era that's more sustainable, more creative, and honestly, more fun. Thrift flipping:

• Keeps clothes out of landfills.
• Cuts reliance on mass-produced fabric.
• Sparks one-of-a-kind creations.

With the right tools, like ReStitch, this isn't just a challenge — it's an opportunity. We can redefine sewing as something that's modern, resourceful, and aligned with the values of today's makers.

The Takeaway

The future of sewing doesn't live in endless fabric aisles — it lives in our closets, our thrift shops, and our creativity. With JOANN closing its doors, we're not losing sewing culture — we're reshaping it. And with apps like ReStitch, flipping thrift finds into wearable art is simpler, smarter, and so much more sustainable.