Making a Textile Donation

Are you cleaning out your craft closet but don’t want your supplies to end up in a landfill?

Since September 2021, our Reuse Program has provided access to affordable textile materials for makers and artists. This is made possible by generous donations, and our volunteers who help with sorting and pricing every week. What began as our More Than Just a Yardage Sale in 2005 has evolved into a program dedicated to diverting textile waste from the landfill.  

As of December 2023, our customers have repurposed over 12,000 lbs (5443 kgs) of fabric, yarn, thread, lace and more!

If you’d like to donate, please send an email with a photograph of your items to reuse@textilemuseum.ca – we sincerely appreciate the support!

Donating to our Textile Reuse Program

The Textile Museum of Canada team accepts donations of fabric, beads, yarn, notions, patterns, textile-themed books, and other items.

Tax receipts are NOT provided for donations to our reuse program.

If you’d like to donate, please send an email with a photograph of your items to reuse@textilemuseum.ca – we sincerely appreciate the support!

  • Fabric of any kind 
  • Yarn 
  • Fleece 
  • Wool roving 
  • Sewing supplies 
  • Beads or jewelry-making supplies 
  • Books or magazines about textiles, craft, or design 
  • Patterns for sewing, knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, and weaving 
  • Craft kits, especially cross-stitch and felting 
  • Fabric markers 
  • Small tools such as crochet needles and tatting shuttles 
  • Clothing or garments of any kind 
  • Ink, paint, or glue 
  • Scrap fabric (smaller than 50X50cm) 
  • Unclean items 
  • Incomplete sewing patterns 
  • Large equipment such as looms and knitting machines 

Donating Your Textiles to
Our Permanent Collection

The Museum is grateful for the donation of objects to the collection. However, please note that we have currently placed a moratorium on new acquisitions as we undergo an in-depth review of our policies.

Over the last year the Museum has been re-examining collecting practices in light of changed socio-political circumstances and emerging new audiences. We are developing an approach to address and adapt our practices moving forward, and will continue to form a collections development plan which will articulate our goals for the next five years.

Please note that we do not appraise textiles. For a list of appraisers, click here.

To submit your item for consideration as a donation to the collection after we have lifted our moratorium, please send images and information about the object to collections@textilemuseum.ca

The Museum does not collect:

  • Fashion garments (ie. 20th century western clothing, Vintage wedding dresses, Christening gowns)
  • Large tools and equipment (ie. Looms, Spinning Wheels, Frames, Sewing Machines)
  • Commercially manufactured textiles
  • Archival records