Ever wonder where the plastic bottles you recycle end up? Since Spoonflower’s Recycled Canvas is made with the world’s leading recycled fiber REPREVE® you could be sewing with it! Each yard or meter of Recycled Canvas is made from 10 recycled bottles. Another great reason to recycle! 

Spoonflower is a leader in modernizing the textile industry with our low-waste digital printing process and the team is always on the lookout to add eco-friendly products to our lineup of fabrics, wallpaper and home decor products. Recycled Canvas features 50% REPREVE high-quality recycled fiber and offers a smooth drape, soft hand and radiant color saturation with a subtle luster.

Keep reading and watch the video below to find out more about how this durable fabric is created and printed, what projects are perfect for it and tips for working with Recycled Canvas. 

Meet Recycled Canvas

Rippled yard of Recycled Canvas with a floral design

Printable width: 58″ (147 cm) wide

Weight: 7.1 oz/square yd (240 gsm)

Content: 50% REPREVE® recycled polyester; 50% polyester

Construction: Woven

Needle type: Universal

Needle size: 80 – 90

How Do Plastic Bottles Become Fabric?

Illustration of the 4 step process

1. Recycled bottles are collected, washed and chopped into REPREVE® bottle flake.

2. The bottle flake is melted and formed into resin, called REPREVE® chip.

3. The chip is melted, performance technologies are added and extruded into fiber.

4. The fiber is made into sustainable products we use and wear!

What Makers Are Saying About (+ Making With) Recycled Canvas

We love that plastic bottles are getting a second life as Recycled Canvas tote bags, throw pillows, wall hangings and so much more. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for eco-friendly gifts to DIY or you want to purchase products from small business owners using Spoonflower, we’ve got you covered! We’ve rounded up some exciting projects created with Recycled Canvas by Spoonflower Ambassadors and Small Business Grantees.

Two Recycled Canvas Pillows

“My seamstress, Amber Rae Black, made these pillows and she loved the quality and strength of this fabric. We both thought the color saturation was top of the line and the softness is not compromised at all. The Recycled Canvas is a great option for an indoor/outdoor pillow and offers excellent versatility to accommodate either environment.” 

-Tiffany McKnight of Tiffany McKnight


A Recycled Canvas bag

“Recycled Canvas is super soft and cool to the touch but is heavy enough for a bag like the Sierra Tote I made. My machine had an easier time sewing it than with Spoonflower’s previous offering Eco Canvas. It was much smoother as the needle went through the fabric, even when stacked in multiple layers for the origami pouch (free pattern here). I’m also really happy with the vibrance and saturation of the printing and the sprinkle design really pops!” 

-Meg Fleshman
@megmadesewing


Recycled Canvas pillows

“I’m not a huge sewist but I was able to create one of my favorite things—pillows! This fabric is perfect for home decor items and has a wonderful flow and drape to it. I will definitely use this for future home decor projects.”

-Tracey Hairston
@mochagirlplace


Recycled Canvas tote bag

“Recycled Canvas will be great for tote bags, toiletry bags—anything that is relatively easy to sew and needs ease of cleaning. The print quality was incredibly vibrant which I appreciated.

I would recommend using a wooden block and steam if pressing is needed since I found that it didn’t hold creases very well, but the drape is very nice for what is considered a canvas.”

-Nancy Mac of Freon Collective

Featured design: Orange Blossom by mintpeony


Recycled Canvas zippered pouch

“Recycled Canvas has the strength of a regular canvas with a much softer feel to it. It cuts and sews so smoothly and prints with excellent color. It’s perfect for bags and accessories, and I would even use it for pillows, soft totes, or stuffed animals.”

-Julianne Mahoney of Wild Brush


Bag with recycled canvas lining

“Since all of our bag linings are created with Linen Cotton Canvas, I was excited to try out Recycled Canvas. I have been thinking of adding an overnight bag to our product line and wanted to use lining fabric that could be easily wiped clean. This fabric definitely delivered. I intentionally got both dirt and makeup on small swatches, and both were easy to spot clean.

The fabric has a smooth silkiness to it, so I was surprised to find that it is actually a bit heavier than the linen canvas. I love the way our new Robin Tote looks with this fabric. As a brand focused on our impact, we are thrilled that this recycled fabric is as good for the planet as it looks in our product!”

-Kate Perna of Inner Beauty Effects


Recycled Canvas yoga mat bag

“What I love most about Recycled Canvas is that it’s an eco-friendly fabric made from recycled plastic bottles! It’s a lot of fun to work with and the colors come out bright and clear on the material. As the fabric is very robust and rather heavy, it is just perfect for sewing this yoga bag.”

-Antonia Pröls
@goldschool.diy


Recycled Canvas pillow

“Like the other fabrics at Spoonflower, this fabric washed well and shrinkage was minimal. This fabric is a little slippery, so I would recommend pinning or using fabric clips while sewing. I installed a zipper on my pillow, which required more clips to keep the fabric and zipper edges aligned.

The edges of the fabric fray pretty easily, so zigzag stitching or serging the edges would be beneficial before starting your project, especially if the item will not be lined. This fabric is great for outdoor pillows, like the lumbar pillow cover I made, or outdoor cushions. The slight sheen of the Recycled Canvas makes it great for indoor pillows as well, or even covering a bench.” 

-Kenya Stanfield of Mary Elizabeth Home


Recycled Canvas kids purse and rainbow toy

“The Recycled Canvas is a great weight for my children’s playmats and accessories. I love the way the colors in my design come out really vibrant. I suggest using an iron with a light touch on a synthetic setting only. If you need to use a high heat, be sure to add a press cloth over the fabric to prevent any color transfer.”

-Sarah Omura of SO Handmade


Outdoor chair cushion upholstered with Recycled Canvas

“I am so excited to FINALLY have attractive indoor/outdoor fabric at a reasonable price. So much of the comparable products I see on the market from other companies are dated or too thematic for my personal style (think beachy-lobster vibes).  I love the way our Danika Herrick shagreen chairs turned out, and I’m motivated to sew pillows and cushions for the rest of our patio sets.”

-Jewel Marlowe
@jewelmarlowe


Outdoor banners made with Recycled Canvas

“One of the characteristics that drew me to Recycled Canvas (aside from its obvious eco-friendly origins) is that it is durable enough for seasonal outdoor use—which is why I chose to utilize it for my indoor/outdoor banners

The fabric has a much softer drape than anticipated. I found it useful to use an overlock stitch along the edges to prevent fraying. Also, due to the slicker nature of the substrate, it was easier to use sewing clips rather than pins when prepping the fabric to sew.”

-Robert Mahar
@robert_mahar


Upholstered dining chairs with Recycled Canvas

“The Recycled Canvas was an excellent fabric for reupholstering my chairs. Not only was the fabric durable, but it was soft enough for seating.  Sometimes durable fabrics lean towards tough textures, but the texture of the Recycled Canvas is not tough or rough. The seat cushions are now colorful and comfortable!” 

-Stephanie Watkins
@casawatkinsblog


Free Sewing Patterns Perfect for Recycled Canvas

Want to go green all year long?
Check out these 14 eco-friendly projects for your home!

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