Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was synthesized from knitted rags, a cellulosic wastes of textile and garment industries, in aqueous ethanolic sodium hydroxide and subsequently mono-chloroacetic acid reaction medium. A low substituted to high substituted products was obtained from single step up to seven steps carboxymethylation of cellulose. In this way, it was possible to produce low cost and different grades or substituted carboxymethylation derivatives of cellulose. Solubility, degree of substitution (DS), CMC content, and molecular weight of CMC were increased gradually with the increase of the number of reaction steps, although fourth step attained optimal. The DS of CMC from one to seven reaction steps was 0.91-2.84, respectively. Similarly, CMC content and molecular weight of CMC were 72.60%-85.00% and 153,886-252,231, respectively. Grafting of CMC film with methyl methacrylate (MMA) improved strength properties, but it decreased moisture content due to the incorporation of hydrophobic MMA monomer. The prepared CMC, when applied as sizing agent to cotton fabric, was deposited on the fabric surface through bond formation making it smooth without any crack or rupture. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 128: 1206-1212, 2013