1st. Annual Re-Crafting Fair in Telkwa, BC

Last weekend, our crafting club held our 1st. Annual Re-Crafting Fair in Telkwa.

Our mission was to educate locals and far away visitors about the many ways we've experimented to reuse textiles into new items.

Reusing is an important task that all of us should be doing as often as possible. 
 We are just a small group of crafters who feel that our local communities and our local government need help in learning about this reality.
We have a large number of people still throwing things into a Re-Use Shed with no one to care for these items on an ongoing basis. Consequently, we've learned that about twice a week, the workers drive a small bobcat front loader into the building and simply discard the clothing into the Knockholt Landfill that is about 45 km's away southeast of Houston, B.C. 

We feel this is wrong. Education about 'how to reuse everything' needs to be done. We aim to educate everyone, including our local government.
This blog posting documents the door prize of a T-Shirt Quilt came together in Carli's studio/sewing room.

T-shirt quilts are such fun to make, personalized and this one is even more special because Charlene is a friend, supporter of art quilts and enthusiastic about reusing textiles. I'm so honored to have made one for her!
She has great respect and confidence in my work in quilting that she had me make this lovely baby quilt a few years ago, thanks Charlene!


Re-Crafting is a newly coined word that I made up in a consistent effort to help promote, enthuse and excite people about the joy of reusing textiles. The photo below is a group of Gitanyow ladies who embraced reusing and made at least 10 baby quilts from recycled sweaters. What a brave, fun loving bunch of new friends who took their new skills into many other projects as well.

I teach all sorts of classes on quilt art and reusing, its a great way to save money and educate because the supplies are often found in your own closet!


 The ladies of Gitanyow really embraced the concept of quilting with reused cloth, the value and frugality they just loved it. Here, they are  holding not only baby quilts, but also bags made from sweaters, denim, upholstery fabrics and so on. This was a class I taught in Gitanyow in 2009. That's me far left in purple!


 This quilt  (above) is called Round Lake Cabin Quilt, I reused denim, corduroy, shirt cloth and canvas. Backing of this quilt is a 'car emergency blanket' repurposed into a quilt.


This crazy quilt ( above) won 1st place in Most Innovative category in  2004 in Ontario, Canada. Its called 'Silver Linings Crazy Quilt' because its made entirely from reused lining materials, labels from 4 ladies blazers'.



The above photo shows a demonstration piece that I use today in my bathroom. Made from circle pieces recycled from another quilt, I covered 9.5 in. blocks of reused fabric with the circles right onto an older, less absorbent towel.


This is another little quilt, made clothing, its now in a private BCGEU collection in Smithers.
Others have embraced and learned new things as well in their own personal journey to reuse and have fun doing it. Here are some of the other examples from ladies from Telkwa!






Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share some examples we have of Re-Crafting! Tell me does your community hold a fair to inspire others to reuse?

If you'd like to join us and start hosting an Annual Re-Crafting Fair, please leave us a comment and we'll give you permission to use the title "Re-Crafting" and I'll list your site here where Re-Crafting started.

Tell me what your thoughts are on reuse in your community. Tell us in what town or city your reuse fair is and what the online address is for it?

Carli



Comments

  1. Fascinating post, Carli. I loved hearing about so many great ways of recrafting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank You P. Re-Crafting is an awesome and fun way to sew something different, something original and its often free or very reasonable.

      Delete

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