Re-use, recycle,repurpose and reinvent. In other words, use up what you have. This is a very good exercise for fiber artists, craftspersons and those of us who can’t part with any of our treasures. Remember, if we don’t use it, it will probably be discarded by our family when we die. Our treasures deserve better that!
I can speak with a certain authority because I have pack rat tendencies. Until a few years ago, I seldom threw anything out and I hardly ever re-used those items that were out of style, the wrong color, the wrong size, etc. I began going through my treasure trove.
I found garments I made for shows and for sale that no longer fit and were out of style.
I took apart and re-cut two of these garments, I found a jacket in a color that is no longer in vogue and I bought a package of RIT dye and followed the directions on the package. The garment is again wearable.
I go through my yarn stash in bits and starts. I’ve moved my rug yarns on, given away those that are colors I don’t like or fibers that aren’t my favorite.
The hard part is letting go of my scraps. I try to use as much of my handwoven fabric as possible and I keep the pieces until it is obvious, even to me, that I’ve reached the end. I do notice that my discarded pieces are bigger than they used to be.
With these thoughts in mind, I would like to see articles about how you are eco-sensitive in your media.
Judy Fisher, Editor
editor(at)cnch.org
jyfisher66(at)gmail.com