Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Earth Day is approaching soon and since textiles lovers are big material consumables, we should try to do our part to save the earth. Most of us have the condition Stable Syndrome or “stash accumulated beyond life expectancy.” As you know, to aid the world the first rule is to reduce. So, to celebrate Earth Day, why not see how much fabric you can use from your stash. That’s right, sew away for the day! (If you need to buy a few pieces of new fabric to make use of the stash, no worries, it was already made and needs a place too.)

The second rule is to reuse. Kudos to all those vintage textile lovers that are purchasing 20th century feed sacks, blocks or quilt tops to create a quilt. This last weekend, I attended the MOKA Quilt Study Group where one bed turning was called “Found and Finished” narrated by Becky Bruce. It was a wonderful example of giving found textile items new life. The fabric can be used as is or dyed, cut, or reshaped to create a thing of beauty. I learned some guilds are now having quilt challenges about “found” items.

Finally, if you don’t think you’ll use fabric or scraps here are some ideas to continue a good cycle. Gift a box of your scraps to the quilter who loves making scrappy quilts. I just saw someone begging for scraps the other day. Donate your scraps to someone making doggie beds, they use a lot. Donate fabric to the charity quilt pile at your quilt guild or to a fabric reseller, let someone else make use of it. If all else fails, there are now textile recyclers that grind the fabric up for reuse. Look for one in your local city. But most of all, sew away and quilt for the day!