At the end of yesterday’s blog, I showed a photo of this crooked, unfinished piece of needlepoint that I couldn’t bear to throw out yet. My big goal is to recycle or “upcycle” it into another piece of art someday. (I’ll have to do a lot to cover up the crooked edges because I didn’t use a frame when I was sewing this to stabilize it.) Then, Jennifer Haworth who comments on my Facebook page frequently, wrote a great comment on a blog that I wrote awhile back about keeping strange things “for someday”. I suggested to her that she might want to look at “Altered Couture“, a great magazine from Stampington & Company, that is all about taking old clothes and “upcycling” them.
That got me to thinking about having an ongoing feature on this blog, where people could send before and after photos of what they’ve done with their treasures. So, send me two, well-lit photos of before and after pics of whatever you’ve upcycled that has at least 50% of it made of textiles. Don’t just finish what you had started, but really recycle the old piece into something new and different. Please also write about 200 words as to why you had been saving the original piece and how you feel about what you did with it afterwards. Disasters are fine; there are just some pieces that never work out, no matter how long you work on them. If you’re brave enough to share those, too, we’d love to hear about them, because we all grow as we share. Please send the before and after pics and the statement to me at…
info@fiberfantasies.com and I’ll post them as frequently as I can. Can’t wait to hear from you.
Why not leave a comment as to your thoughts on this posting. Please take a minute, fill out the form below or by clicking on the “comments/no comments link” at the top of the posting, and then share your ideas with the rest of us. We all grow when we share our thoughts and impressions, so why not join our growing community of those who appreciate art quilts and textile arts. We’d love to hear from you!… and PLEASE tell like minded souls about this blog! The more readers and contributors, the more I write because encouragement helps the words flow!
You can see more of my art work on my web site at www.fiberfantasies.com (be patient as it loads; it’s worth it), my healing work at www.transitionportals.com and can find me on Google + , Facebook (for Transition Portals) Facebook (for Fiber Fantasies), and Twitter.
To find out how to buy my art work, please check out “How to Buy my Art Work” in the “Pages” section to the right of this blog.
AWESOME!!!! I would just like to add, that what we see as trash, others see as treasure. Perhaps it is the early childhood education teacher in me, however I have always told creative individuals, never throw away what you do not like because it is the one thing that others may rave about. In future days, you will pull that one piece out and say, oh!!! I know what I can do with that now.
That is so true, although I am trying to be a little more discerning about what I keep..:)