Offcuts, damaged inventory, and deadstock do not have to end up in the landfill. Let them find new life as material for mixed media soft sculptures and textile art by partnering with me in the next phase of my Patch Menagerie collection. These materials will be used in a body of work highlighting the flora and fauna of the Red Hills Region.
Using textile waste from local shops and individuals within the region to create these new works adds gravity to the local element of the work. Ideally, I’d like all of the visible materials (barring threads and beads, those are less plentiful, after all) to be from local sources, to be able to tell the stories of each piece with the piece.
If you wonder why I’m interested in your textile “trash,” here’s some information about my purpose and process:
Why the Red Hills region?
North Florida and South Georgia have been my home for most of my life. My first collection was global—literally, with Gaia—because that’s what made sense to start with. Now I want to concentrate on the local. Being able to include textile waste from local shops and makers is, I think, important to show how everyone plays a part in both the problems and solutions.
This collection will showcase some of our local gems and our threatened and protected species. Longleaf pine, bobwhite quail, gopher tortoise, Ashe’s magnolia, and the red-cockaded woodpecker are all on my list of subjects to better understand and create art around. I’m confident more will present themselves as my research continues.
Why wildlife and conservation?
Animals are just trying to exist the best they can. Whether we can credit them with varying levels of instinct and intelligence or not, we have a responsibility as the higher life forms to be good stewards of this planet we live on and all that inhabit it. The current losses of species and biodiversity are the multiple canaries in the coal mine, asking us to get our planet to safety.
It makes sense to me to highlight threatened and endangered species through art as a way to share the stories that not everyone is aware of. I started with common faces of the extinction problem, but there are so many more out there that deserve a spotlight.
Why textile waste?
Clothing is a need, along with food, shelter, and safety. In rare cases, it’s optional, but for most of us, we wear clothing of some sort every day. I could say clothing is the simplest way we can show our identity and individuality, which is true, but I’ve been interested in sewing and manipulating fabric since Pretty in Pink came out when I was 10 years old.
I won’t say that I’ve always been mindful of where my clothes come from or what materials they’re made of. I have gained that awareness and consciousness over time, though, and fallen down the rabbit holes of sustainable fashion, circular economies, and what happens to our fashion choices after the seams wear out but the fabrics don’t.
It’d be great to say that I only wear sustainable, natural fibers, but the truth is I have sensory issues that make blended fabrics and stretchy materials more comfortable. While I do my best to make more mindful choices, I also see my artful use of these fabrics as a way to keep them out of the over-flowing landfills and raise awareness overall.
Why patchwork and piecework?
Because it’s fun.
My mother taught me to sew and embroider when I was a kid. I learned about Victorian crazy quilts 20 years ago and loved how uncontrolled and wild they were, not to mention beautiful. The freedom of the style is alluring and eye-catching. It also works well to repurpose different materials into something new. Did I mention that it’s fun?
What do I do with the fabrics and other materials I collect?
I sort the material by color, so that when I’m working on a piece, I can pull various materials in a particular colorway. I cut larger pieces into random shapes that are palm-sized or smaller, and stack them up together, invariably cutting more than I need, but that’s okay, it’ll all get used one way or another. This is how I build my palette of a range of shades, textures, prints, and solids.
From there I arrange the fabric pieces onto my base fabric (a good use for old sheets that need a new life) where I’ve traced out my pattern, going over the edges a good bit to avoid gaps when the pieces or panels are assembled, pinning as I go. Since I like to take my projects wherever I can work on it, I run basting stitches over the entire surface so I can remove the pins. This also makes them easier to store and fold and manipulate, even when I’m working from home.
Then I settle in for the decorative stitches that cover the raw edges and attach the fabrics to the base. My first two sculptures I machine stitched the pieces in place, then embellished with decorative stitches. Not only was this not as portable, it felt like it took twice as long to make any headway. Now I skip the machine stitching and do most things by hand. I’ll still use the machine for long lines of straight stitches (like the borders of art quilts, or the ocean wedges of the globe) or seaming larger pieces of a sculpture together, but most of the work is done by hand.
Beading, sequins, trims, and other embellishments come last, sometimes after sculptures are assembled and posed, even. And those extra fabric bits I cut or have to trim off in the making process? They get saved either for a future palette or for stuffing sculpted pieces. I do my best to create as little waste as possible in my practice.
It’s not trash if it’s art supplies!
My art is, by its very nature, cooperative: I use what would otherwise be discarded. It’s only through cooperation that we can address any of the issues we’re facing as a society, as a species, as a planet.
To arrange a pick up, email jenn@scrapsoflife.com or text 850-510-0073. I work in Thomasville, so most requests can be accommodated within 24-48 hours.
You can follow along with the project on Instagram @scrapsoflife
I’d like to acknowledge those who partner with me by donating materials, but your contribution can be anonymous upon request.
