Repurposed Crafting

My sustainability class [geez, is this where I get all my information? I should start researching on my own haha] brought me to an online community called The Center for a New American Dream that basically espouses the idea of sustainability in all walks of life. I didn’t check out all parts of the site, but I read their mission/vision and a few blogs about consumption.

Their idea goes a little like this: the American dream is one of hope for a better life and future for generations to come. However, this dream has recently transformed to a mentality of “more is better” and “out with the old, in with the new.” Not everyone thinks this way, but a vast majority of companies market this idea with their fancy-shmancy advertising and/or cheap prices, and then we’re hooked.

Regardless, communities like New American Dream show that people are starting to change. With the green movement becoming fashionable [and businesses profitting from making 'green' items] people are becoming aware of environmental impacts. However, lifestyle changes are not possible for some people and it’s difficult to change on a large scale, especially if the infrastructure isn’t there. With the economy as it is now, who knows when we will be able to reorganize government policies to accomodate environmentally friendly lifestyles. And, as unfortunate as it is, being eco-friendly isn’t always cheap…I might write more on this later.

I’m not saying that we should all stop buying objects that are wants instead of needs. Go ahead and consume! BUT, even though it takes more time, we should try to investigate the origins of our items beforehand. Or invest in items that will not need to be replaced within the near future.

One blog post I read had a great take-away message that I felt needed to be shared:

“There are lots of ways to renew, while still making our lives more recognizable to ourselves. Maybe our culture is moving back in the direction of holding on to things. It’s good practice for creating a life full of texture and grasp-able things. Tellingly, when something is really worn it becomes well-worn. Worn the way it’s supposed to be. Here’s to the old, the renewed, and the new with the promise of becoming well-worn.”

So, what did I do with the pink heart-filled tank I found in my closet? Well, the shirt was much too short on me so I found another shirt in my closet [donated by my friend Patrick] and fused them!

But, you see that giant hole in the front of the shirt? AHHH-inducing, I know. I wrung my hands and then got over it. :]

I was originally going to make a ruffled tank but failed miserably on the ruffle because I didn’t measure the top half of the shirt [It was kind of impossible as my measuring tape has gone missing over a month ago!! *-.-] I cut the grey shirt across under the arm holes and the pink one around the middle after sewing the edges of the grey in an A-line so it would fit to the top portion. Then I sewed them together with the gaping hole at the back of the shirt.

In place of the ruffle, I decided to make something else to put on the front of the tank. I cut out several hearts from the leftover parts of the shirt and layered!

To cover up the rip, I cut out more hearts! I made it just large enough to cover the hole, but not too excessive. As I was pinning it into place, my sister walked into the room and said, “Whoa! That’s so cool! Are you making a pocket?” Hm…not my original intention but sounds like an awesome idea. Thanks, kid sister :]

I volunteered tonight at a local hospice and it was still decorated for Valentine’s day! Perfect :]