Here’s a sweet story to set your week off on a positive note, from Portland designer Lindsey Reif. If you’re an apparel designer or crafter who produces a lot of scrap it’s also a good reminder that there’s a demand for such things:
One thing I’ve realized about being a designer is that no matter how cautious a person is when cutting, sewing, designing, there is bound to be a staggering amount of waste fabric. Being the pack rat that I am, I have saved nearly all of my scraps over the past year, and this week I realized that I had 7 (!!) trash bags of scrap fabric in my basement that I really needed to do something with. I decided to post an ad on craigslist to find a home for the fabric. I received 38 emails in less than 12 hours, so I had to come up with some criteria for the lucky recipient. I decided that they had to be using the fabric for a good cause, and they could not be making money from the scraps.
Most of what I had leftover was fleece, and I found the perfect match! Kathy Sayles, a volunteer for the Cat Adoption Team Shelter in Sherwood, OR ( about 20 minutes outside of Portland) contacted me about a possible donation. She makes beds for the kitties at the shelter, and is always in search of scrap fabric, especially fleece, to make the kitties feel comfortable. Kathy was very grateful for the donation, and it made me feel great as well! It’s nice to know that I have a home for future leftover fabric!
And, here is one of Kathy’s cat beds. Awwwww….
Find other, less sentimental news about Portland fashion design and shopping on MOD.
I just contacted them about donating my scrap. I have been giving the larger pieces to the AI sewing lab. It is kind of depressing to think about how much fabric scrap is thrown out. I know that on average I get a 75% yield on my markers for cutting. In fact if I get over 80% I do a nerd dance. But that aside, it means that 25-20% of rolls of fabric are just thrown away. I have contacted Metro in the past on how to recycle it, and they didn’t have anyone to. I have also tried contacting companies who would turn it into flocking, but have not had any success. Anyone know of anything? I would be interested for my own line, and the factory I work at.