Textile Messaging

Umbra on old clothes

Posted by Bricolage at 11:17 AM on 05 Jul 2006

You love your old "Virginia Is for Lovers" T-shirt, but that hole in the armpit isn't getting any smaller. So what are you supposed to do with old clothes and shoes you can't give to Goodwill with a straight face? Advice maven Umbra Fisk tries on a few ideas for size.

new in Ask Umbra: Textile Messaging

For story: Textile Messaging
8 Comments | Post a Comment

Textile Messaging

Since I am an artist...and see things in aesthitic ways, I started taking old clothes...all sorts, and sewing/attaching cut and torn pieces of them to a piece of jute rope. I use a big needle and strong upholstery cord to make a string of clothing pieces, each irregular in shape, but about 8 to 9 inches high and maybe that wide. I incoporate fronts of shirts that include pockets, and knees that have been scuffed through. After you get seven to ten of these cloth pieces attached, see what they look like strung up...like prayer flags. I call them Urban Prayer Flags, and they can be used to decorate all sorts of areas, inside and out.

They are a sure sign that an Urban Peasant is nearby!

Kirk deFord Portland, Oregon cell: 503.781-4956

by ravenz at 2:44 PM on 05 Jul 2006

Recycling clothes

If your clothes are made of Capilene, they're made of recyclable polyester. Patagonia will recycle old Patagonia "base layers" ... yes kids - longjohns. Just drop them off at your local Patagonia store or mail them to:

Patagonia Service Center
Attention: Common Threads Recycling Program
8550 White Fir Street
Reno, Nevada 89523-8939

But please...wash 'em good first.

by amckibbin at 7:01 PM on 05 Jul 2006

tshirts to message quilts!!

Hey-- I see ads periodically (or you sould sew it yourself) to take the message portion of old Tshirts from , say, that Save the Redwoods Rally, or a Drain Lake Foul parade, etc, and stitch them into cool and memorable quilts!!!

Take that, recyclers. Then later it becomes the dog bed, and then....
Bruce P
Tucson, AZ

BPlenk Tucson, AZ

by bplenk at 8:11 AM on 06 Jul 2006

Urban Prayer Flags

Thanks, Ravenz! I love this and can't wait to do it!

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

by karenc at 12:30 PM on 06 Jul 2006
[ Parent ]

not just flags & quilts

you can also get your old shirts recycled into new clothes, see: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/tshirt_underwea.php

and i'm sure there are many other creative ways to re-use fabric, like cutting it up and donating it to community centres, or schools for kids crafts.

by angelune at 1:50 PM on 06 Jul 2006

t-shirts in Africa, and athletic shoe recycling

Umbra's comment on t-shirts being reused by organizations like Goodwill reminded me of a documentary that was featured on PBS's Independent Lens a couple years ago, called "T-Shirt Travels."

The show argues that such charitable donations only perpetuate African poverty, since they squash local textile companies. And let's not talk about the energy used in shipping our junk overseas. Bummer!

And not to brag, but here in Boulder, Colorado, our Center for Hard to Recycle Materials accepts athletic shoes, which are recycled to make those spongy athletic surfaces, for things like outdoor tennis and basketball courts. If we could do it, I'm sure other communities could do this as well.

by REwonk at 9:28 AM on 07 Jul 2006

recycling old clothes

This is my first blog comment. I am new to
Grist. I am the recycling coordinator for our town and we recycle clothing in bins called Kiducation. They are a reputable charity that sells our clothes for recycling or shredding and our schools get a small percentage. They use the money they make towards children's charities.

Nike sneakers are recycled into running track material and their foundation makes grants to schools and towns for new or rebuilt running tracks.

Be careful of the yellow bins on private property that are labeled Planet Aid. If you google this organization you will see why. I am trying to follow the Grist rules by not disparaging outright certain organizations that only use 10% of their proceeds for charitable purposes.

Lastly, we have a new bin in town for books and audio and video tapes, magazines, etc. They vow to find new homes for these items and they also cut us a check for each 20ft container we fill. If they cannot find a new home for items, they make sure the items are recycled. They also are a reputable charitable organization and use any money they make with our recyclables to make donations to other charities.

Happy recycling. Remember that it is your tax dollars that pay the tipping fees to the landfills for everything you put into the waste stream. If concern for the earth does not move you, perhaps that financial incentive will.

Peace to all.
Mary McDonald

Mary McDonald

by grantwriterri at 7:14 AM on 11 Jul 2006

More ideas for recycling old clothes

Recently I came across this story about a woman in Minnesota who recyles, reuses, and resells old clothes. There are some good ideas mentioned in "A Genuine Rags-to-Riches Story" http://www.startribune.com/168/story/507746.html

by Joyatri at 8:28 AM on 11 Jul 2006

ADVERTISING POLICY

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.