Sewing and Tailoring Skills Project

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Introduction

From the early ages of the industrial revolution, the textile industry has been identified as one of the major polluter of rivers. Attempts to minimize wastage are now on focus due to increased environmental awareness. Currently, there is an increasing awareness among people regarding waste collection and recycling. Developing a potential market for recycled textiles by buying such recycled products will reduce the wastage going to landfill.

Textile recycling is the process of recovering fibre, yarn, or fabric and reprocessing the material into new, useful products. Textile waste is split into pre-consumer and post-consumer waste and is sorted into different.

Advantages of recycling:

Textile recycling helps in the protection of the environment as well. Recycled clothes reduce the landfill space. Landfill sites pose a threat to the environment and water supplies. When it rains, water drains through the discarded clothes and picks up hazardous chemicals and bleaches. This water turns out to be toxic. Textile made from synthetic fibres will not decompose quickly whereas fabrics like wool releases methane, during decomposition and both fibres ultimately cause global warming. When these fabrics are recycled, this hazard will be reduced to a considerable extent. It saves on consumption of energy, as recycled clothes need not be re-dyed or sourced. Reduced usage of dyes and chemicals minimizes their manufacture and ultimately the adverse effects of their manufacture. Of all the old clothing, 70 % is used as second-hand clothing, 6 % is waste bags and zips, 8 % is used for reclaiming fibres and making recycled products, 7 % is used as wiping material and the remaining 9 % is shredded and used as stuffing. It is a surprising fact that over 70 percent of the world’s population uses second hand clothing. Raw materials acquired out of recycled fabrics cost less; making it an attractive feature for manufacturers.

It is an amazing fact to know, that clothes and well as raw textiles that are considered as useless can be creatively used to make something new.

Old clothes and industrial textile rejects can be reused for making cushions, handbags, quilts rags dusters and borders in a lampshade etc. Head and wrist bands can be made with fabrics with electrifying colours.

Industrial textile rejects and old garments can be transformed into works of art; like sewing patches, buttons and beads into old garments, ironing graphics, etc.

References:

1) http://www.recyclenow.com 2) http://www.textile-recycling.org.uk

3) http://www.wasteonline.org.uk 4) http://www.bbc.co.uk

Sewing and Tailoring Skills project

Junior Art Club is looking for volunteers with sewing and tailoring skills and with ability to recycle rejected textiles of diverse colours into works of art, baby doll clothes using niddles, traditional manual and electric sewing machines.

The volunteer will be in charge and will also have a team of other resource personnel to enable the deliverables.

Works of art, per example given above and derived from this project work shop will be exhibited in a mix media, donated and some sold and the proceeds will go into supporting the general JAC projects in Ghana and in Italy. If you have the skills and time for this, please apply for further details.

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