Which Items are OK to Re-Purpose For Use in Beading and Beaded Artwork? Which Items Are Off-Limits? And Why?
Monday July 21, 2008
This is a basic issue I have begun to encouter latelt, and I began to write an article to cover this, but before I do, I would really love to hear from those of you who have alredy begun to create a lot of mixed media beading and have harvested handmade lace and trims, embroidery, or other old hand-stitched embellishment from household linens or even from clothing to use in new beading projects. Part of the article focuses on what sorts of things are OK to repurpose and what things are not OK to repurpose, and about how one knows where to draw the line between the OK and the not OK, or if such a line even exists.
As beadworkers, we know that this particular hobby and art form has expanded quickly to cover much more than bead weaving stitches to include fabric embellishment, beading with "found" objects, beading with mixed media, creating art pieces for our homes, and that just about anything that includes even one bead can be considered beadwork now.
With the current focus on recycling, "upcycling" (I love that word!) repurposing, reinventing and using the old to create new, where, if there is a place, do we draw the line? What would you consider an item unacceptable for recycling? What sorts of household linens and furnishings and what type of clothing are acceptable for re-purposing? What is strictly off-limits?
The image at right shows a piece of lace I harvested from a hankie that was in otherwise perfect condition; the only issue was the tear in the handmade lace. My upbringing taught me that I should have mended the lace, but my need for that piece of lace for a new project outweighed my need for a lace-trim hankie, so I dove in and I harvested that lace! And let me tell you, it felt good, too! It is the perfect item for my project, and a new piece of lace, even if I were to use the finest products to age the lace artificially, were not going to work. Now, once I finish the ends and make a couple of tiny mends, I have the lace of my dreams for this project.
All it took was giving myself permission to do something different from what I had been taught. This seems to be a huge creative block on many levels, not just beading, though it is strong in repurposing for beading, especially amongst "women of a certain age" because we have been taught not to "rip it up."
So, let's hear how you learned to "tear it up, tear it down" and remake, repurpose and restyle things, how you got past that "keep it in good shape" roadblock, and what you've done with the old items you've harvested. Tel us, is it easier at first if the item is falling apart? Can you bring yourself to take from an otherwise wearable piece of clothing that has a strong sentimental value to you to make yourself a new piece of beadwork or beaded artwork with it? And let us hear about your "first cuts" - the first time you harvested something to repurpose. Was it easy, or was it difficult? What sorts of things have you reworked and made into something new? How did it feel the first time you cut into an "heirloom" piece? What did you feel when you saw your final finished new piece?
Let us hear all in order to help those fellow beaders who want to reuse and repurpose things, but just can't get past the blocks. I've had many letters about this very issue, and I'd love to get the input of those of you who have repurposed items. And not just fabrics, but also anything including old pictures, metal objects, broken jewelry, pieces of metal filigree and even brass stampings are hard for people to alter. Old greeting cards, letters, envelopes, other paper, maps, and telegrams. These can be used in beaded artwork and in the end, those items and their "people" are honored more powerfully because they have been included in a new artwork, rather than by being saved in a box in the attic, where someone may discover them in future years and simply toss them in the trash. If you journal about the re-constructed pieces, and keep a list of what was used, along with the items' back story, then you have left a trail of information for the future generations. A much nicer way to remember important family and their lives than by stuffing those papers, textiles, clothes and accessories into a box and sticking them in the attic And for those of you who have done this already and discovered how good it feels, please let us you’re your stories!
Happy deconstructing, repurposing, remaking, reconstructing, recycling and, best of all, happy upcycling of all those items that are just taking up space and cluttering our ever-shrinking living areas.
Comments
There is no such word as repurpose. Don’t you check your spelling? The first line of your article today is a very good example.
I actually wish I had “repurposed” more things when I had the chance. I particularly miss a piece of embroidery that I made for a dress and considered salvaging but did the “practical” thing instead and sent the dress to Goodwill or some such when I didn’t need it any more. I worked hard on that embroidery and I still miss it…30 years later!
On a similar note, my parents had an antique shop for years and years and I did not appreciate their wares as much as I wish I had. Just imagine the vintage lace, beads, etc. that treasure trove must have contained.
Repurpose? I call them “Reconsidered Vintage Components” but I do find it much easier to harvest something that is already damaged… reminds me…better go check that last box of embroidered dish towels that Mother gave me…hmmmm. Just don’t let the chance go by!
I “reuse” all the time. Esp old clothes that do not fit anymore. They get cut up into quilt squares or are used in some other type of sewing project. I recently learned to make a replica of Victorian pincushions (which takes 60 different squares) so I use alot of the fabric for that. And I visit thrift shops to look at the clothes to see what fabrics, buttons, or trims can be salvaged. I recently picked up a black velvet jumper (I have never been a size 4!!) for 99 cents. And they have a clearance rack for 39 cents where I have gotten different wools and silks. It feels good to recycle the fabric. And as I look through my pincushion, I can think back as remember–that piece was my mother’s skirt, that one from my high school dance dress. It invokes many sweet memories.
Critics are a dime a dozen but people who are willing to take the time to maintain a site like this are treasures beyond measure.
I have often remade clothing, combining pieces to make something new. It is a great pleasure to take otherwise unusable things and make them into something pretty and comfortable.
When I first started beading I had almost no money and few beads but lots of old necklaces that I didn’t wear anymore. I took things apart and made new things from the components and although they weren’t wonderful, they were fun and they were great practice. Most of the items found homes with friends and family.
I use mostly cabochons and Delica beads but when I find anything interesting — a crystal from an old chandelier, a great button, a link from an old metal belt — I gleefully incorporate it into a necklace. The only things I would consider off limits are things of true sentimental value, such as my mom’s wedding ring or one of my daughters’ baby rings. Of course even they might be used if left undamaged and in a piece that I would use myself and then pass on to the daughter. Never sold though. Never.
I think the idea is great - I’ve been doing it all my life, and calling it “art”. My favorite piece is a collage made from sections of old sheet music, from which I cut out Carmen Miranda, and some stray lyrics. I then superimposed sheet music by inking, then printing, a steel plate that had once been used in the printing of a music book. And I finished it all with stencil letters across the collage, using C, D, E, F, and G, which is part of the music scale. It looks great, hangs on my wall to this day, and it garnered a “first place” ribbon in an art show. I call it “Tribute to the ’40s”. Now, I’m toying with the idea of making a yummy flared skirt from an old linen tablecloth that has a lovely, fine weight, but also has been permanently stained with a black marker (indelible, no less…)
I love to take like new, high end sweaters apart and repurpose the yarn into new crochet and knitted pieces. The yarn is usually so nice. I find the sweaters at thrift stores and garage sales for bargain prices. As I a child, I remember taking broken jewelry apart and making something new from it. And what is wrong with coining new words. It has been done since man started uttering sound.
I too have reused things for years. Anything goes! If I’m not wearing/using it now as it is, I remake it into something else, and I like to think outside the box. I’ve done it with old jewelry, old skirts, old surfaces to paint…it’s all fair game to me….
Boo Lynette–Bravo Mary!!
Repurpose- I know that word–new words are invented all the time. Don’t you see the updated dictionaries? NOTHING is off limits. I keep everything that I think I might use. But I quilt and sew along with the beading I do so I see value in just about everything.
My husband and I go to garage sales and pick upold stuff to make into “new” jewelry. It gets me out of the house and we are doing something together.
Sharon
I’m 35 and I was raised in a house where everything had a second, if not 3rd and fourth life. When I was young I thought my once farm kid parents raised by depression era grandparents were misers, but now, when it’s the trend to not make trash and reuse everything, I am so thankful that I had the parents (and grandparents) who could make a quilt of old jackets or reupholster the chair from old scraps of something. What I missed then was not only that they had the insight to do it, but they did it really well.
My Mother started the collage trend from old jewelry and beads about 25 years ago. I have picked it up and changed it, she did large pieces and I do small. I also use old tile and make mosaic designs on stepping stones and pots for my garden.
For Christmas I am being very ambitious and making 100 reusable grocery bags as presents and am going to fill them with produce bags made from the old sheer curtains that hung in my house when we bought it. The material for the reusable bags comes from years of garage sales and material hording, also from some of my favorite clothes that I have out grown or worn through. I have special material for certain people, my aunt is getting one of her jackets from college back…..as a bag, and my sister in law is getting a crazy quilt bag made from the bridesmaid dress that I was forced into for her and her sisters weddings (I am so glad they match).
I have held onto some of my kids favorite baby clothes to make myself a quilt. There is the onesie that my best friend got my son right before she died of cancer that she hand embroidered a dinosaur on, and my daughters first pink dress, along with and entire tub of clothes that I could rattle on about, each one brings up a memory that takes me back to those early days of Mommy hood.
I think it’s a mindset to be able to do these things. When you think about designing a room do you run out and buy new stuff, or do you look to antique stores and garage sales to see if you could redo something? Do you make your curtains or do you buy them? I begrudge no one who wants to buy new things, but for me, well I have this corner in my basement where I just might have the perfect thing to match that and make it my own
I hesitate to use “good” things to reuse, preferring to donate them, but something that’s a bit torn or worn is fair game. I also like to scour used clothing stores and garage sales for old jewellery to take apart and make into something new.
As for the linguistic debate: language is fluid, in particular English, which has picked up words from myriad languages over the centuries: French, German, Greek, Latin, and so on. Heck, “gender” used to only refer to plants, until someone got too uppity to use the “s” word and started applying it to animals and people. If a word is used with the same meaning by enough people it’ll end up in the OED eventually, and with the current environment of emphasis on “green” and environmentally conscious thinking, it wouldn’t be surprising to see words like “repurpose” become a part of the English lexicon.
:)
Lynette, Please check your info before posting. According to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/repurpose the word repurpose means: To use or convert for use in another format or product: repurposed the book as a compact disk.
And Lynette, we all make typos. Chill.
Paula, Interesting topic.
I currently am still exploring beadweaving without adding repurposed items, but I keep a box of items I’ve pick up on walks that might look good in a beaded project someday.
Thanks for all you hard work on this site.
My husband says I’m a horder. I’m a Crafter–I have trouble getting rid of anything, I might have need of it someday. I would rather have pillows and quilts full of shirts, dresses that ment something to me than the ones that WMart sells. T-shirt quilts are some of my favorites- I still have a piece of a shirt my grandmother bought me in the mountains when I was a little girl. In this world anything that makes you smile is a really good thing.
It is a relief to know I’m not the only one
to form sentimental attachments to clothes,
pillow cases, etc. Usually the problem arises
with family items. Recently I found a linen
hand towel with a lovely hand worked edge. It has a tear down the middle. I’m fairly certain my Mom made it. I decided to remove the edge and include it in a framed (shadowbox) collection. Examples: Dad’s pocket knife, picture of grandmother’s quilt,
a saucer….Hopefully I will find things from
my husbands side to make another one. Not
only will this take things out of drawers and
make them useful once again but it will help
our only child remember where they came from.
If your item is too large for a shadowbox or
scrap book you might consider taking a picture of it and then recycling or safely
storing away.
A previous entry mentioned thrift stores. I
also have no problem cutting/reuseing these
things…leather for doll shoes, beaded
purses, Purse frames, handles, and so on.
On the sale days at these places there is
usually a traffic jam as crafters are trying to get in. Yard sales are very popular,too.
I have wrestled with this problem for many years. I do not recommend donating sentimental items to charities until you have
considered all of your options. Yes, it is
a tax deduction but it might also become a
very painful memory for the rest of your life.
When you are ready to “let go” you will know,
without question.
Not all things are meant to be repaired and
used for it’s originally purpose….Just
enjoyed as they are. Your mentioned linens.
Hand clean as necessary, fold attractively
and display in an open linen cabinet, drawer,
or shelf. Maybe you would want to frame for a bathroom display.
As you can tell recycling is one of my favorite subjects and I have enjoyed sharing. Thank you for the
opportunity…..Linda
Lynette you say: There is no such word as repurpose. Don’t you check your spelling? The first line of your article today is a very good example. Get a life. Don’t knock a wonderful idea and cut some one down over spelling. If that is your only response you should have just kept your fingers off the keys and in your pocket.
Just a little creative critism.
my mother passed away and i got the left over jewerlry and i took the one earring and added more beads and strung a necklace for all the women in the family, so they would have a piece of mom to wear, they where all thrilled. my mother loved color and her favrite saying,”waste not want not”, has made my life wonderful, i am a recycleble artist due to her and i love recreating things. thankd for your site, it is GREAT.
Dear Lynette
You are the one with the broken spell check. According to Merriam Webster’s website, repurpose has been a word since 1984. Here’s the entry for you:
repurpose
One entry found.
repurpose
Main Entry:
re·pur·pose Listen to the pronunciation of repurpose
Pronunciation:
\(ˌ)rē-ˈpər-pəs\
Function:
transitive verb
Date:
1984
: to give a new purpose or use to
As for the subject of reworking materials, I agree that anything you can freshen up in some way is fair game. It’s great fun to do it and cheap too!
I have always repurposed old into new. Yes, there are some things hold a lot of memories for me. But think of the new memories that can take place. Plus giving a precious gift made from another precious gift. I think that is awesome. I love taking old things(at least some of the older things were better made) and breathing new life into them. From jewelry to clothes to furniture. Let’s go with the spirit of the idea. I liked it.
As a writer and editor, it’s difficult not to make corrections, but when I am visiting someone else’s home as a guest, I am quite able to be polite and not correct others’ grammar. It’s called “get a life”. Some live just to put others down and feel good and noble, justifying heir existence. Makes me want to say, “Who asked you?” Thank goodness Paula is sure enough of herself to rise above such policing garbage.
Now to the business at hand.
I have some ‘treasures’ in old, costume jewelry that belonged to my mother and other people who have passed away. As the song says, “Everything old is new again” - and it gives me the greatest pleasure to war a piece that contains a reused component. My mom left me a beautiful ring, and every time I wear it I say,, “I’m taking Mom for a walk.” I do the same with other things I have assembled form previous pieces. They bring us closer to our nostalgic past.
I donate decent clothing to the women’s shelter, but if I wouldn’t wear it myself because it is stained or shabby, I pirate anything usable - buttons, zippers, anything useful. Little did I know when I began doing this so many years ago, how many of those really odd buttons would make such excellent bracelet clasps. I won’t live long enough to use all of them. (or all the other ‘priceless’ pieces I have saved)
I know people who cringe at the thought of a library book, because someone else has used it. How sad. Just think of the stories your re-run objects harbor! Isn’t that the prime reason for owning an antique?
My grandma re-purposed everything. Buttons, receipts, yarn, etc…Lately, I study plastic laundry bottles for their shape, to bead weave over. I collect buttons & Central American textiles to incorporate into jewelry making. Hand made yarn, ribbon, & leather are viable alternatives to expensive metal wire & chain. The trick is to create elegance with re-purposed materials!
I love repurposing. I mostly use old jewelry. I am about to take a gold chain tassel and use it to make a gold chain necklace with beads for a friend. I never thought of lace or material! That lace would make a lovely beaded lace collar or something similar! I think this week I will be going to the thrift store! And this time I will be looking at more than the old jewelry!
I’m a beader and jewelry designer, who also loves wearable art & collage, and I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. I am also a recovering collector of more than my apt can hold. I have to admit that while I love altered book art, at first, a part of me cringed at the sight of the books’ being repurposed. But I’ve worked in libraries where so many books were discarded (even charities would not take them) and it’s a great idea.
I am also working with some old lace so your article caught my eye immediately. I am repurposing some parts of some of my collections rather than donate or throw them away. I think it’s a great idea.
It’s the green way to go, it’s the truly organic, creative way to go and you end up with a one-of-a-kind piece. Even your mistakes can be truly inspiring if nothing else!
It sounds like most of us are on the same page.
I am teaching a nine yr. old to sew. As an incentive, I had the child pick a piece of bright fabric from aged to perfection clothing. She chose a red dress and cut out a rectangled piece. We had a hem on the bottom all ready in place. So, she made her Mom an apron that was colorfull and looked fantastic. Seeing her so proud of her endeavers is so rewarding. This will now become an heirloom treasure for her family.
Enjoy this sight, tired of the negative remarks that have no significance.
Go Paula!!! You are appreciated by so many of us.
Thank you for this particular blog. It never occurred to me to re-use other materials in conjunction with my beading. I have a number of items I’ve kept through the years and now this gives me a new way to use the materials again AND fit it into my beading. Thank you so much for the idea…and for “permission” to once again think outside the box.
I love to “repurpose” stuff!! Especially old beaded necklaces and such found at yard sales or flea markets. Although the beads are beautiful individually they may not reflect my personality or the current fashion the way they’re put together. The answer . . . TEAR IT APART & RE-USE IT!! What good is it if it just sits in a drawer or hangs in a closet? I have a couple necklaces that were made from older jewelry and have been remade since then even!
I pulled apart a Swarovski crystal necklace that had belonged to my (now deceased) Grandmother to incorporate into my wedding headgear. I like to think that she would have approved of the purpose that I put it to. It was actually harder on my mother - and I had to promise to make her something out of the beads that were left over.
I saw a show on the British Antique Roadshow where a piece of lovely old furniture was being evaluated. Apparently, it was made from another much older piece that had been huge. I found it interesting that even though a very old article was remade, the newer (but still old) piece was still considered to be a work of art & very valuable.
It goes to show that remaking newer things from old is a long tradition & was done to be frugal or not to let fine old things go to waste.
Not having the money to buy nice things I’d like (though not always need), I instead learned how to re-do. In the process, I learned a lot. Much of what I can do now is far finer than can be bought in stores & is unique. I’ve remade everything from jewelry to clothing to art to useful garden implements, not to mention learning how to cook & bake my own unique ethnic foods.
Learning to make do with available materials & not just make do, but even improving the pattern or idea, is becoming a lost art. I hope the interest many now have in crafting will awaken this lost ability in younger ones too.
30 years ago, I made a Christmas jewelry tree in a frame. It displayed jewelry from friends, and most of all, my cherished ones from my family. The best of all was some of my mother’s. I display this every year at Christmas time.
Your so called new word struck a cord that continues to resonate. Since the purpose of language is to communicate and the word “repurpost” clearly states what it means, it is obviously a correct word.
My father taught me to repurpose when I was very young. In those days you could take things to the city dump without charge, and the possibly usable items were separated out for others to find. He taught me to look beyond the original purpose for another use.
And does anyone remember those lovely orange crates? They became desks, bookcases, storage units, scooters (when paired with a single metal skate separated for wheels). Separated the boards became scrap lumber for many projects.
So it was very natural for me to look for items to use in my jewelry designs that were not in the current catalogs. That led to collecting jewelry my family members no longer wanted. Next I bought a big bag of mixed jewelry from GoodWill then a bulk lot on ebay. Then s bulk lot from an Estate Sale.
The search through the items was a treasure hunt, a pleasure all by itself. Finding, cleaning, and packaging parts and pieces, fun.
Studying the history of the different marks was educationsl.
I provide serveral services along with selling my jewelry in my little shop. I repair fashing jewelry (often using parts from the broken vintage jewelry. I clean and sell the usable pieces, giving what history I can, clearly identifying repairs I may have done.
I offer colaborative design work with customers who bring in older pieces that they want to keep, but want to update. I currently have a special order for 3 bracelets for 3 sisters. Their mother brought me 3 necklaces (one hers, one her mothers, the last her grandmothers. She asked that I use the necklaces to make the bracelets. While not one of the sisters would probably worn the beautiful jet and gold necklaces.
For more ideas on repurposing items old and new please email me.
Hi All!!!
Lynette, The word repurposed is not new to my vocabulary either. As far as spelling errors, I am sure that is exactly what it was. Get a life, Lynette and work on your own nonperfections!
I have been “repurposing” since I was a child as with a family of 10 people, anything and everything that could be, was repurposed.
I also have found or bought jewelry and clothes that could be repurposed to something new. I remember a favorite blouse of mine, when I was about 12 years old, that had torn in the elbow. I ended up making a beautiful gown for my Barbie doll and used old broken costume jewelry of my moms to decorate it. It is a wonderful memory to me as I grew up in a not so monied family. I like yard sales and thrift store shopping and am not above buying anything I think I can reuse and make into something else. I have a tendency to buy and tear apart without an idea in mind. Therefore I have beads and watch pieces all over the place. Give me time and I will create something that someone in the future may just repurpose.
Attention,\: Lynette –
Newly coined words are still words. I explain this to my students all the time (I’m an English writing instructor). There IS such a word; go to Google and paste the following - “define: repurpose” without the quote marks to get several definitions.
All living languages change. The only languages that never change are those which are no longer spoken by human beings.
I consider my local second hand store the best place for one of a kind craft items.
Recently I scoured the puzzle section for pieces that would make creative jewelry pieces.
My husband considers my craft room a ‘fire hazard.’ Of course it’s not, just full of boxes of clothes that will make good pieces for quilts, puzzles, yarn, and lots of beads.
I need to add that we are all imperfect here but to point out something that is meaningless is dumb. We all make mistakes. I do want to add, Lynette, are you here for your interest in beading or just to judge everyone? I have never met Paula in person, but through a few e-mails, I learned just what a nice and interesting person she is. As busy as she is, she took time to answer questions I had about her and her life in general. For her to do this was a most gracious act of kindness and for you to put her down in the way you did with something so inane as spelling and words is just ignorant. I am sorry everyone else, that Lynette can not be nice and forgive us ALL our imperfections.
I say the sky and your imagination are the limit for re-using beautiful handwork. Why let all that work waste away in storage, or give it away when it’s still usable. Especially when whatever you use it for might be even better than the original.
I love flea markets, thrift stores & yard sales. I’ve bought craft supplies, cookbooks, lamps, clothing, etc.
Here’s a good example of repurposing - although it has nothing to do with crafts. We bought our first house in 1980 from the original owners. It was a Cape Cod style, built in 1940. After moving in, we decided to remodel the kitchen. When we took out the old kitchen cabinets, we found that the cabinet drawers & shelves were made from the crates that the radiators were shipped in. Now that’s the way to reuse/recycle/repurpose!
Oh my goodness - some people are so rude and obviously not happy in their own lives so just have to try to make others feel bad too - Lynette.As for the bigger picture, I regularly work out in the Nairobi slums for my charity Wings of Mercy. We often work with women’s groups who are incredible at repurposing as they really have no choice. Drinks cans make wonderful jewellery when cut up and also great card decorations and old telephone cables provide copper wire to make stunning bangles and ear rings. This is but a short list of ideas but brings in much needed income for the ladies, many of who are HIV positive.If you are can please look at www.wings-of-mercy.org and let me know if you have any other ideas that these ladies can use to help themselves.
I love to repurpose. I had a few things of my mothers that, of course, was way outdated. She passed away and I could not make myself throw these things away. I made a quilt with some of her clothes and embellished it with some of her old necklaces and ear rings (taken apart of course). When my sister saw my quilt, she recognized most of the items in it and became very envious and excited. She does not sew or do bead work. I am making her a quilt with more of the remnants. Now I look at the quilt and remember my mom, and I don’t have to go to an old shoe box to get old photos. I even incorporated some of
those in the quilts. Think outside the box everyone.
My grandmother was a quilter - boy, did she ever repurpose things! I know she would be glad to know that a piece of a quilt that was tattered took on a new life as something else. So, I am all in favor of recycling and repurposing items as needed.
Do you shop at thrift stores or Goodwill? I have bought items for pennies to “repurpose” into a project I am working on. I ran out of satin for a christening outfit and found a half slip that gave me just enough fabric. I placed it where it wouldn’t be noticed and (thank goodness) it wasn’t.
I have recently been hit with this question myself. My sister passed away last January and when we were packing up her things my other sister said I should take her old jewelry and if I could reuse the beads. Well, it took me 6 months to get up the nerve to cut that first necklace, but I finally did it,added some new spacers, etc and I have a beautiful new bracelet and earring set that I can wear and alway have my beloved sister with me. I recently cut up a couple more and made a necklace/earring set for our other sister. She, too, was thrilled. I guess I felt I was intruding when just “harvesting” beads for reuse but when making it for ourselves first seemed too make it alright. And I know Linda would appreceiate it too.
We have a group of ladies in Cecil County Md. called the Trashy Ladies. They make “THE BEST ART” They are the queens of repurpose. I have a new goal in life, to become a trashy lady. Thanks Paula for making this web site available to all of us. Keep up the good work to all that find new ways to display the old.
When my father died, my sister cut up all his ties and made a quilted pillow top for all eight of us. She added a quilt piece
with a photo of his smiling face. I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to travel to one of my siblings’ homes and see that pillow in a place of honor. And all those ties we bought for Father’s Day are finally getting used. lol.
I love to repurpose things also. Which once had a purpose, makes a new purpose now. If i didn’t save and reuse things, I could of never been able to teach my grandchildren to make rag dolls!!
I once had a project teaching children to make rag dolls from old worn clothing, then we donated them to the hospice. It was indeed a special moment.
Thank you fopr maintaining your wonderful sire and don’t let the nay-sayers get to you~
I have refurbished jewelry. My girlfriend had her mothers jewelry and she is not a beader. So over she came with her collection. Some was to tight for her comfort, missing pieces, or bad thread. So we chose new softflex or heavy fireline and redesigned it. We added or adjusted to suit her choice. She is happy with something new and something old and something of memories to wear. We are working on some of the pins and how we can focal them and what beads to tie it together into a new creation. Better than new is the old fixed and repaired to hand down to the next generation. We are fortunate we have better supplies to work with and we can make what was old fresh and reuseable and easy to wear. So now it is today from yesterdays treasure. How can this be wrong? Now to sell it I see no problem if it is in need of repair or cleaning and rethreading but updating makes it today with yesterdays charm. Don’t change it until it is loosing all the charm and you don’t see the uniqueness of the old but enhance the old and make it a winning number. Nothing is better than to wear what was your family memories and make it yours with an easy clasp and fresh look. Why not?
Lynette…um…yes, there is such a word as “repurpose.” http://www.bartleby.com/61/86/R0168650.html
Perhaps you should check your facts before being so eager to point out someone else’s perceived mistakes; it’s easy to make your own that way.
I don’t know if there SHOULD be rules about reusing anything. Perhaps if you had a bona-fide family heirloom and other members of your family objected to its being deconstructed for use in something else. Or it was appropriate to donate it to a museum. Otherwise, why not look for beautiful or interesting things? Not only in your own closets but in thrift shops, flea markets, etc.? It’s all very well and good to have a pretty hanky with hand-crocheted lace and a hand-embroidered monogram but, unless you’re planning on dabbing your eyes with it weddings or, worse, blowing your nose on it, why not use its components for other projects? Projects that will be seen, instead of the hanky being hidden away in a drawer and rarely used. Our great-grandparents (for some of us, our grandparents or even parents!) “made do” with what they had, unless they were very well-off financially. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” was a common litany before the 1950s and especially during the Depression. My mother used to talk about how her mother made her six children underwear from flour sacks (what we know as feed sack “quilting” cotton). What had an original purpose was found to have another. It was common in her family to have clothing reconstructed for other children in the family, no matter how “nice” the original had been. To have things carefully wrapped and stored away where folks will seldom see them is a waste of devoted craftsmanship. If an heirloom is not on display or often seen, where is its true value? In the cost of the materials used to create it? In the skill of the craftsman that made it? Of course. But also in the joy of looking at it. That’s what museums are for…to share that joy with others. Better yet to USE it, though, if at all possible. And if that means deconstructing it and finding alternative uses for its components, so be it. Someone here mentioned a group of pillows made from a father’s tie collection after he passed away. That’s the sort of thing I’m talking about. It would have been useless to keep his ties stored away. Instead, they were turned into something everyone could enjoy and prompt immediate memories of the man. If your grandmother’s wedding dress is in perfect condition but doesn’t fit you, would you have any qualms about having it altered? Neither should you have qualms about taking it apart to create a new wedding dress; perhaps the skirt is suitable but not the bodice. Wearing something that belonged to an ancestor…whether or not it’s intact…is still a lovely thing. As for reusing jewelry, a jeweler once told me that much of the gold we’re currently wearing isn’t newly-mined but recycled from other jewelry. So are many of the stones. Fashion is fickle and easily goes out of style, so why not reuse clothing, textiles, and jewelry? There’s always going to be some rigid, limited person telling you you “can’t” do something…anything…and most rules were made to be broken.
I have been repurposing things for many years. When I was a teenager I used to buy old clothes at thrift sales and make new things for myself from them. Those 50’s skirts had plenty of material! I even unpicked some of my children’s baby jumpers to make new ones as they grew. Just today I bought 2 broken necklaces at a recycling centre. I will take them apart and use the beads to make something new. Good for the planet and fun for me!
I think “repurposing” is a great idea. A few years ago, my boys, being the destructive little monsters they are, totally dismantled an old vcr in back yard. As I was picking up the pieces, I found these odd shaped copper ones that are wound with a thin copper wire. I immediately though “jewelry”. I have about 5 of these little odd shaped copper thing set aside, and one of these days inspiration will strike and I’ll make something nifty out of them. I’ve also bought second hand jewelry and taken the pieces and made something “new”. I’m all for re-using things - there’s way too much waste in this world.
Diane
Why would there be a rule against it? What is the purpose of such a rule? Who make these rules? I didn’t vote on it. I defy anyone to tell me I can’t rip up something I paid for. Bite me.
I tend to recycle items from old jewellery bought at charity shops. Old fashioned / broken they can be broken down further and reused in a modern setting. The only things I have not found a way to recycle are the necklaces made from plastic beads where they are sealed to the string.
Instead of using new suede I use old suede faced jumpers etc as backing for beading.
One of my favorite “recycling” materials is the rubber bedsheeting from when my kids were babies. It makes a great foundation for beaded cabachons, amulet and medicine bags and beaded book covers (among other things).
And there is nothing off limits. My mom had given me her wedding dress and it had these funky bows on it, so I sat in my room, cut off all of the bows and replaced them with beaded pearl clusters . . . Things with sentimental value are only sacred if they are used. I never leave the good china, crystal and silver for company, I use them regularly to bring the special to every day. I use this same concept in my crafting. If it is just sitting around taking up space, then it is time for it to wind up in a new project.
The article was not written for a spelling exercise, but a wonderful teaching exercise.