Textile Scraps Repurposed with Style

Wildereve toddler/infant slip-ons made with Mud Cloth remnants

I recently started offering globally sourced textile remnants in my Etsy shop and the grab bags have been received with great enthusiasm. I mistakenly assumed the buyers of these mud cloth and vintage indigo textiles would make patch work pillows and quilts out of the small pieces of fabric. I was pleasantly surprised to find that creative entrepreneurs were making baby shoes, doggie leash bags, totes, and plant holders with these one of a kind vintage and new pieces of artisan-made textiles.

Maciwear for Soutside Vintage Pouch made with African Inidgo remnants

Repurposing and recycling textiles is good for the earth. The last thing I want to do is put beautiful pieces of vintage textiles in a landfill where the spirit of their maker will be lost forever. So when my bin of damaged-beyond-repair textiles reached critical mass, my daughter Cate suggested it was time to create grab bag bundles. It may not be a money-maker for us given the time and labor involved in cutting, sorting, packaging and photographing these grab bag pieces, but it's worth the effort just to see how the modern makers use these vintage mud cloth, indigo, and global textiles to create one of a kind accessories. Plus there is the added benefit of knowing I'm not simply throwing away someone's woven history.

Moosewears dog leash pouch

Above, the dog leash pouch by Moosewears is an item I least expected to see made from a piece of vintage African Baule cloth, but it's one of my favorites. Why carry around a generic mass-produced dog leash pouch when you can enjoy the artistry of this vintage African textile that has been up cycled into a one off accessory? When you purchase from a maker like Moosewears you are recycling, supporting several small businesses, and you get to look good doing it!

Morrissey Fabric Multi-Cultural Grab Bag

I will be posting more examples of how the vintage textile grab bag bundles have been up cycled into modern maker accessories very soon. But for now, above is a listing photo from Etsy of one of my multi-cultural global textile grab bag bundles. As you can see, there are plenty of unique artisan-made textiles to work with. What would you create with these global fabric remnants? Post a photo to Instagram or message me here or on Etsy and I just might share your project. Have fun. The only limit is your imagination.
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