Second Act for Scraps
At the Center of Fine Arts Costume Shop on Tuesday, Jan. 20, the Environmental Club organized an Upcycling Workshop to teach students how to sew and upcycle. Students were able to bring their own fabric for upcycling, including old clothing, blankets, and curtains.
Ellie Goetzinger, president of the environmental club, is an undergraduate student majoring in medical biology. Goetzinger found this event beneficial for the environmental club because they were able to prevent waste from going to the landfill. The club taught students how easy it can be to create new things from the old.
“Our event had a smaller turnout, but honestly, it was a great group size,” Goetzinger said. “People in need of help or suggestions were able to get assistance from peers or costume shop faculty right away.”
Students, like Abbi Johnson, participated in this event and brought a friend along. The assistant professor of costume technology and management taught students to sew and use sewing machines.
“I love this event because we all start with pieces of fabric that no one wanted and we turn them into something unique to us,” Goetzinger said. “Instead of the fabrics being thrown away, we prevented more things, such as fabric or single-use plastic bags, from going to the landfill by creating reusable items.”
At the workshop, students had the opportunity to use a premade tote bag and create fabric collages on the bag. Students also made their own tote bags and even sewed patchwork on worn second-hand clothing.
“The thing I enjoy about upcycling is that you are able to pick out fabrics that were maybe not someone’s style, but you can make it unique and original to you,” Goetzinger said. “Since they are personalized to me, some of my favorite items I have are things that I have DIYed or upcycled.”
The Club found upcycling an important topic to address because people tend to overconsume and discard items that they see as worn out.
“I knew I wanted to do this event again this year, so I reached out to the assistant professor of costume technology and management, and she was more than happy to help us out,” Goetzinger said. “The Environmental Club collaborated with the Student Art Alliance. They got a whole tote of fabrics from the Civic Council here in Vermillion. The Environmental Club then brought the reusable beige tote bags, along with some fabric markers.”
The club thanks the theater department for providing thread, sewing machines, sewing needles and their knowledge about sewing.
“After we do these events, it makes me want to get back into sewing myself,” Goetzinger said. “I believe that events like these are beneficial as they expose students to a different side of campus and may ignite a new interest.”
In Feb., the Environmental Club will be holding a plant propagation night in the greenhouse. Students are encouraged to bring a pot if they have one, but the Environmental Club will also have ceramic pots and reused plastic pots. The event will teach students how to take a part of a plant to grow an entirely new plant. For more information, check out USD Campus Groups.
