PERU — Finding time to knit, repair or scrapbook may be a challenge for makers and creatives for many reasons.
Martha Jackson, founder and creative force behind Restored by Design, recently hosted The Gather & Craft Evening at the Peru Free Library.
All ages were invited to share with others, get inspired, and even learn some new techniques.
Saranac-based Restored by Design is a sustainable fashion and accessories brand established in 2010 by Jackson, whose mission is “to repurpose, up cycle, and reinvent women’s clothing & accessories for a more sustainable future.”
“I wanted to encourage people to gather and bring their crafts because it’s a way we can have community,” Jackson said.
“What I find with a lot of creative people, you’re sitting around the house doing all these things by yourself. It’s a nice way to meet people.”
For her, it’s time people started repairing things and making more.
“I’m a designer and an artist, and I do a lot of sustainable work,” she said.
“I am always thrifting, and all my pieces are created basically from pre-loved materials or thrifted materials. I’m passionate about reusing and repurposing because we don’t want to throw away. We have enough throw-aways on this planet, so it’s a way we can encourage people to use what they already have whether they’re trying to repair something. There’s lots of ways to refresh things that you’ve had for a long time just by doing a little hand sewing or some sewing.”
Whether one is a knitter or a sewer or a quilter or a crafter, Jackson thinks it brings a lot of joy to one’s life.
“When you can do things with your hands and make things yourself,” she said.
“So, I basically want to encourage that in a community rather than seeing people just do it themselves. It’s really nice to meet people. It’s really nice to have a sense of others that are doing similar (things) and share in that.”
Jackson finds it very inspiring to meet someone else who is doing things.
“It may not be the same as what you’re doing, but they’re knitting or they’re creating pieces,” she said.
“It’s nice to share ideas. You feel invigorated rather than all on me — I have this project at home, and I’ll just get to it. So, it’s motivating in a lot of way to be able to come and meet and bring your projects and we share and learn new things or just share what you’re doing. I’m a big believer in encouraging people to use their hands. I do a lot of teaching and showing people how to reinvent things.”
SHOW-AND-TELL
Librarian Stacey Bousquet brought a pair of jeans she wants to re-imagine.
“These are a favorite pair of jeans that I have, and I made the mistake of wearing them by the pool when I was putting chlorine in and I have a couple of bleach spots,” she said.
“I would like to do something that looked intentional, but didn’t look like, oh she’s got bleach on her pants because I really like these. We’re casual here on Fridays. These are cute, I can cuff them up, and I could wear them to work but I don’t feel I can wear them to work with bleach spots.”
Jackson suggested Bousquet appliqué or try decorative hand stitching, embroidering flowers, or beading.
Carol O’Connell of Plattsburgh brought a jean jacket she wants to adorn and a counted cross-stitch.
“This is what the master pattern looks like,” she said.
“So each one of these little squares here, you make an x over. This is this part of the flower that I’ve got done, and the start of this one and the start of this one. Then, I got all of this to do. Then, they put white in the background to fill in the spaces, and there is a little vase here and there is a butterfly on this sunflower down here. I started this a long time ago, probably a year at least.”
Bruni Michaud of Plattsburgh doesn’t know how long ago her late mother, Helene Gottrich, starting knitting a sweater nor does she know who she was making it for.
“It could have been my dad or my husband, my son,” she said.
“She passed away in 2010. I guess I’m motivated now.”
Jackson is keen on replicating evenings like this regionally.
“Once a month, I do this kind of thing in Saranac at the Farmhouse Pantry, and I’m doing this once a month at BluSeed Studios in Saranac Lake,” she said.
“Then, I have something next week in Tupper Lake, so I’m curious to see how that is going to go. There are so many wonderful people in this area that are doing wonderful things. I’m trying to coax them out of the house and gather them.”