Zero Waste Art

Fabric vessels (Vases) from silk, felt, and fabric scraps.

Long after I’d started making zero waste art, I happened upon the term, having no idea there was a name for what I was doing. In short, zero waste art means using items you already have or repurposing existing items for a new use. There are things we often toss in the trash that are useful for artistic purposes. An example? The cereal box. I keep these around for when I’m quilting and need to cut lots of fabric in relatively the same size. I cut the shape I want from the cardboard and then place it on my fabric and get out the rotary cutter.

As for fabric, I almost never go to the fabric store. Instead, I’ll repurpose clothes of mine or my family members, or (and even more fun) I go to the thrift store and purchase shirts, dresses, napkins – anything that has the pattern, texture, or color that I like. By doing this, there is much more surprise to my creative process. I prefer to create intuitively, which means I let the materials “tell” me what they want to become.

Even if you do have a color scheme in mind for a project, you can still utilize the thrift store. I’ve used tablecloths to do the backing on a quilt or wall art because these are often larger and are helpful for backing larger creations.

Old jewelry, specifically costume jewelry, is also great for creating. I like to keep a bag full of lost earrings – you know, that one earring you still have with the hopes of miraculously finding its mate? After awhile you know this will not happen, so why not repurpose this earring? I have a project now where I’m adding silver earrings to a chain to create a charm bracelet feel to a necklace full of wonderful, odd silver findings.

Other items that are fun to use include old magazines, greeting cards, postcards, vintage patterns, stamps, glossy brochures. All of these can be ripped, cut, or cleanly cut with an Exacto knife to create collage art. Pull out the glue or make your own (it’s as simple as flour and water)!

The idea that you need to run to the nearest craft or fabric store and spend a lot of money shopping is simply not true. By doing some careful searching in your own home (closet, junk drawer, leftover supplies buried in the closet), you will be surprised at what you already have on hand to start creating. You also are doing our environment a favor by reclaiming what would be going into the trash, and instead making something wonderful.

To get inspiration for projects, just go onto Pintrest and do a search. You’ll see all kinds of ideas that will spark your creativity. Then scour the house and get busy. My favorite challenge is to gather a bunch of items I already have, such as fabric scraps, yarn, needle and thread, and dig in. Add some vintage buttons or an old brooch and bam! Who knows what will happen? The only rule is that and I’m not allowed to buy anything new in the process. That’s where the real fun and creativity lies.  Good luck!