Don't trash your trousers or dump your dresses, says St. John's artist
Kelly Jane Bruton is making art out of old clothes to inspire others to keep them out of landfills
A St. John's artist and activist is repurposing unwanted and discarded clothing to save it from a trip to the landfill.
Kelly Jane Bruton, owner of the Mending Factory, an artistic space in St. John's, says the idea is to make creative clothing designs by recycling materials from discarded textiles in hopes of encouraging others to do the same.
Children's clothing, aprons and skirts are among the items Bruton brings to life for the second time, fitted with some local flair such as seal skin and golden cod designs.
"I've been taking the men's shirts, and I've made a pattern whereby I can cut out a child's dress from the shirt, and then I can use the sleeves of the shirt to cut into squares to make a quilt," Bruton told CBC Radio's On The Go.
"Then the cuffs of the shirts I've been using as a border for quilts."
The long-term goal for Bruton is to make this project educational and bring her expertise to schools, community centres and shopping centres.
Matilda Mendit
Matilda Mendit is a fictional character created by Bruton to help market her project. Matilda left Newfoundland when work was scarce for Alberta, where she worked in a Levi's factory making jeans.
"Her backstory is such that she comes from a generation of making things work with what you have, and she kind of reminds me of some of the old adages my mother told me like, 'a stitch in time saves nine,'" Bruton said.
"She's a real mentor and somebody that children really enjoy because she has quite a great personality."
Matilda even goes on the road with Bruton, showing up at all public appearances along the way in places such as Ontario, Nova Scotia and local boutiques in St. John's. She will be on hand at the Environment Fair in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's on Saturday.
Environment fair
The town of Portugal Cove-St. Philip's is holding an environment fair at the St. Lawrence Parish Hall on Saturday at 10 a.m. with displays and presentations to demonstrate environmental issues facing the community.
Bruton will have her fashionable items on display in her own booth and will be giving a demonstration on some easy things that people can try at home to keep unwanted clothing from making its way to the landfill.
"I'd like to share this information with other people. I think for me the reason it resonates with me so much is mostly to do with the fact that I work with those materials myself.… I've seen the effects on the environment from textile factory waste," she said.
"I know what the conditions are like. So, really now I just want to, as an activist, talk to people about what kind of choices they make, and how those choices affect the globe, not just our environment here in Newfoundland."
With files from On The Go