Published July 17th, 2024 at 6:00 AM in Flatland. Author: Julie Freijat. [email protected]
Karen Sullivan’s tunic is made from a tablecloth, but you would never know it. The white cotton material, intricately crocheted into circles and patterns, has been sewn into a wearable garment. Sullivan motioned to the tunic as she described the materials she looks for when upcycling garments and other textile products.
“I really go probably more towards textiles that have a lot of yardage — tablecloths, bed linens, blankets,” said Sullivan, an upcycling advocate based in Kansas City. “…and then I just use patterns that I find that work well with upcycled fabrics.”
Upcycling takes products and materials considered waste and repurposes them into something of value. It’s distinct from recycling, which takes waste and transforms it back into its original state so it can be used to create a new product.
Sullivan started her business selling upcycled products several years ago. Originally from California, she began selling mittens made from upcycled wool that could withstand the frigid Midwest winters. Now, Sullivan inspires others to upcycle on her Instagram and teaches upcycling classes at KC Maker Studio and Fabrics.
Sullivan credited ScrapsKC, a hub for second-hand craft and school supplies, as a big part of her upcycling journey.
“What we try to do is to provide resources and education and a space for people to upcycle materials, but the most important piece is to change people’s minds to become more responsible consumers,” said Brenda Mott, executive director of ScrapsKC.
Mott, who started the organization in 2016 with her husband, said the vision of ScrapsKC is to transform the unwanted into something of value. In June, ScrapsKC celebrated diverting 1 million pounds — or 500 tons — of materials from landfills.
“Everything that comes through is either used or resold in our resale store, or it’s donated to teachers for free, or we send it off to another organization, and very, very little goes in the trash,” Mott said.
Re.Use.Full, another Kansas City-based organization, matches individuals looking to donate unwanted items with nonprofits in the area. They also offer repair cafés, where community members can learn to repair their clothing, small appliances, jewelry and more.
“We started the repair cafés and are just looking at sustainability at a broader level, I think, and how we can be a thought leader,” said Leslie Scott, founder of Re.Use.Full. “…and just being a resource for folks in the community who are interested in how they can keep their stuff out of the landfill in whatever way that might be, whether it’s reuse, whether it’s donating, whether it’s repairing it, so they don’t have to replace it, all those things.”
