Marquette University Student Government’s Sustainability committee, Marquette campus sustainability and the Center for Peacemaking joined forces to host an up-cycling and DIY workshop on Nov. 29 to educate the Marquette community on how to repurpose their clothing and other items.
There were tables set up on the second floor of the Alumni Memorial Union where students could learn how to sew, embroider and repurpose pieces of fabric. Members of the organizations that sponsored the event were trained in one of the skills beforehand so they could teach the students who attended.
Abbie Moravec and Tommy Treacy, president and executive vice president of MUSG ran on a platform to promote campus sustainability during their campaign. This was the first event sponsored by the committee, as the committee was recently established this semester.
Ashley Tan, coordinator for MUSG’s Sustainability Committee, helped plan the event after the Center for Peacemaking reached out to them with the idea.
“They asked if we wanted to do a sewing workshop to help students learn some basic skills. Maybe mend some of the clothes they already have so they don’t have to throw them out or donate them,” Tan said.
Each table had scraps of fabric, plastic bags, sewing materials and tote bags. Tan said everything at the tables were either recycled materials or donated to them from other organizations on campus.
“We mostly went off the idea that we wanted to dissuade people from fast fashion and show them that they can make something they have new again,” Tan said.
Tan said the MUSG sustainability committee did a lot of work to both gather materials and do research as to what they should teach at each station.
“I hope participants see how easy it can be to learn these skills that a lot of people find very daunting. I would say these skills aren’t necessarily taught a lot anymore, and it’s really easy to buy a new piece of clothing once your old clothing is out of style,” Tan said.
The tables not only taught students how to up-cycle clothing, but also how to create materials out of things that would otherwise be thrown away. One of the tables was making yarn out of plastic bags.
“We’re cutting up these bags to reuse them. You make the yarn and then crotchet with it…we’ve been making it at some of our events and we’re going to continue to do that as well as continue to use it at events like this so we can teach them how to utilize it,” Ally Olson, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said.
Another table was learning the basics of sewing.
“In the past I’ve tried to patch things, but it never holds very well. One thing I just learned was how to make the strings stronger so it holds better. Now when I’m making matches, it’ll make things much easier,” Eric Schmidt, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, said.
The last of the tables worked together to learn how to embroider different shapes onto shirts and tote bags.
Tan said this event is a very large part of MUSG’s efforts to get more involved in sustainability efforts on campus.
This story was written by Sophia Tiedge. She can be reached at [email protected].
