Thea West is the inspiration for this group and the coordinator. She learned re-use at mom's knee, literally! One day when she was going through her mother's crochet books, a newspaper clipping from 1945 slipped out. It was an article describing how to cut a lady's suit, jacket and skirt, from a man's suit. Wool is a fiber that has many lives. It amazed Thea's 11 year-old brain, and still does.
Most of Thea's rugs come out of her many sewing projects, redesigned garments mostly.
The tapestry style of crochet Thea will be teaching in the workshop at Recycletown was developed from a need to use strips of various length, while developing interesting patterns. Thea has been developing these crochet patterns for many years.
Karen Hungerford, weaver, and Nassu Born, artist, are other workshop regulars who have joined Thea to share their own expertise, creativity and joy to be creating works of art adding an even broader range of experiences.
Repeat for content size
Thea West is the inspiration for this group and the coordinator. She learned re-use at mom's knee, literally! One day when she was going through her mother's crochet books, a newspaper clipping from 1945 slipped out. It was an article describing how to cut a lady's suit, jacket and skirt, from a man's suit. Wool is a fiber that has many lives. It amazed Thea's 11 year-old brain, and still does.
Most of Thea's rugs come out of her many sewing projects, redesigned garments mostly.
The tapestry style of crochet Thea will be teaching in the workshop at Recycletown was developed from a need to use strips of various length, while developing interesting patterns. Thea has been developing these crochet patterns for many years.
Rags to Rugs
The Rags to Rugs Workshop at Recycletown was by formed by Thea West, Karen Hungerford and Nassu Born to inspire the recycle and reuse of fibers as well as supporting a really great program for recycling run by Garbage Reincarnation.
Recycletown is located at 500 Mecham Rd, off Stony Point South, Petaluma
We are a group of artists who enjoy sharing our crafts, expertise, materials, creativity and joy of life. We join together to recycle and create works of art primarily of crochet using a unique technique called the Tapestry Stitch but we don't stop there. Projects we 'we've explored are:
- Crochet rugs from recycled fabric.
- Crochet berets with recycled yarns and fabrics.
- Crochet pins using recycled yarns, metallics, bottle cap buttons or other bits of found objects.
- Felting with our local wools.
- Clothing reconstruction from cherished items that need a slight adjustment for comfort.
- Cardboard loom bags and dolls from scrap materials.
Workshop Schedule
Meets the first Saturday after the 15 th of the month in the Education Center at Recycletown at 10:00 am.
- October to November - Pins, Ornaments and Hallelujah Dolls.
- January to March - Rugs to Rugs.
- Class is Drop In.
- Materials provided, or bring your own.
- Beginners are welcome.
- Fee: Sliding Scale
- Please dress warmly.
A Unique tapestry crochet technique is used to combine strips made from old garments with a variety of other fibers to create rugs.
Participants in the workshop will create interesting and original new patterns and leave with their very own original rug!
The rug projects are ongoing along with any other unfinished projects started in other workshops.
