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 repurposing their clothing and other items.
There were tables 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 beforehand in one of the skills to teach the students who attended.
During their campaign, Abbie Moravec and Tommy Treacy, president and executive vice president of MUSG, ran on a platform to promote campus sustainability. 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 gave them 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 fabric scraps, plastic bags, sewing materials, and tote bags. Tan said everything at the tables was either recycled materials or donated to them by 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 gather materials and research what they should teach at each station.
“I hope participants see how easy it can be to learn these skills that many people find very daunting. I would say these skills aren’t necessarily taught a lot anymore, and it’s straightforward to buy a new piece of clothing once your old clothing is out of style,” Tan said.
The tables taught students how to up-cycle clothing and 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; we’re going to continue to do that and 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.
“I’ve tried to patch things in the past, but it never holds very well. I just learned how to make the strings stronger so it holds better. When I’m making matches, it’ll make things much easier,” Eric Schmidt, a College of Health Sciences sophomore, 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 massive part of MUSG’s efforts to get more involved in sustainability efforts on campus.