EVENTS:

Creative Reuse Toronto
at the Maker Festival 2018 
at the Toronto Reference Library , 
​July 7 & 8, 2018

​We won one of the Best in Show Awards, and our participants diverted 150 lbs. (68 kilos) of mixed materials and textiles in 2 days.
We were able to teach new skills such as sewing, creativity, making t-shirt yarn and more. We weighed the projects - even the tiny ones. We may have missed about 50% of the projects that went home for our weigh-in. Ounce by ounce, gram by gram we can make a difference. 
The tables were almost constantly busy and we had almost 20 amazing volunteers to come out and help us. Our email newsletter list has grown by leaps and bounds and we connected with both makers and learners.
​Many thanks to Eric Boyd, our volunteers and to the Maker Festival for transporting us, and assisting with logistics.

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At the Maker Festival, with hands-on learning experiences and demonstrations of scrap textile techniques and so much more. makerfestival.ca/maker/creative-reuse-toronto/
​makerfestival.ca/

May 12, 2018  -  During Spring Into Parkdale, as part of the Zero Waste Fair, there will was a Creative Reuse Toronto demonstration tent showcasing samples of creative reuse, information about our centre-in-process, and demonstrations of t-shirt yarn making, finger knitting, and other surprise crafts; We will also be collaging a mannequin found cold and miserable and looking for a home at the side of the road on Queen Street near Parkdale Pubic Library. She was rescued by Helen Melbourne of Creative Reuse Toronto, and Mary who works at the library. 

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Classes

Sewing for Change was a one-off program run through Greenest City and Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration to teach 24 newcomer women and isolated women in Parkdale how to use sewing machines. It ends in two weeks, to the disappointment of many. This is a new, complex model for learning that involves all materials being scrap or unwanted textiles from generous individuals in the community, who have also donated or loaned their older model sewing machines. The teaching/learning model is skill-sharing, centred in teams.
Several volunteers with the Repair Cafe have generously donated their time and expertise to fix and tune up the machines! 
​We have a long waiting list for the program, and are seeking funding to continue teaching, and to adapt and develop the model and classes for many other groups.
​Program Designed and Coordinated by Helen Melbourne;
Lead Designer Facilitator - Sabine Spare.

Sewing machines donated or loaned for the program.

Previous classes

Maker Festival, 2017: Green Owl Arts gave two day hands on demonstrations at the Toronto Reference Library as part of the Maker Festival. Demonstrations included making yarn from old t-shirts and scrap fabric, and how to finger knit, crochet and knit from the repurposed yarn. Also demonstrated third-life needle felting of scrap felt made from recycled plastic bottles
Led by Helen Melbourne, assisted by Kate Dee

Greenest City Craft Group: A drop-in program run during the winter months of 2015 - 2017 that taught various techniques for reuse and repurposing of textiles, paper, various discarded materials; plus skills teaching and skill-sharing, such as crochet, knitting, braiding, finger-knitting, weaving, bead making, and more.
Coordinated/Facilitated by Helen Melbourne, with assistance from many others including Mo Keleman

Community Quilt, Winter 2015: A drop-in program held at Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre to create a community story quilt entirely from repurposed and scrap textiles. More than 50 people worked on this quilt which currently hangs outside the office of Greenest City in Epiphany and St Marks Church. Participants each decorated their own square and then a large group assembled and finished the quilt. Zero budget. Entirely reclaimed materials.
Project conceived and led by Helen Melbourne, final assembly assisted by volunteers from Making Room Community Arts, and Sistering.

Previous events

The Parkdale Social Safety Nets: An art installation focussed on community connections and agencies that create social safety nets in Parkdale. The only new materials were a roll of chickenwire purchased for the event, and then reused at a second art installation and finally used for community garden fencing. Almost all of the other materials and nets have been reused in other forms since this installation in 2016. This was supported by a Myceum grant through PARC and with the help of the Greenest City Craft Group.

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