KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fabrics are not cheap, and many makers may have bundles lying around after a big project that they no longer know what to do with. The Sustainable Fabric Workshop gives these people a place to exchange those fabrics.
The workshop is a project through the Sustainable Future Center and meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the South Knoxville Community Center. There, people can share skills and resources using existing fabric.
This approach helps reduce the amount of trash, compared to buying new rolls of fabric at craft stores. It also helps makers save money while helping them create new things.
Most of all, it helps create a community of people who share a passion to work toward a more sustainable future. Many of these people share their fabrics and requests over social media, connecting with other people in Knoxville.
"I would love for every town in the country to have a kind of fabric exchange like this, where people would get the mentality of looking at what's already in use, and then go to the fabric store if you don't find what you want," said Ann Jefferson who helped start the workshop.
The group meets from 10 a.m. through 1 p.m. three days per week.