At the International Quilt Museum, old saris become hoodies, thrifted curtain panels become shirts and fabric scraps become jewelry. For the people making them, it's not just a craft, it’s who they are.
Museum volunteer Sheila Green recently led an upcycled hoodie workshop through the Lincoln Modern Quilt Guild. The class sold out weeks in advance, with participants turning thrifted saris from India into hoodies.
“If you find a stain or something, you just cover it up or just go with it, because that's the character of the fabric,” Green said.
The workshop reflects a broader mission at the museum, which has seen growing interest in upcycling and sustainable practices over the years.
For Green, upcycling is less a trend and more of a lifelong habit rooted in family tradition. She estimated that around a third of her closet is thrifted, and she regularly meets her daughter at thrift stores in Kansas City and Omaha. She turns leftover fabric scraps from her hoodie workshops into bracelets, necklaces and potholders.
“My grandma was kind of a Depression-type person, and so she was always really, really thrifty. As was my mom,” Green said. “And so, you just pick up those things and it's just kind of a lifestyle."
This lifestyle runs opposite to the fast fashion model, which is built on quickly designing, producing and marketing trending inexpensive clothing.
Companies like Shein, a major Chinese fast fashion retailer, can design, produce and ship new clothes in as little as 10 days, a pace that environmental advocates say contributes to a throwaway culture.
The industry accounts for roughly 10% of total global carbon emissions and is the second largest consumer of water, requiring 700 gallons to produce a single cotton t-shirt and 2,000 gallons for a pair of jeans.
Green said she has watched interest in sustainable sewing grow steadily, though she doesn’t see it as anything new.
"I mean, people have always done it,” Green said.
Education Coordinator Lindy Clausen sees the museum’s outreach work as an extension of those same values. Through free after-school clubs at Lincoln elementary and middle schools, Clausen teaches students to piece fabric and hand sew.
“Everything I use is donated from volunteers,” Clausen said. “All I have to do is put out a call and then soon I’m swimming in it.”
Students at Dawes Middle School recently made lap quilts for a local retirement facility. High schoolers in parenting classes at Northeast High School and Bryan Community High School made quilts for their children.
Clausen said the skills students learn in those sessions go far beyond the quilt itself.
She believes that teaching children the importance of sustainability can help instill environmentally conscious values at a young age, values they will carry with them.
"Working with kids is my bread and butter," Clausen said. "Watching them go from being kind of an intimidated learner to a really confident textile artist is probably one of my favorites."
The museum's commitment to sustainability began long before its workshops.
In 2009, the building received a LEED Silver rating for its environmentally sustainable design. Most building materials were sourced from within a 500-mile radius, including glass from Wisconsin, bricks from Sioux City and recycled steel from Norfolk.
“Even while we were building it, the systems we were using were the most green of the time,” Clausen said. “This building uses 25% to 30% less energy than a comparably sized public space. That’s an important thing for our building.”
The museum opened in 2008. The building was made possible through a lead gift from the James family to the University of Nebraska Foundation. Nebraska natives Ardis and Robert James spent decades collecting nearly 1,000 quilts from all over the world. In 1997, the Jameses donated their collection to the university.
Today the museum holds nearly 8,800 quilts, making UNL home to the world’s largest publicly held quilt collection.
The museum's next Sewing Saturday is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is open to visitors of any age and skill level. No registration is required, and materials are included with admission.
For Green, everything the museum does, the workshops, the school visits and the donated scraps, circles back to family and sustainability.
“It’s an adventure, it’s fun. I feel like I’m honoring my grandma and my mom. And I’m not going to save the planet. I mean, none of us are going to do that, but we can help a little, little bit.”