Recycled fabric scraps, saving lives!
Sewing with your waste fabric has made a difference to many lives
Upcycle your waste fabric and make a difference
Over the last 5 years Upcycle have worked very closly with communities and corporates to take waste fabric that no longer has an imediate use for clients and turn it into a product that can make a living for one of our community members. Some of our projects are listied below:
teddies from scrap fabric
You tube video
Scrap teddies in orange farm
Scope:
To upskill and provide, sustainable job opportunities, through the utilisation of scrap material.
Background:
Hayley Joy's quest to reduce their carbon footprint, by donating their fabric scraps, has been enabled by a wonderful collaboration with Upcycle Winnie. Hayley Joy production generates a vast amount of waste, and what a waste it would have been, for it to be dumped, or even worse, end up in a landfill.
Upcycle, Winnie, has been able to upskill two families, by teaching them basic sewing skills, and she has now trained them to make the Teddies from scratch.
The story so far:
After much research and development, Upcycle was able to come up with a number of ways in which the scrap fabric supplied by Hayley Joy, could be upcycled into new products. Through the process, one concept in particular has been directly adopted and turned into a full CSI project, namely the Teddy Bear Project.
Lydia
Upcycle has been teaching ladies Upcycling skills, needlework and how to use a sewing machine as part of its skills development project. The teddy bear project was introduced to the project as part of the skills transfer process. It was at this time, that Lydia fell in love with these cute teddies. Even though this was different from her original path, which was to learn to sew clothing to increase her income, and to work from home, Lydia has adopted the teddy project as her own and is loving being able to now help others in return. Lydia has since taught Prudance and other ladies in Orange Farm to do the same.
The teddy bears are completely made by hand, with wall the sewing and finishes being done by hand, thereby making the project ideal to be set up, and taken further into any rural area. Upcycle has taken this to the level that even the stuffing used in each teddy is from the self-same scrap.
Upcycle has taught Lydia and the ladies in orange farm how to make these teddies from start to finish, how to do the different stiches, how to assemble the little bears and finally their signature faces. Through Upcycle's support and tutelage, she is now able to produce these bears which are on sale at the Hayley Joy shop in Dunkeld West Shopping Centre, JHB or through Upcycle.
What is happening now?
Due to the rising demand we have had to produce more of these cute little fabric bears, we have helped Lydia to bring more people into the project and we have reduced Hayley's waste to zero as we take all her scrap fabric. Lydia now has 4 additional people in her home town of Orange Farm making teddy's and helping her keep up with the orders. Two of these ladies are elderly and unemployed and through this project have now found a purpose to their days while making an income by producing amazing little teddies. Lydia has gone from making the bears by herself to being a team leader and managing the process.
Get involved?
By ordering teddies at R150.00 each from Hayley Joy and Upcycle, this will directly support the project and all the people involved.
Upcycle is always looking to new ways to make a difference, if you or your company have a waste product you would like us reduce by helping you set up a CSI project give us call!
Winnie 082 780 3673
References
Hayley Joy Weinberg shared your post.
When they talk about the Angels that walk amongst us, Upcycle Winnie Mchenry is most definitely one of them. Dedicating your life to helping people change their lives by upskilling them, and contributing to saving our planet, makes her a very special Angel.
Winnie and I crossed paths when I was looking to donate my bags of fabric offcuts, to an organisation, to avoid them ending up in a landfill. It's not easy controlling my carbon footprint in my industry, and the amount of bags we generate is particularly worrying.
I am so flattered to be a part of this upliftment chain. Working with Winnie, has taught HJ so much about the 'bigger picture'. I have taken delivery of my first range of Teddies. They are for sale at R150, and all proceeds will go back to Winnie and the community who are so lovingly producing the Bears.
I’m incredibly honoured to be a small part of this phenomenal initiative. Upskilling women so that they can feed, clothe and school their families, and at the same time keeping waste out of landfills, means that my carbon footprint is a little lighter.
Winnie does valuable corporate team building sessions (I’ve seen photos of the CEO of a bank, holding my fabric, whilst making a teddy for charity). Please support this initiative, it’s changing lives on a scale that is unprecedented.
(hayley Joy)Winnie 082 780 3673
