FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Every Saturday Veronica Howard sets up her booth at the Falls Church Farmers Market. There she sells art made from recycled clothing.
Howard said this all started when she didn't want to lose some of the uniforms her daughters had when they were younger.
"I made like a little bag and have gone on since then. And so, I still use clothing for an environmental purpose and a sentimental purpose I hope too,” said Howard.
Howard uses her surroundings to help influence her art.
“Some of the pieces are my friends that I've come across. This [deer] was on Four Mile Run, and he actually is part of the recycled clothing from two pairs of pants," Howard explained.
Howard makes these art projects by taking pieces of fabric from her closet, cutting them up and sewing them by hand onto a canvas. She then curates the clippings into animals, landscapes, and monuments.
“I'm happy to make other people happy with the work I'm doing, recycling my clothing into the art,” Howard said.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 66% of the clothing that was thrown away in 2018 ended up in a landfill. That means over 11.3 million tons of textiles were tossed in the trash. Howard is doing her part to change that.
“I'm just hoping little by little that little bits of my fabric are going home to others and it's helping the environment in that regard,” said Howard.
Fabric art! It’s a small step towards environmental change!
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