When we received the donation of burnout velvet remnants from local manufacturer Kevin O’Brien Studio, we knew there would be a lot of really interesting projects made from them. But as thrilled as we were to receive the donation, we are also excited about why we’re not likely to see any more of it come our way. Textile manufacturers who are committed to lessoning their environmental footprint are really rare, and we are very fortunate to have one right here in our Philly backyard! From their website:

 “We’ve been inventing and building new equipment that has allowed us to make an even greater variety of fabrics and have more control over our environmental impact. No fabric is wasted. Scraps are made into patchwork pillows or stuffed animals. Mistakes, that can affect an entire roll of fabric, are studied and repainted or reprinted to make something new. These pieces, available only for moments, are often our most beautiful work, but if made by an outside mill would be discarded.”

Since the original donation, many of our customers have made everything from fine art collages to apparel with these beautiful remnants:

Former reCreate Featured Artists Angela McQuillan‘s Interiors triptych

Chris Haig’s “leaves” in his set design for the Arden Theatre’s At The Old Place- Read more about how the team made the leaves here!

Even very small pieces can be transformed into one-of-a-kind pieces, like this  pillow (made by Denise Gerred)

these curtains (made by Lisa Powley)

or this scarf (made by Cassie Plummer)

Thanks again to Kevin O’brien Studio for the donations that  have added beautiful touches to local artistic projects of all kinds.  Visit their website to see the amazing pieces they now make with their own fabric remnants!