EXPRESSIONIST artist Leah Justyce woke up one morning and had a realisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world needs help with reducing landfill,\u201d she thought, so she embraced upcycling, making new items out of pre-loved clothing, homewares and furniture.<\/p>\n
Launching her own business, Ballarat Textile Recycling, Justyce developed her own signature patterns for making preloved jeans into one-of-a-kind handbags, as well as crocheting weighted blankets and crafting leather roses.<\/p>\n
She created weighted teddy bears, stuffed with fabric scraps and old children\u2019s clothes, and sewed shopping bags out of bed sheets and rolls of material.<\/p>\n
Now, during the COVID climate, she\u2019s encouraging other creative locals to try their hand at making similar pieces, and reuse textiles that would have otherwise gone to landfill.<\/p>\n
With Justyce\u2019s assistance, volunteers might like to have a go at some of her patterns, or bring ideas forward and craft their own original products.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people with ideas that want to create but might not have the means to do it. If they really want to create something, but don\u2019t have access to material, I can help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a project that the community can get involved with that\u2019s positive for their mental health and can help them connect. They might have a sewing machine, I can give them items, and we can do COVID safe video workshops.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you craft something new from recycled materials, you\u2019re saving the environment and creating a one-of-a-kind piece. That makes it even more special.\u201d<\/p>\n