In keeping us warm, sweaters get a lot of love and use over their lives - and some creative folks in Fernie have been ensuring they can keep us warm after they’ve finished their lives as sweaters.
Jodie Parker and her mom, Jeanne Parker, have been making up-cycled mittens out of them for the last few years.
“They are all made from re-cycled wool sweaters that we find in thrift stores, or that people give to us,” said Jodie.
”We felt them all down, and line them all with polar fleece for some extra warmth.”
Jodie said they were all loved sweaters that had been given love back.
“We’ve made some with blankets or sweaters that have been someones grandmothers or mothers, and we’ve been able to maker them a pair of mittens.”
Jodie said the idea started as a way to put old pre-loved sweaters to good use, jokingly blaming her thrift store shopping addiction as the root cause.
“My mom and I have always made thing from recycled products, I’ve always had a love of wool and a love of felting. I used to buy wool sweaters, and my mom said lets make good use of these, so we’ started making them five or six years ago.
“We get a thing going - I’ll do the cutting and she’ll do the sewing … We have our own little production line going on.
“They’re quite time consuming, but we both love doing it.”
Each pair of mittens made by Jodie and Jeanne are different - whether from the source sweater they came from (a typical sweater can yield up to five pairs of mittens), or the fleece used inside, the buttons they’re decorated with.
Jodie and Jeanne sell them at local craft markets around the valley, with their home base in Fernie.
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scott.tibballs@thefreepress.ca
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