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Recycling more than 5000 pairs of jeans!!
10-year-old ‘EcoErek’ recycles jeans, shoes
Written by Kathryn Milstein | | kmilstein@toledofreepress.com
**Note the above, I did NOT write this article but I did reprint it in it’s entirety and left the credits. Hope that counts… :)
This is just such a fantastic article. It’s all about a young 10 year old boy who wanted to help out after Hurricane Katrina. He managed to collect over 5000 pairs of jeans which have been used to create insulation for homes. That’s a LOT of jeans!!!
What a very inspiring story (and it’s about jeans so you know I had to post about it!) :)
Erek “EcoErek” Hansen has kept 5,838 pairs of jeans out of landfills, helped insulate more than 11 homes rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina and helped set a Guinness World Record.
EcoErek is 10 years old.
He said he started recycling in 2009 due to a contest in the National Geographic Kids magazine, which called for pairs of jeans to recycle with the “Cotton. From Blue to Green” organization. The group shreds donated jeans, which become insulation for homes built by Habitat for Humanity across the United States.
EcoErek and his mother, Amy Hansen, hosted a denim drive in their driveway, where they collected about 1,000 pairs of jeans. Combined with a local alternative energy company’s donation of 600 jeans, he shipped 1,684 pairs of jeans to National Geographic.
As the largest donor to the project, EcoErek received a ticket to the Guinness World Records Ceremony in Washington, D.C. At the ceremony, National Geographic Kids magazine was listed as the “Largest Collection of Clothing to Recycle” for 33,088 pairs of jeans.
Amy said after the drive, her son wanted to continue collecting for the organization.
“I think it’s fantastic that your son or daughter can come to you with an idea, something they’re passionate about,” she said. “We always told him he could make a difference.”
Amy reached the organization and made a drive schedule with her son. With five denim drives in three months and several dropbox locations, EcoErek collected 4,154 pairs of jeans — and his nickname — in 2010.
EcoErek
The jeans, which weighed about 9,100 pounds, created enough insulation for eight homes.
“I think that as we get more people who hear about the program, we get more of a response,” Amy said.
This year, EcoErek included shoes in his drive to donate to USAgain, a for-profit organization that collects used clothes and resells them.
Amy said USAgain will pay EcoErek 2 cents per pair of shoes collected. He said he was not sure what charity to donate the money to.
EcoErek set a goal of 5,000 pairs of jeans collected this year. There was no goal for the shoes. With his drives completed — the last was June 11 — he sits on 2,262 pairs of jeans and 1,585 pairs of shoes. Dropboxes in Perrysburg and Oregon will collect jeans and shoes until August.
“The drive has just had a phenomenal response,” Amy said. “I’m not worried about reaching the goal. We were at this place last year with this number of jeans collected, too.”
With more than 2,000 pairs of jeans, EcoErek could provide enough insulation for four homes.
“I’m glad we got four houses worth,” he said. “And we still have the rest of the summer.”
For the rest of the season, EcoErek and Amy will collect items from dropboxes and fetch donations from anyone unable to get to a box who contacts them. The two will visit garage sales at the end of June to drop off cards and offer a place for unwanted jeans.
In August, Amy and EcoErek, who is “kinda known as the jean guy now,” Amy said, will gather the jeans and shoes for a final total before shipping them to the respective organizations.
Until totaling time, the jeans and shoes will be stored in warehouse space provided by First Solar.
The local company has collaborated with EcoErek since 2009. EcoErek and Amy gather the collection goods and haul them to storage. They also put the jeans and shoes into the 4-foot-square shipping containers. First Solar provides the shipping for the jeans.
“We’re taken up about as much space storing the shoes as we have the jeans,” Amy said.
The shoes are about the same volume as the jeans once they’re collected in the bags Amy and EcoErek use to store them until August.
Next year, EcoErek said he will continue the jean collection as long as he is passionate about recycling.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s really fun, and I love keeping the jeans out of the landfill and saving the planet.”
Another Show! And so many changes!
September 20-22nd is the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival in Pleasanton, CA and I’ll be there!
I’ve been working nonstop on getting new recycled denim patterns ready as well as kits and samples! Yikes! It’s been crazy around here!
Also, the banner at my Pleasanton booth will be brand new. It will say, “Inventive Denim” instead of “A Passionate Quilter”! And…here’s what my new logo will look like! I’m SO excited about my new name and look. What do you think?
So, if you happen to be in the area and will be at the show, PLEASE shop by and say “Hi”! I would love to see you! If not, my new patterns will be up on the NEW Inventive Denim website very soon! I’ll let you all know as soon as that happens.
Pictures are also coming of the new patterns, die cuts, booth set up, website, etc! Oh my gosh! So much is going on!!!
New Pattern…
Here is a sneak peek at my new chicken pattern. The wall hanging and table runner have been quilted and bound and the pattern is going to the printer this week.
Notice all the recycled denim jeans… :)
I’m off to proof patterns! Have a good one!
Make your own Denim Dog Leash!
(To go directly to the tutorial, roll mouse over picture and click “see all steps”, then click on “Denim Dog Leash” at top left corner!)
Loving the “Mozaic” Quilt!
The other day while “researching” quilt blogs (ha-ha, I like to tell myself I NEED to look at other quilt blogs in order to make sure I am keeping up with the trends!) I came across a quilter who had made quite a few quilt tops using a pattern called “Mozaic”.
The blog, Shey’s World of Stitchin Magic does not appear to be an active blog. You’ll notice if you visit the site that the last post was in March. However, I did want to give Shey full credit for all of the tops you see here. They are all hers and I just LOVE them. Who knows, maybe she’ll pick things back up and start blogging again!
After seeing these quilts, I was motivated to do some searches online to find the pattern. Unfortunately, I came back empty handed.
I finally found some information on her blog about where she originally took the class and was able to track down the shop selling the pattern.
The pattern was written by Marie Anderson of the Material Girl Quilt Shop in Apopka, FL. They don’t have it listed for sale on their website but I emailed the shop and they arranged to mail me the pattern. True to their word, I received the pattern in the mail a few days later. (Yeah!)
It’s not a difficult pattern (my favorite) and it is designed for fat quarters (another favorite)!
Here are examples of the quilt made by Shey. She’s made quite a few. VERY inspiring!!
Halloween….(I just LOVE Halloween fabrics so this one really appeals to me)!!
I really like this “St Patrick’s Day” version!!
This reminds me of stained glass…so nice!
Notice how all of the fabrics used in the center of the quilt are also used in a scrappy border.
A 56” x 56” quilt only requires 9 FQs. A 56” x 70” requires 12 FQs. This just looks like such a fun quilt and the results are stunning!!
I can’t wait to find some time to make this!
Taking Photos of the Rag Bag and the NEW Fangled Snap!
It’s never easy to get the best photos of my creations. I take a TON of photos but in the end I’m usually pretty happy with the results!
Of course, once I get the photos then I have to wrangle with the colors to get them to look as realistic as possible!
Here are some photos of my latest Rag Bag made from recycled denim jeans. If you’d like to see more, the pattern can be found here: Denim Circle Rag Bag.
I have to say I REALLY like the outdoor summer shots. All the beautiful green in the background. The grass, the trees…
It’s not super easy to see in this shot but I REALLY like these new magnetic snaps! You SEW them directly onto the bag!!! How cool is that. They’re made from a soft plastic and there is a small channel to guide your stitches. The plastic is very soft and easy on your needle.
Here’s a more detailed shot…see the circular channels? You sew directly in the channels. It’s very easy and best of all, you can attach the snaps after you’re ALL DONE with the purse.
I don’t know about anyone else but I have DEFINITELY made a purse and realized after it was too late that I forgot to attach the snaps!
Here’s a place to get them online for a really good price!
http://www.createforless.com/Dritz+Magnetic+Snap+Sew+In+Square/pid144713.aspx
Die Cut Rag Circles!
Hello all,
I have been very busy over here (but who’s not, right?) :)
I’m in the process of having my brand new “Inventive Denim” website designed, writing new patterns, planning for some upcoming shows and classes and preparing to release my brand new DIE CUT, PRE-FRINGED denim circles!
Whooo-HOOOO!
Die cut pre-fringed circles you say? How did that come about?
I wanted to improve my Denim Circle Rag Quilt by coming up with an easier way to make it. I wanted people who didn’t have the time or desire to cut the circles, the opportunity to make it as well.
I started by having a custom die made with the shape and size you might expect (if you’re familiar with my denim circle pattern). A 6 1/2” circle with fringe. Sounded perfect so I placed the order and got busy making quilts. Uhhhh…small problem. I wasn’t happy with the finished product.
The fringe could be seen peeking through the back of the quilts after washing and drying. Now it didn’t poke through a TON but enough that I felt with repeated washings and usage, you would eventually end up with little “poofs” of denim fringe poking through the back of the quilts where ever the seams intersected!
NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Please don’t tell me my brand new, custom designed die doesn’t work!
So, after a few days of extra chocolate intake to reboot my brain I started all over.
Why didn’t it work? What could I do differently? It took a while but I finally came up with a design that does work. And works PERFECTLY! I love it!
I have signed on a few pattern testers and they will be busy helping me with my new table runner pattern using the die cut denim circles. (Thank you pattern testers- you know who you are)!!!
Just as soon as they’re done you’ll be seeing a new pattern available in conjunction with die cut circles!
Here are a few pictures of a table runner I just made using the die cuts. L-O-V-I-N-G it! :) What do you think?
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