Scrap Love by Tracy 💜

Hi I’m Tracy, creator of Scrap Love. I make original textile artwork by cutting down old clothes and unwanted fabrics, then stitching them back together in unique and unexpected ways.  This craft of mine started in April of 2020 as a way to pass the time during quarantine. Up until then I had been working in a costume shop that made mascot costumes and puppets for live entertainment venues. If you ever saw Sesame Street Live or Paw Patrol Live, you saw my work in action.  In the shop, there were always piles of fabrics that were up for grabs as room had to be made for new inventory, and I ended up amassing a huge amount of textiles without knowing exactly what I was going to do with them. 

It seemed serendipitous when a friend of mine decided to pose a crafting challenge over Zoom.  Three other gals and myself were each assigned to make an inspired creation based on a work of art we admired and then present it to the group, talking about the experience and creative process.  This was the perfect chance to finally do something with the giant fabric mountain that had grown in my sewing room.  

I threw open the biography of my favorite artist M.C. Escher, and selected an early watercolor painting of his to recreate in fabric. There was something about the tones of blue water and pale sky that drew me in. That small 12”x 12” quilting piece opened the floodgates of creativity. I was compelled to make new, larger pieces and mount them onto wooden frames for structure. I found myself inspired by colorful scenes in nature, graphic design, and abstract painting. 

A few weeks later I was at an estate sale and became emotional when I learned  they were giving away the person’s clothing for free because no one had wanted it.  I thought about the wardrobes people create and how different items of clothing carry memories and stories.  This sparked the idea of creating remembrance pieces as a way to preserve these sentimental items of loved ones passed in an respectfully artistic way.  A few weeks after this idea occurred to me,  a friend of mine announced that his father passed away. I reached out to see if his mother would be interested in a custom piece to honor her late husband.

She loved the idea, and brought me a collection of dress shirts, ties, and pants to work with. She and I had a long and wonderful conversation about her late husband with stories about who he was, and what was important to him.  She expressed how he was a huge fan of model trains, and he was very proud of his time serving in the Marines. I knew these two elements would have to be incorporated into the finished piece.

It was truly perfect that the clothes they provided had a red, white, and blue theme going on. I took my scissors and cut down the clothing into shapes which were then layered and stitched back together into a scene of a train rolling into the distance, with an American flag emblazoned across the sky. I then stretched and mounted it to an old canvas painting frame and sprayed it with protective waterproofing spray to ensure it would stand the test of time.  

The piece brought tears of joy to her eyes, and it felt so good to be able to give her something so meaningful. Being able to share my Scrap Love passion with others has been truly uplifting during a crazy year that has been packed with huge life changes for most people, myself included.  It’s my dream to someday be able to commit myself to it in a full-time capacity, making commissioned remembrance pieces and new original designs.

Thanks for reading my little story. And the next time you snag a hole in your favorite shirt, don’t throw it out, just give it some scrap love!