ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – National Upcycling Day is observed every year on June 24, but for one Delta County woman, every day is an opportunity to give old items new life.
“Upcycling to me is taking something that is unwanted and reclaiming it into something new,” said Jessica Shields.
An avid seamstress, Shields studied fiber and fashion design in college.
“I started in 2018 actually promoting the things that I was making,” she said. “I was just making them for myself at first. Everything I do is upcycled and I’ve always just kind of been a hippie, so I just combined the two words.”
Shields has operated under the name Upcycled Hippie ever since. She currently runs a website and social media accounts where she posts what she makes.
“I keep every piece of scrap—like it’s kind of my addiction and my obsession!” she laughed. “I like being resourceful and finding things rather than buying new things, because we’re a very over-consumptuous society, so otherwise those things just go to waste.”
Shields’ earliest upcycled creations were unique flannels.
“Each section is a different type of material,” she explained. “I would source four to five flannels from the thrift stores and piece them back together. People seemed to really like them. I ran with the flannels for a while and then they started popping up everywhere, so then I moved on to the next thing.”
That led to art pieces, tapestries, more intricate apparel, and items like scrap blankets.
“[It’s] basically just whatever yarn I have laying around,” Shields said of one of her scrap blankets. “I really love finding colors that work together and then putting them into a blanket.”
She also makes memory bears, made of a fabric that once belonged to someone special.
“It’s taking loved ones’ clothing that have passed away and it’s just a nice remembrance to have of those people,” said Shields.
Shields says upcycling is a more cost-effective way of getting items she needs or wants. She says it’s something everyone can do to live more sustainably.
“There are so many materials just laying around in your house that you can use,” she said. “When I first started, I made a purse that was made out of a pillowcase, a sheet, a curtain, and a rug, and that’s how I realized I don’t need to buy new material. Everyone’s all about new, new, new when we have so much laying around that’s old that can be turned into new.”
Visit UpcycledHippie.wixsite.com or the Upcycled Hippie Instagram or Facebook page to see more of Shields’ work.
