A sewing workshop at the Boulder Public Library. (Photo courtesy of Colorado Sewing Rebellion)
Still need a Halloween costume? Boulder residents will have the opportunity to make their own out of repurposed materials this weekend with the Colorado Sewing Rebellion.
Steven Frost, a member of the sewing rebellion and an instructor in the College of Media, Communication and Information, explains that the group is one of many sewing rebellions across the country. The group is designed to “arm people with skills” about sewing, such as how to make and repair their own clothes.
The sewing rebellion is community-based and made up of people of all ages and skill levels. The Colorado Sewing Rebellion is based out of the BLDG 61 maker space in the Boulder Public Library and usually meets once a month. This October the group is running a series of Halloween-themed events for people interested in making their own costumes.
Frost is an artist as well as an instructor and completed a master’s degree in fibers and material study. He said that he has always been drawn to the material nature of textiles and how fabric and textiles have a sense of embedded memory in a way that paint and ink do not.
Halloween is one of his favorite holidays. He said that his affinity for fiber art and his desire not to be wasteful drew him to create Halloween costumes out of repurposed materials.
The fashion industry is the second worst polluter of the environment, and the Halloween costume industry is especially bad, Frost said. Most of the costumes from pop-up stores are “essentially trash” and cannot be recycled or reused. Creating costumes with material people already own is a way to be more environmentally conscious as well as a fun way to be creative. Frost said he likes to make things out of hoodies, airline blankets and bubble wrap. He encourages people to be inventive with what they repurpose.
For his own Halloween costume, Frost said that he, along with his husband and their pets, will be dressing up as characters from the popular TV show Rick and Morty. He joked that since starting this project he “usually gives more candy to kids with homemade costumes when they come to the door on Halloween.”
Those interested in the Colorado Sewing Rebellion’s workshops can go to their Costume Hack-a-thon on Friday from 1-5 p.m. or their drop in costume workshop on Sunday from 2:30-5:30 p.m., both at the Boulder Public Library.
Contact CU Independent Senior News Editor Carina Julig at carina.julig@colorado.edu.
