Fall 2003
In This Issue:
A True Fish Story
Gallery owner Alanna Baird is a "scrounger by nature," she tells us. A trained potter and printmaker
who lives in St. Andrews, Canada, she expanded into sculpting with found objects by accident. In 1991,
she saw an announcement from the Canadian Museum of Civilization for a weathervane competition and decided
to enter it but did not know what medium to use. Looking around her home, she saw a box of tuna cans headed
for the recycling bin and decided to use them for the weather vane she titled "Starkist Gold--T'aint No
Tuna Here." "Tuna" did not win a prize, but the museum purchased it for its permanent collection. In 1993
the American Crafts Council selected a picture of this same fish for inclusion in a desk calendar published
to celebrate craft in North America.
Fish from tin cans by Alanna Baird.
Baird continues to make fish, ranging in size from 24 inches to 5 feet long from old tuna cans.
She's also expanded into copper fish made from scraps of flashing from housing projects which she
buys from a scrap dealer.
Great Balls of Fiber
Canadian tapestry weaver and teacher, Line Dufour, hates to waste materials. Confronted by
mountains of thread ends accumulated in her studio and by her students, she uses them to make
Christmas tree globes that are unmatchable by any other than the creative method she employs.
Each is created by winding the fibers into a ball without the use of a styrofoam form, and then
metallic threads are used to finish the outer periphery of the ball. The ball is then coated with
acrylic to keep the fibers in place, and to give it many years of holiday season longevity.
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Fabrics with 9 Lives
There is always more that we can do with our old clothes, curtains, and towels. According to
the Council for Textile Recycling, approximately 8.75 billion pounds of textile waste is thrown in
landfills each year--that translates to about 35 pounds of fabric per person. Karen Powell, founder
of 2ndHandMade, has known this for a long time. A former product designer in the fashion industry,
she has figured out easy ways for busy people to transform fashion cast-offs and household textile
goods into useful items most of us need. Her company produces Sewing Guides for 10 specific projects
(and counting) ranging from turning old towels into a new yoga mat to turning old shirts into new pillow
covers. Each guide, containing a supply list, illustrated instructions, extra design ideas and reuse and
recycling tips, costs $3.00 and may be purchased only at
www.2ndHandmade.com.
It takes only six steps to make a floor runner like this from neckties of
varying widths, colors and fabrics with a canvas back and bound edges. Instructions available at
2ndHandMade.
Bicycle Accessories from Found Objects
Brian Huntley's bike buckets are made from cat litter buckets, hooks,
and bungie - total cost, less than .83 Canadian. See
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Bicyclists are an ingenious and self reliant group -- you've got to be prepared for anything
when out on the open road. They also know how to take unusual found objects, such as politician's
coroplast signs, and turn them into usable bicycle accessories. When Crystal Waters of girlbike.com
asked her readers to drop a line and share what they had created, she received a flood of of
ingenious answers. From Pepsi Can stoves to panniers made out of cat litter buckets, the products
made from recycled, found, or redefined items, here are a few:
www.girlbike.com/doityourself.html
A few quick bike accessories you can put together today from stuff laying around your house:
plastic tennis ball holders fit just right in a waterbottle holder on a bike, and are great for
carrying tools or other small items. Put tools inside an old sock to keep them from rattling.
Carry an old shower cap to use as an impromptu helmet cover or seat cover. Do you get numbness
in your hands? Remove the bottom from old foam soda can coolers, cut in thirds or quarters
(depending on the size of your handlebars), and tape to your handlebars for extra padding.
Wrap bar tape over it to keep it in place.
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