Interview with Adrienne of auclairdelalune

Shop name: au clair de la lune

Shop address: http://www.auclairdelalune.etsy.com

Other sites: http://auclairdelalune2009.blogspot.com/

What draws you to using trashion materials?
I find so many things compelling about using trashion materials. There is of course the eco impact of not creating more. As a society we are so inundated by stuff and more stuff. I really like the idea of breaking that chain and trying to be as neutral as possible in my use of new materials. This cuts down not only on the creation of new stuff, but also the pesticides and fertilizers that would be used in creating new fabric, and it keeps old stuff out of landfills.

I also like the challenge of taking something that would otherwise be discarded and finding a way to make it beautiful and useful again. At times there seems to be such a folk art quality in trashion, particularly with the use of found objects that find new purpose.



What trashion materials do you use?
My etsy shop includes exclusively clothing, accessories, and household items made of recycled fabrics. I also use recycled buttons, guitar picks, and flatware. At home just about everything gets saved and reused eventually. Every broken dish turns up later as a mosaic somewhere, my kids and I have made stepping stones with tiny toys, broken costume jewelry, and bottle caps in them, all the corks I saved from my table waiting days are now a fabulous bulletin board. I think it’s kind of a compulsion. It seems like every little object is hanging out, waiting in the wings until its new identity presents itself.



Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept?
When I was little I was lucky enough to spend lots of time at my grandparents' house. As people who had survived the Great Depression, they saved everything because you never know when you might need it. Jars of rubber bands, boxes of soap, a basement full of old books and clothes and furniture, but what I remember most was my grandmother’s sewing porch. Baskets of scraps from every outfit she had ever made for my mother and aunt, and tins full of buttons from clothing that had been worn out. I used to make doll clothes and she taught me to crochet rag rugs from strips of fabric. My son uses a crazy (and I mean crazy) quilt I made twenty five years ago with some of those scraps and I love the fact that now my daughters hang out in my workspace sorting buttons and turning fabric scraps in doll clothes.



What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
Currently I’m working on finishing all of the half completed projects stacked around me, that is of course if I don’t get distracted by all of the other projects I can’t wait to get started on. I hope to make more clothing for adults and I’m going to continue experimenting with natural fabric dyes.



Anything else you'd like to add?
I’m so happy to be a part of such a terrifically talented group. I never cease to be amazed by the variety of beautiful and creative items that are posted on the different Trashion Team members' sites.