Peters Resident to Teach Clothing Recycling to Coverlet Workshop

Still trying to part with that floral mock neck sweater from the 80s? Yes, it may have meaning, but you know you no longer wear it. Peters resident Emma Diamond is here to help. She's hosting two sessions at the to show you how to repurpose your treasured wearables into coverlets. 

"I've been sewing for 50 years," Diamond said. "My mother was a very good seamstress. She'd collect material from men's stores, always wool. I'd save a lot of the wool pieces. I cut them up into 4 to 5-inch squares and bind them with flannel backing. My daughter loved them and when she went off to college I was making them for all of her friends." 

From 1-2:30 p.m. March 5, students will learn about necessary tools, possible resources for materials and how to refashion clothing into the building blocks of a coverlet. 

"I will start out showing a project," Diamond said. "We will make a small piece, 36 to 45 inches. I want the students to feel a sense of accomplishment." 

In a second session on March 12, from 1-2:30 p.m., students will learn how to put the coverlet together with a discussion of design issues, finishing techniques and care and maintenance of the finished coverlet. 

"I took my husband's golf pants and used the material in projects," she said. "I've recycled suits, scarves -- all wool, all clean, very warm. I always bind them in red, to make them colorful." 

A display of several coverlets using Diamond's technique will be available for inspiration. 

"While my son was at Carnegie Mellon I made him a coverlet of all the plays he was in," she said. "I embroidered all the names of the plays. It's a nice way to bring back so many memories." 

E-mail programs@ptlibrary.org to register for this free two-part program, sign up at the library's circulation desk, or call 724.941.9430.