Tickets: Free, registration is required.

In this workshop, we will show you how to start a rug, how to plait with the upcycled materials and get you started lacing your rug together. We will be using fleece to make these rugs instead of the traditional wool. The fleece rug is softer and squishier and keeps the pesky fibres out of the landfill and in use for longer.

All materials will be provided. Some hand sewing required.

We will send you home with enough material to complete a 27" x 36" oval rug. If you want to go larger just keep adding on!

Why Fleece instead of Wool? There isn't as much wool as there used to be in our waste textile stream. Garments have been replaced with synthetics, and it is more important than ever to keep these fibres out of the landfill and in use for as long as possible.

Minimum age 10+. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

This programming is brought to you by Alberta Craft Gallery + Shop in partnership with the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. Each week from July 8-September 9, Alberta Craft will be hosting free public programming at Al Fresco from 1-3pm. Registration is required.

About your instructor:

Upcycling has always been a major focus for Sarah Janzen. From reusing her mom's scraps when learning to sew at the age of 7 (in 1987), then upcycling thrift store finds in the 90’s after which her fiber arts journey broadened as an adult in the 2000s. Sarah works in the textile medium to create functional items for everyday use using reused items. Sarah is the founder of the Canadian textile recycling start-up Blenderz Garment Recyclers, a zero waste zero export textile recycling facility in Edmonton. Since its inception in 2021 she and her team have recycled and reclaimed over sixty-six thousand (66,000.) lbs of post-consumer textiles in Edmonton.