The Recycled Old Goat
Recycled cashmere, rescued and lovingly redesigned
Recycled cashmere, rescued and lovingly redesigned
My name is Jo Fletcher – I am a married mother of three wonderful children and proud grandmother to four precious grandchildren.
I studied a Jewellery and Silversmithing degree in Birmingham and consequently worked in the design department for the fashion jewellers, Corocraft. I stayed there for several years before re training as a playgroup leader after my children came along.
My interests developed from infants to juniors and I began work in a junior school as a learning support assistant, when my youngest son started secondary school. During this time, I trained to become a Drawing and Talking practitioner, offering children a unique and confidential way to express themselves through drawing, in a safe environment. I introduced Forest School to the setting and was their resident Forest School teacher and passionate ECO leader, promoting, amongst other things, ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.’ I love working with children but enough is enough and I retired in 2022.
We live just over the Shropshire border in Powys. I moved here, with my husband and aging Saluki, Perkins in the summer of 2021, and enjoy beautiful views of the Teme Valley. The scenery is stunning and the weather can be very Welsh! Our home is a nineteenth century, former farmhouse, which needs some TLC. Fortunately, there are enough rooms for me to convert one of the front bedrooms into my sewing room / studio. The natural light in there is perfect and the views through the window fill me with joy, whatever the weather.
I studied a Jewellery and Silversmithing degree in Birmingham and consequently worked in the design department for the fashion jewellers, Corocraft. I stayed there for several years before re training as a playgroup leader after my children came along.
My interests developed from infants to juniors and I began work in a junior school as a learning support assistant, when my youngest son started secondary school. During this time, I trained to become a Drawing and Talking practitioner, offering children a unique and confidential way to express themselves through drawing, in a safe environment. I introduced Forest School to the setting and was their resident Forest School teacher and passionate ECO leader, promoting, amongst other things, ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.’ I love working with children but enough is enough and I retired in 2022.
We live just over the Shropshire border in Powys. I moved here, with my husband and aging Saluki, Perkins in the summer of 2021, and enjoy beautiful views of the Teme Valley. The scenery is stunning and the weather can be very Welsh! Our home is a nineteenth century, former farmhouse, which needs some TLC. Fortunately, there are enough rooms for me to convert one of the front bedrooms into my sewing room / studio. The natural light in there is perfect and the views through the window fill me with joy, whatever the weather.
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I have always enjoyed making things and there is a great feeling of satisfaction in transforming a broken and useless item, into something fresh, new and usable again. I absolutely hate waste! My motto is ‘Turn something you don’t use, into something that you do!’ For the last few years I have been looking for ways to satisfy my need for creativity and devised a way of re-using old cashmere jumpers into fingerless gloves and neck warmers. I use cashmere because of its excellent heat retaining properties and the fact that is so luxurious and soft to the touch. Recently I have been transforming old pairs of jeans into aprons. The fabric is hardwearing and as I use every part of the jeans, nothing goes to waste.
I am constantly looking for inspiration for new transformations, so watch this space. |
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I am never happier than when I am busy creating. I can always justify a fun project over housework or chores any day! I have a wonderfully understanding husband!
My hobbies include sewing, knitting, crochet, sketching, tending our garden and growing a modest amount of veg. In fact, I’ll have a go at anything. I walk over the nearby hills with Perkins almost daily, breathing in the clean air and taking in the scenery. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. I am happiest with all my family around me and enjoy visits from them during the school holidays. |
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