Last week, the Tappan Zee High School Library launched a pop-up workshop series, Sew It, stemming from this spring’s prom dress upcycling program.
Seniors Delyth Phillips and James Stone teamed with Library Media Specialist Patty Eyer to kick-start the effort. “I thrift my clothing and created my own brand of sustainable fashion after learning about how fast fashion affects society, culture and the environment,” explained Phillips. “I wanted to help Ms. Eyer with student involvement and marketing the launch of the sewing workshop.” Stone was also interested in connecting students through sewing. “It’s a new opportunity to help students financially and sustainably,” he said.
With support from teaching assistants Rita Sarubbi, Lesley Chaluisan and Jane Bradbury, Eyer hopes the series will serve as a launchpad for promoting the prom dress catalog and encouraging students to reimagine, deconstruct and redesign recycled prom dresses. Participating students also had the opportunity to apply the sewing techniques they learned to create fabric face masks to mix and match with their wardrobe.
“The goal is to host more workshops in the future for students to attend in an effort to promote sustainable fashion for all,” said Eyer.
The next Sew It workshop will be held on Thursday, May 13, 3:30-5:30PM, in the TZHS Library. For more information, check out the TZHS Library Instagram feed: @TZHSLibrary.
