Swap O Rama Rama in Des Moines

If you get the chance today, make sure to check out the Swap O Rama Rama. Kristin Roach from here at ames c.art will be there helping with sewing new creations, mending up your new to you threads, and helping to use up those leftovers from all the refashioning. Many other local artists, seamstresses, and crafters will be there making and mending and helping guide you through designing your own garments.

Des Moines, IA – August 1st (11am-3pm) Swap-O-Rama-Rama (SORR) makes it’s first appearance in Des Moines, Iowa with a massive clothing swap and series of DIY (do-it-yourself) workshops. Hosted at the Des Moines Social Club in the heart of Des Moines, SORR will bring the community together with a message that encourages creativity and resistance to consumerism. With an admission of $10, swappers need only bring along one bag of unwanted clothing. SORR events recycle tens of thousands of pounds of clothing each year by teaching creative reuse through clothing alteration.

At SORR, do-it-yourself workshops, artist-run demos, and recycled fashion shows gather people together for the purpose of transforming unwanted clothing into a celebration of community creativity. Artist-taught workshops and thematic workstations such as silk screening, stenciling, or hand & machine sewing offer inspiration. Traditional crafts such as embroidery, knitting, beading and appliqué can also be found. If guests want to be hands-on they can slide over to any number of do-it-yourself workstations and get started. As well, skilled local re-use designers, artists and do-it-yourselfers are there to share their knowledge. Each swap also hosts a fashion show that features the recycled designs of local designers who are exploring re-use, as well as a fashion show for attendees of the event in which they are invited to show off the modified wearables that they made earlier in the day. All of the materials for creativity are free once inside the event. All left over clothing is donated to local charities.

Swap-O-Rama-Rama was created by artist Wendy Tremayne as a response to her feelings about consumerism and waste in our culture. Swap-O-Rama-Rama offers a way to obtain new/used clothing, to learn and create without the use of non-sustainable resources. The SORR community has rapidly grown through a Creative Commons license that assists sister events inspired by the original. SORR events can now be found in over 50 cities covering 6 countries.

Swap-O-Rama-Rama is fiscally sponsored by New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).

Des Moines SORR Website: http://dsmswap@gmail.com

Official Swap-O-Rama-Rama Website: http://www.swaporamarama.org

Tags: alter, central, des_moines, iowa, make, mend, refashion, sew, sewing, sewn, swap, workshop