A Second Wind for Old Wings
Glance up to the sky on a warm summer day in Southern Oregon and you just might be treated to a man-made rainbow. Woodrat Mountain is home to two yearly international paragliding competitions involving hundreds of fliers. Paraglider wings are made up of two layers of fabric connected by a series of open baffles that fill with air to keep the flier suspended and floating on thermal winds. The fabric is ripstop nylon. Ripstop has a grid of metallic threads imbedded in the fabric that gives it strength and rip resistance.
When a paraglider wing can no longer pass the required safety inspections these incredibly large fabric wings are packed off to the landfill. They can no longer be used and must be kept out of the reach of children and uncertified adults.
When a friend mentioned he had decommissioned wings to take to the landfill I had to take a look. These huge flying giants were gorgeous. Bright, brilliant bold colors that hung in the air like bits of fireworks. So different from the matte finish cottons in muted and deep colors that I usually worked with making art quilts and wall hangings.
I deconstruct the massive wings strip and baffle at a time, then wash all the strips and hang them out to dry in the sun. And then the interesting work begins....
What was once dirty, wrinkled and discarded is now transformed into useful, beautiful and fun wallets, bags, headbands, sachets, bookmarks and whatever else strikes my fancy. We can make beautiful things without polluting or damaging the planet.
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