Having had parents who grew up during the Great Depression, Sandra O’Brien has used a learned frugality to craft a gift business using recycled cloth from her home in Nobleboro.
Recycle, repair, reuse and recreate are the mantras O’Brien threads into her business model, primarily focused around The Friendship Bag. Use it up, make do or do without, she says.
She has been sewing since age 12 and hopes people will keep her busy. O’Brien made clothing for her family growing up, made toys and clothing for her children and also made her husband’s shirts using available cloth.
She suggests people use one of these colorful and uniquely designed bags as a way to offer gifts to friends. Pack a Friendship Bag with a shiny apple, chocolates or bath accessories, she suggests on an attached card.
The card reads, “Start a tradition to spread kindness and beauty and rekindle the magic and wonder of friendship.”
The bags, which are made from recycled fabrics, are being sold for $5 apiece. O’Brien has been making these bags for the past three years, she said, but has recently opened her doors at home for business.
She also does her part to support military veterans.
“I have a deep respect for veterans,” she said.
O’Brien sews stripes on uniforms and does other small sewing projects for veterans free of charge. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of the veteran Friendship Bags support disabled veterans.
The idea came from one vet who couldn’t sit on his wallet all the time as he sat in his wheelchair, she said. O’Brien crafted a bag for him to carry needed items around.
“Unfortunately, a lot are coming back (disabled) from Iraq these days,” she said.
The local crafts artist also makes quilts, pillows and other items, all from recycled fabric. Each of the quilts, based on patterns that date back to the 1800s, are unique in that the materials come in a variety of colors. O’Brien uses reclaimed shirts, dresses and sheets, wasting nothing to make these quilts that range in width and length. She said a basic, mixed scrap quilt could cost between $250-$450, depending on size and design.
O’Brien repairs shirts, backpacks, pants, jackets and many other items. She also is willing to create other projects. She said a family member of New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger asked O’Brien to make pillows for a family event. She stuffed all 150 pillows with balsam boughs. She also made a holder for plastic grocery bags out of shirtsleeves.
If someone has a project in mind, O’Brien is open to ideas and willing to experiment, she said. She doesn’t have a sign out front yet, but said people can simply stop by her Nobleboro home at 335 East Neck Rd. or call 563-8043.
