The Art of Shirret

The Art of Shirret?, is a direct solution and make-able product for those concerned with the state of the global environment. You can have a positive impact, in a small but useful way! Shirret? found its origin in the 1930s in the mid-west near Indiana. During this time, Louise McCrady and her mother Katherine Benson discovered they could shirr, or load, sewing scrap fabrics onto an adapted crochet needle. They could also cut up old clothes, curtains, and household fabrics no longer...
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The Art of Shirret?, is a direct solution and make-able product for those concerned with the state of the global environment. You can have a positive impact, in a small but useful way! Shirret? found its origin in the 1930s in the mid-west near Indiana. During this time, Louise McCrady and her mother Katherine Benson discovered they could shirr, or load, sewing scrap fabrics onto an adapted crochet needle. They could also cut up old clothes, curtains, and household fabrics no longer suitable for their original purpose. In 1968 Louise improved upon the craft which she and her mother had heard dated back to before the Civil War. The women at the time gave up their steel needles to be melted down to support the war effort on both sides. The craft still being unnamed, Louise coined the craft, The Art of Shirret?; after each crochet stitch, a fold of fabric was pulled off. Doing this simple process repeatedly resulted in a fantastically colorful rug, beer and coffee cup cozy, door mat, bathmat, place mat, coaster or similarly useful item made from recycled materials.Little did they know, in the 21st century, Americans and citizens around the world, would find themselves looking for ways to contribute positively to environmental sustainability, a now pressing issue. Constantly being battered by bad news, and desperately needing a break from the 5th Netflix movie of the day, The Art of Shirret?, once again became a way to avoid the next highly confrontational political conversation. Makers of Shirret? can find themselves in an enjoyable meditative state, making something useful with materials that would normally end up in the trash. By practicing this old American tradition, waste clothing not suitable for donation is cut into strips, and loaded onto a Shirret? needle; after each crochet stitch, a fold of fabric is pulled off to build a recycled and useful item.We hope you'll enjoy Shirret? and find it as useful as seven previous generations have!