Artisan transforms old clothes into handcrafted treasures
BİLECİK
In a small town in the northwestern city of Bilecik, 64-year-old Fatma Pehlivan is giving new life to old, worn-out clothing, using the threads from discarded garments.
She creates colorful rugs, runners, bags and other handmade items, transforming waste into useful products while helping reduce environmental pollution.
Pehlivan works in a small workshop she set up in her family home.
There, she carefully unravels old clothes, turning them into threads that she weaves into intricate designs.
“Since I was a child, I’ve loved handicrafts,” Pehlivan said. “My grandmother used to weave rugs, and I always admired them.”
Later, she herself took a rug-weaving course, got her own loom and started weaving with the support of her family and loved ones.
"I noticed that so many clothes just end up in the trash, polluting the environment. I wanted to find a way to reuse them.”
She explained how she repurposes different types of textiles.
“I wash and clean old sheets, clothing and jeans, then cut them into threads for weaving. I’ve made runners, rugs and even turned jeans and sheets into vests and other garments. Some of the woven materials I crafted became beach bags.”
Her next project aims to address another environmental concern: Plastic bags.
"Next, I want to focus on plastic bags — they harm nature because they don’t decompose,” Pehlivan said.
She plans to collect disposable bags, transform them into threads and weave them into reusable shopping bags.
Through her work, the 64-year-old woman combines traditional craft with modern sustainability, showing how creativity can reduce waste and give old materials a second life.
