Artful abandon Maker finds inspiration in reclamation of scraps and offcuts The Creators
By: AV Kitching Posted: 2:00 AM CST Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025

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This article was published 25/01/2025 (225 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Crystal Salkeld has a long list of things she’d like to make.

There’s the bicycle bag, a long-running personal project in its design stage. After that she’d like to tackle a case for knitting needles with numerous compartments for all the different needles to slot into.

Then there’s her labour of love — a scrap rug measuring four-by-six feet created from approximately 15 pounds of leather offcuts she’s been working on these last two years.

The plan is to have it on the floor of her boutique yarn store and also in maker space Purl and Hank on Portage Avenue, once she’s completed it.

“Unless I love it so much I don’t want people to step on it. Then I’ll hang it on the wall,” she says.

The rug sums up Salkeld’s approach to life; she’s driven by a desire to do better.

Her aversion to wastefulness — she’d rather keep as much as she can out of the landfill — has seen her hold onto all her material waste, repurposing scraps into things like the rug and her latest creation, bento bags.

“The bags are made out of the scrap linen that comes from our Mother Hubbard smocks,” Salkeld says. “The leather on the bag also comes from our scraps so it’s truly a zero-waste product,” she explains.

The bags have flown off the shelves with requests for more, but instead of buying material, she’s waiting on another run of the smocks before she makes more of them.

“We could buy fabric just to make the bags, but I don’t want to. It defeats the purpose of why the bag was created,” she says.

As someone who has always needed to keep her hands busy, the teenage Salkeld learned to crochet from her grandmother and swiftly began making blankets and scarves.

In the early years of motherhood, surrounded by the noise and chaos of raising three toddlers, respite came in the form of knitting.

As her children grew, she seized every opportunity to learn new skills, taking workshops from “masters of their craft.”

It was one such workshop — a clutch-making lesson with Chuck Allen of Earth and Hide — that sparked her love for leather.

She was drawn to the beauty of the material’s natural texture, as well as its durability and versatility. Leather became the perfect medium for crafting her unique and practical wares.

“Leather blends tradition with creativity. Over time, leather develops character, adding a personal and meaningful touch to each piece. It demonstrates my commitment to thoughtful craftsmanship and sustainable practices,” she says.

She’s known for her shawl belts — small belts that fit around knitted shawls to keep them in place — and for her Pierogi Pouch, an oil-tanned leather fanny pack/cross-body bag in the shape of the savoury dumpling.

“It’s a reinvention of the fanny pack. I love the thought of the old-school fanny packs of the ’90s and wanted to make a more grown-up version,” Salkeld says.

Not content with solely selling the pouches, Salkeld has started to teach others how to make their own.

“It’s an easy workshop. The pieces are already pre-cut to precision, so all you need to do is thread a needle and stitch. There are step-by-step instructions and I walk around and guide people, giving them tips to make it a little easier. People take great pride in their work, and the pride they display after completing their pouch is heartwarming,” she says.

The act of making and creating is important to Salkeld — “I dream of living a handmade life, where if I need something I will make it” — and creating with others brings her joy.

“Community is life. Getting out of our houses to create with others and engaging in hands-on activities provides a sense of purpose and satisfaction. It encourages mindfulness, promotes a sense of accomplishment, and fosters personal fulfilment,” she says.

av.kitching@freepress.mb.ca