Sea Bags: Musings from Maine

by: Hayley Griffin, Designer & Stitcher at Sea Bags

Last Wednesday night I had the pleasure of sitting front row at the Trashion Show at Thornton Academy Middle School. The eighth graders had spent weeks preparing by researching materials and methods for creating their recycled bags.

As the crowd’s anticipation peaked the students walked out in a line, each team modeling their one of a kind bag. After an introduction from the teachers, Amy from our team was invited up to present Taylor with her winning design on one of our totes (see the design below in our previous post)! She skipped up to receive her Sea Bag and with that the show began.

The students strutted their bag down the catwalk with colorful wrappers, men’s trousers with suspenders, and unusual materials of all shapes and sizes. The creativity was inspiring and after the show was over we were invited to go out into the hall where the students had prepared a show with all their research and work. We walked through reading their statements and getting a closer look at their hard work.

The winner of the show was the shrimp net bag woven with canvas strips and finished with a hand spliced rope handle (very impressive!). The winning team’s non-proft organization would be the benefactor of the proceeds from the project.

As I walked back to my car I was already thinking about what materials around my house I could repurpose into a fun bag for spring! Thank you Thornton Academy for a wonderfully inspiring show!

 Winning Bag Statement:

The materials we used to make the bag are blue shrimp mesh, black-grayish rope, and brown canvas. We used these certain materials so it had the strength to carry numerous items and to also think outside of the box by being innovative in using the shrimp mesh. In a way, we made a connection in an in-depth way to modern day slavery that we didn’t even realize. The shrimp mesh can represent that we get tangled up in our lives that we sometimes don’t realize what’s wrong in the world we live in. We need to realize that just because we’re not fully involved, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care.

Earth Day is a celebration of the environment designed to inspire awareness and concern for our planet. It’s celebrated on April 22nd of each year and next week happens to be the 40th anniversary! The tradition began in 1970 when U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin announced his idea for a nationwide teach-in day on the environment. Nelson believed that an “ecologically literate public would do far more than landmark legislation to assure a sustainable future.”

So what can you do to celebrate? Well, of course keep Sea Bags in mind when you come across those old sails in need of a new life. We would love to trade a bag for them or make a bag for you! Remember that we will also pay to have them shipped to us; or we will come by and pick them up ourselves.

There are many events going on in the Portland community as well as our great state. You’ll find celebrations, clean-ups, films, discussions, and festivals throughout southern and coastal Maine through these resources that we found to be helpful:

The Sunrise Guide
Earth Day Network
EPA

Take the time to check out some events and volunteer. And if you know of an event that isn’t listed, don’t hesitate to contact each network to have them add it to their list.

Image via EarthDay40th.com.

For all of you in the Washington D.C. area, we’re at the Live*Breathe*Dance shopping event this weekend in Arlington. It’s a wonderful benefit to raise health awareness and the proceeds go to The Lombardi Center’s Breast Cancer Research Division.

Including Sea Bags, the 3-day shopping fundraiser and educational outreach showcases local, regional and national merchants for shoppers seeking the latest in fashion, home décor and unique gifts. Tonight is the preview cocktail party (tickets can be purchased online or at the door), and then the shopping event will be from 10am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

So c’mon down to the Waterview Conference Center, 1919 N. Lynn Street in Arlington, and visit us! Including our totes, we also brought along our new coasters and placemats and a few other special items – but you have to visit us to find out what else!