So what can I do to help?

The hardest thing when you have Santa Clause DNA is to let people know what YOU need. Hmmmm, cloth and fabric is donated, volunteers come, we have a location - just what DO we need?

Sue Rock Originals Everyone has since its inception been an exercise in allowing the universe to provide support for the least of us in times of need. We have provided over 2,500 items in the past four years to women who have chosen to leave the cycle of violence.

From ceramics studios we have received beautiful hand crafted items that were invaluable replacements to countless personal items left behind. From interior design firms we have received gorgeous sheers and brocades with which to replace drapes and curtains, or create bedding and bathroom decor. From peoples homes we have received the beautiful fabric and notions from loved ones who did not know where to turn to donate their elders precious collections. Each request to yarn companies was answered with box upon box of sensational wool blends.

With the expansion of our mission to include training - we have been provided a permanent location and a wonderful instructor of sewing with over 15 years of professional experience.

So what do we need?

YOU!
Your supportive donations will help to ensure that our work will continue for years to come.

We are in the unique position of having an architect (Baer Architecture Group http://www.baerarchitecture.org/) who has donated time to create the reconstruction designs for our location - designing retail, manufacturing and training space. Storage to the rafters for all of our donations and machinery.

As a 501(c) 3 each and every financial donation is tax-deductible. All in-kind donations of fabric, notions, machinery or yarn is also tax-deductible.

Please give and give generously to this exploration in self-sufficiency as we all reclaim the knowledge of our ancestors to live in a life filled with change.

Make our donations out to : Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc.
c/o Sue Rock, Executive Director
50 East 18th Street A8
Brooklyn, New York 11226

Or if you are in the New York area and would like to lend a hand:

Sue Rock Originals Design Studios
1069 Bergen Street between Nostrand and Rogers Avenues
Brooklyn, New York
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

We use volunteers of all kinds to assist in filing, sorting of fabrics, patterns and yarns, general housekeeping, general gardening and community outreach.

...so you must really have to CLEAN that fabric you get, huh?

 When developing any type of business - it helps to listen.

Much is being done in fashion with reconstructed garments and recycled fabrics but not much said about reclaiming  fabrics from the garment and interior design industries. When we think of the fashion industry, we generally think "make the clothes, buy them when they don’t fit toss them".

I wanted to share some of what we have learned about the fashion industry, how it works and how we are able to make the beautiful things that we do.
Lets start at the beginning…….

A men's shirt is going to be designed by a company:

Fashion companies are made up of teams of designers and design assistants who have the important task of deciding what they are going to create for the upcoming year. They come together and look over colors and patterns and will come to a basic decision about a color group. Once decided, a garment will need to be created before the item is manufactured. The company will have a fabric manufacturer create EVERY COMBINATION of the pattern decided upon (from blue on blue to white on white) so that the design team has an accurate representation of the garment they are making. Even if the color is solid – every variation is created for review and critique before the item hits the stores.

Then sample garments are made from these freshly manufactured fabrics and a decision is made for color, fabric weight and pattern.

What is left over is this:

What Sue Rock Originals does is RECLAIMS the fabric before it ever gets into the dump. We receive regular phone calls from individuals and businesses for fabric pickups. It is a way for the organization to simply and effectively give back within their time frame and it saves them money for the dumpster fees.  

And then we create THIS:

and That is How it is Done!

Boxes and Bolts of Fabric are never used due to time constraints, color variations or just changes in the fashion trend - and so SRO gets the opportunity to create beautiful clothing from reclaimed fabric - 

Come on By and see for yourself!

Sanctuary for Families Mentors - Amazing Women!

"This is a Film Set"

or so the signs told me as I drove throughout New York City trying to get to Sanctuary for Families, the most recent recipient of items from Sue Rock Originals Everyone.  I have had a long standing relationship with Emily LoBue, Senior Director of Volunteer Service at Sanctuary and we had created a wonderful way of donating to the women in their organization.  

Survivors of domestic violence are in a very critical condition.  Many times it is difficult to share many donations with them due to their need for safety, security and privacy.  Some of these women are on the run from another state, running from a spouse who has searched for them cross country.  They need support, but most of all they need anonymity.  In these circumstances, donations are presented to the agency responsible for the residence and are distributed in kind.

However, this Mother's Day we had the beautiful opportunity to donate to a powerful group of women who have graduated from a powerful program - the Sanctuary for Families Mentors Group.  These are women who have lived in the residential setting.  They are now stable, working thriving women who have taken on the role of advocates for others who are now living through what they have survived.  They advocate for these women in a variety of ways - some speaking out, others manning tables - always training, studying, and fighting to understand new ways of supporting the lives of women who are leaving a cycle of violence.

They had just had their graduation in which the previous year's mentors "passes the torch" on to the new graduates.  I was coming to their first group meeting to share SROE with them and share some of the wonderful items collected.  

As I entered the room with bags and boxes of donations, I looked over at the various faces - of varying colors, shapes and sizes, I thought about the unifying theme of them all - they are survivors and willing to assist others in making the change to healing.  

This year's donation drive would not have been possible had it not been for the following amazing folks - the team at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Family Justice Center who created numerous knit backpacks and excellent correspondence bags!

- Jeanne Heifitz, a Brooklyn based textile fine artist who created exquisite head/scarf wraps and hats

- Sue Kyhos of Maryland who hand knit some of the most beautiful items, having heard about us on the internet

and Materials for the Arts - an arts organization which provides items of all kinds to arts organizations based through the New York City area

Each year we do this work it brings more joy to us - this year we look forward to learning from these women to make sure that our work impacts their lives in the ways that we hope/

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO YOU ALL!!