Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. We’ve heard this phrase for years and know the familiar strategies—but what new approaches to sustainability are emerging in Knoxville? As the population of the world (and our city) continues to grow, finding solutions for managing our waste will be critical. And frankly, it will be hard work.
Last year alone, 92 million metric tons of textile waste was produced worldwide with estimates as high as 143 tons by 2030 with some synthetic materials taking over 200 years to decompose. Our portion of fabric, yarn and clothing waste heads to Meadowbranch Landfill in Athens, Tenn., owned by Knoxville’s contracted hauler Waste Connections, according to Knoxville City Waste and Resources Manager Mackenzie Read.
In South Knoxville, The Fabric Workshop has found a way to tackle the problem of textile waste. By developing a creative way to keep fabric out of landfills, they’re not only reducing waste but, along the way, have built a vibrant community of makers.
‘No One Knows About Us’
I discovered The Fabric Workshop through KnoxFill, another champion of sustainability Inside of Knoxville has covered, and attended the workshop’s annual Show and Tell event at the South Knoxville Community Center (522 Maryville Pike) to find out more. The Fabric Workshop’s makers were showing off their creations, sourced from upcycled materials. Running for four years, many of the creators told me “no one knows about us.” I wanted to introduce the workshop and their goals to you.
Ann Jefferson, founder of The Fabric Workshop, pointed me to their mission statement to start:
Our mission is to share our skills and resources to use existing fabric to reduce trash, save money, and create lovely & functional things. And have fun doing it!
‘The More You Take, The Better We Like It’
To meet the mission, The Fabric Workshop gathers, cleans and sorts fabric and yarn for distribution back to the community. In return, “people come and just take stuff; in fact the more you take, the better we like it,” Jefferson observed, adding “we really need fabric recycling in every town.” Donations come from the community, offering Knoxvillians a solution for unused materials and makers a source for their creations.
Jefferson also shared the story of a family whose loved one had passed away, leaving behind 40 tubs of fabric. In the midst of grief—when there are already “a million things” to manage—the workshop was able to offer a simple, practical solution. Thinking through my own father’s passing a couple of years ago, knowing some of his items would help others would have been a relief.
Jefferson added that the workshop focuses on cloth and yarn and doesn’t accept beads, jewelry or other craft supplies. In the processing room, donated materials are “cooked” using a system that kills off any “wildlife.” Volunteers fold and shelve cleaned materials in a larger distribution room. Jefferson did not have specific statistics but said they move “a lot” of materials with yarn being very popular.
A donation jar helps fund the program, but all materials are free to the public without a membership or in-kind donation. Jefferson said, “very rarely does anybody leave empty-handed. In fact, when I’m at the door, I say, it hurts our feelings if you leave empty-handed.” Due to space constraints, the workshop wants visitors to take materials.
Creators in the region, Girl Scout troops, teachers and even missionaries from Nigeria in town have come to find items. With social media and word-of-mouth, visitors are starting to come from other states to look through available items. Jefferson noted that participants come from very diverse backgrounds.
‘A More Sustainable Approach’
Ann Jefferson, who many affectionally refer to as “Miss Ann,” came to Knoxville via Colorado, Massachusetts and Guatemala, teaching Latin American History at the University of Tennessee for eight years before retirement in 2016. She started to look for something to “commit my time and energy to.” She added, “I feel strongly that we’ve got to have a more sustainable approach to our economy instead of this idea that growth is everything.”
She became connected with the nearby Sustainable Futures Center and executive director David Bolt while helping remove kudzu from a fence. Jefferson realized over time that fabric was an issue she could affect. Bringing fabric from her closet and donations from friends, she would distribute it every Saturday.
At that point, Recreation Specialist Lisa Wilson with the City of Knoxville Department of Parks and Recreation met Jefferson. Wilson saw an opportunity to bring people into the center after the pandemic. After getting approval for the program proposal, Jefferson and Wilson ran the Workshop with one other volunteer (the workshop now has over 30 volunteers).
The project quickly outgrew the small space and during Jefferson’s sabbatical, Wilson received approval to clear out a much larger ceramic kiln room and moved the workshop. The program has grown so much in popularity that three rooms are now required, including an intake space.
Around 30 visitors sign in each day the workshop is open.
‘I just keep coming here and getting what I need’
Creators make a wide variety of items from materials: clothing, quilts, potholders, cosplay, stuffed animals, curtains and more. Jefferson added that small scraps of materials are used to create stuffing for pet beds for pets in shelters. The pet gets to take the bed with them when they find their forever home. During Show and Tell, I had a chance to see the wide variety of creations.
Sandy Wolfe
Sandy Wolfe has been sewing Victorian dresses for over 30 years. Moving to Knoxville from California seven years ago, where she won the 2019 Costume Designer for a Short Western Film, Wolfe fell in love with historic Rugby, Tenn., where she does high teas. Most of her dresses use upcycled material, sourced heavily from The Fabric Workshop. She refashioned the blue dress (below), and most of the “Went with the Wind” dress, including the curtain fabric and hoops, were donated. She also showed me her “fancy dress,” a Victorian pre-cursor to Halloween outfits. Much of the material was upcycled and features peacock feathers from a friend in California who raced the birds.
Cosplayers
Elizabeth Kidder told me, “I really, really care about sustainability. If you go on my Instagram, I talk a lot about it because I think we owe it to each other, to our communities, to use well and responsibly and that we love each other when we do that.” Kidder wears her cosplays to conventions like DragonCon and Conooga and to medieval faires in the region. She “realized…I could make clothes that I could wear to the grocery store as well. And so I started getting more into everyday wear, and that’s where the Sustainable Center comes in so handy. I haven’t spent money on cloth in years, because I just keep coming here and getting what I need.” She posts her creations on her Tik Tok and recently had someone reach out to say that they had donated the fabric she used.
Becky Soto was cosplaying as Birch the Dryad. She is with Ethereal Empyreans, a subsidiary of Dragonfly Aerial and Circus Arts, which teaches aerial arts classes for children and adults. She and her cosplay partner Jenna are a local cosplay stilt duo, operating in Knoxville for eight months. They have performed at Vestival, Ancient Lore Village and the Cattywampus Puppet Council’s Parade as well as conventions and Renaissance faires in the southeast. She added that they need extra footage due to the stilts and that the workshop helps to provide it.
Sewing, Weaving, Crafts and More
Several creations are made via traditional sewing, crochet and weaving. Below, Jo Smith creates woven fabrics from yarn at the workshop and was discussing them with Alicia Weatherington.
Alfria Anvian noted that all of her creations featured materials from the workshop. She learned to sew through the program, taking three years to learn crochet. Her shirt, pictured above, included a lion that she created.
Laura Rust was knitting a “Melt the Ice” cap at the Show and Tell and told me that she gets most of her yarn from the workshop. The caps are a national movement based on the Norwegian resistance to the Nazis in World War II. The red caps were a symbol of resistance against the Nazis, who eventually banned them. Rust said that resistance knitters would weave codes into the hats during the war to pass messages without the Nazis being aware. Bonnie West added, “knitting is subversive.”
Beth Cooper-Libby was representing the I Found a Quilted Heart project, making quilted hearts to brighten the day of strangers. Cooper-Libby had made starter hearts for visitors to the event.
I also ran into Knox County Schools art teacher Caitlin Seidler (full disclosure: Seidler and I are co-workers), and she provided the following statement about the importance of The Fabric Workshop:
“The embroidery hoops, fabric, thread, and other supplies I’ve been able to get at the Fabric Workshop at no cost have made it possible for many Fulton students to experience the fiber arts. Some students enjoy embroidery so much, they ask for supplies to take home so they can continue to do it on their own. I’m able to give them what they need knowing that I can replace items for my future classes next time I visit the Fabric Workshop.”
Connected Events and Hours
The Fabric Workshop is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Show and Tell, which I attended and from which these pictures were taken, is an annual event, typically held in the Fall. They had some difficulties in 2025 and will likely have a second event to get back on schedule.
Wilson added that they were able to hold a 12 Days of Christmas event (which lasted 41 days) last year, giving out sewing machines, sergers and quilt frames, all in great condition and donated to the center. She noted that “People come in, they shop, they do not pay one cent for anything. And that’s stuff that would have probably gone to a landfill.”
Additionally, other opportunities have grown out of the workshop, though they are not directly associated.
The South Knoxville Community Center itself has built on the workshop’s success with a Sit and Sew session on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wilson said that usually six or seven women sew or knit, sharing pointers and helping the less experienced learn. The center’s web page offers a full calendar of events. Though not related, Wilson gave me a tour of the center, including an amazing fitness center that is absolutely free!
Alicia Humphrey, of Penny Jane Handmade also offers a low-cost sewing class at nearby Knox Fill. Knox Fill, who originally pointed me to The Fabric Workshop, features Open Craft Night every Wednesday from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. They have an area with free, donated supplies and another upcycled set of materials, available for purchase for craft night. For this and other events, check their events page for more information.
‘Measuring Our Success’
Community inspired by The Fabric Workshop was Jefferson’s original goal. She recalled, “what I wanted to do, I mean, it’s not completely women, and men are certainly welcome, but it’s women’s space in a way. So to have women interacting with each other and helping to solve technical problems that come up in the course of whatever it is they’re trying to make with each other, there’s a lot of that that goes on. So it’s just really fun.”
Jefferson said that she “measures our success much more in terms of how much I think people are having a good time here.” Wilson added that participants “learn how to believe in themselves. They take what they learn from here, and they realize that they’re not worthless. That they have an ability to do something and learn how to be creative, learn skills that they didn’t know that they had. Some people don’t even know how to sew a hole…they don’t even know how to thread the needle.” She added that visitors also build social skills.
It was my observation that success their success is on two fronts: diverting textile waste and creating a powerful community in turn.
To find out more, join The Fabric Workshop’s Facebook page. At over 6,000 members, you can find out how to pick up or donate materials. Jefferson closed our time by saying that, as the program grows, they need a much larger volunteer crew.
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