Northbrook resident and lifelong sewer Julie Kay is using her passion for civic engagement and design to help get out the vote this election season. With the help of the staff and equipment in the Collaboratory, Northbrook Public Library’s makerspace, she has embroidered approximately 30 upcycled jackets, spreading democracy fashionably.
Julie's inspiration came to her last February. She wanted to make a difference, and her conscience told her not to stay complacent. “Seeing a message on the back of a jacket might make somebody think. That's the whole purpose: to think and remind people it’s really important to vote,” she explained.
Julie used the Collaboratory's embroidery machine to bring her vision to life with help from the Collaboratory staff, who helped her get set up to do her projects successfully. "I never used an embroidery machine before; the makerspace is unbelievable, and the staff has been so helpful," she said.
The Collaboratory recently debuted a new embroidery machine that can handle more fonts, designs, and multiple colors. "The new embroidery machine is faster; you don't need to thread each color; it can handle multiple colors and fancier designs," she explains. Once she has a design on her flash drive, she can plug it into the machine; larger designs take about 30-40 minutes, and smaller designs take only about 10 minutes.
After the election, Julie hopes to continue using her designs for civic engagement to combat hate and divisiveness and to involve other creative people around the country to do similar work. She promotes her upcycled jackets on her website and social media accounts.
Patrons can explore their creativity using a wide range of tools in the Collaboratory. Whether adding designs to mugs, t-shirts, or metal tumblers with the sublimation printer, using the CNC machine to carve custom designs on wood or plastic, or using the sewing and embroidery machines, there's something for everyone. Learn more about what the Collaboratory has to offer by visiting northbrook.info/collaboratory.
