I’m Jess and I’ve been upcycling for ages. It began in 2008 on Etsy selling my handmade upcycled goodness. rubbishREMADE was formalized in 2021 as a creative reuse collective and included a group of makers selling upcycled wares at various local markets, mainly the Riverwest Market. 

In 2024, feeling burnt out from the market hustle and the collective's lack of ability to participate as their full time work picked up, I shifted focus from making products to providing Mending as service, commissioned work, hosting Mending Mondays and focusing on art. 

After pushing my creative edges for the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Boat Parade and getting an opportunity to collaborate, I’ve felt a pull to focus more on art as opposed to making functional products. I still take commissions and will happily make a custom plarn coozie, baskets, fused plastic wallets and more, upon request. I love sharing my knowledge of working with plastic yarn (plarn), fusing plastics & mending via workshops. Please contact me if your organization is looking for instruction in upcycling and all the potential uses for things considered trash. 

The joy of working with what is discarded is in the possibility of what it can be transformed into. The materials are just around waiting to be used, if not; then back into the earth via landfill, incineration or as litter taking over our land and water. We know we’ve got a trash problem, I want to re-contextualize our relationship with consumption and the inevitable waste that results when you buy things. To show that this trash all around us, has potential to be used in beautiful and functional ways, and to inspire others to consider the effects of overconsumption. To take a moment to reflect on how it is trashing our planet, our neighborhoods, and our souls. 

It is not sustainable to be a consumer, but we can do our best to shift into re-users, creators, menders and fixers. It is healing for me to work with my hands, stretch my creativity and take my small bit of control over some of the world's waste. I can’t do anything else… All this to say, I firmly believe corporations creating this mess need to be held accountable for the waste they are creating… But for now, we’ve still got a lot of garbage so may as well try to make something interesting with it.

My background in graphic design informs my process and approach to my art. It interplays well with my love of improvising and problem solving, supported by my skills in fiber arts (sewing & crochet), all within the confines of creative reuse. My best days are when I can dive deep into playing with new processes and ideas in my studio space. I’m grateful you’ve made it this far in the text. Thank you for your interest and support! I look forward to connecting with you!