New life for mushrooms

May 13, 2024

Every Wednesday, Lilleke hosts a creative club, the aim of which is to use existing materials, meaning we focus on recycling. In cooperation with youth workers, the young people of Lilleke undertook a project to give old chairs new life in the form of colorful mushrooms. The project was worked on for three months and involved several stages.

Stage I

First, we found old chairs in the basement, removed their old fabric, and cleaned them of dust. Previously, youth workers had purchased the necessary materials, and the young people could start crafting immediately. Then, appropriately sized padding was cut from multi-layered wadding to be used in chair making in addition to foam. The activity required precision and patience.

Stage II

Next, the young people were able to choose the color of fabric they wished to use for the mushrooms. The available colors were blue, pink, purple, white, and green. In addition to the fabric that covered the mushroom, decorations were also added. Green fabric was used for leaves, pink for stars, and white for cow spots. Sewing the decorations proved more challenging than anticipated, so we also used textile glue. The process required dedication and was completed over several days.

Stage III

Once the mushroom caps were made, it was time to deal with their stems. First, we painted the mushroom stems entirely white, as the old paint had worn off. Then, we provided young people with various acrylic paints they could use to decorate the stems. We didn't set direct restrictions on this, but we emphasized respecting other drawings, meaning not drawing over others' creations. Young people enjoyed this stage the most, as they could unleash their creativity and relieve stress through it.

As a result, colorful chairs were created, which decorate the center's premises and are actively used by young people. We have carried out similar activities before, and since young people enjoy it very much, we wish to continue with similar projects in the future.

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