Wow! How exciting for us. Forty-three participants shared their weekend with us March 27 - 28. We cut and shred military uniforms, loved ones' clothing, and other sentimental items. One lady pulped a pair of jeans she'd worn when she was about 10 sizes larger! She said it was invigorating. She's using the paper to make a scrapbook of photos to help her savor the "new" body she's wearing these days.

Several participants recently lost their mothers and siblings. They found it therapeutic to transform something their loved one wore into something upon which they can create art.

"I can't express how good I felt doing this," Ann of Cleveland exclaimed. She's been struggling with the loss of her mother March 30, 2009. "I am sold on the beautiful effects of this whole process."

Laura lost her brother recently. Her parents weren't willing to give up his uniforms just yet, so Laura pulped a cool blue t-shirt he'd worn often. "I'm confused about his death and the war overall, but doing this with his shirt just made me feel like he was with me. I miss him. This is such a wonderful project."

Al, a Vietnam veteran, said he had a great time. He didn't pulp his uniform, but he did pulp an old shirt he'd worn many years ago. "I loved the whole process, especially talking with other people who experienced similar things. I didn't feel the need for a beer the whole weekend."

My fellow Marine friend, Susan, pulped her camouflage uniform. Susan is recently retired and told me, "this did so much for me, more than you'll ever know. I couldn't stop talking about the process. It felt good from the moment I started cutting up my uniform to watching it transformed to pulp to creating the paper to discussing it with Amie (another Marine) on the drive home."

Paper Bridges will sponsor another mini workshop July 3, 4 and 5 at the Morgan Conservatory. If you or someone you know and love could benefit from the therapeutic advantages of transforming a sentimental fabric item to paper/art, contact us and plan to attend.

Papermakers Rock!!

Donna