Made in Hackney: Barley Massey’s sentimental cushions are made from lost loved ones’ clothes
Delphiniums made out of jeans by Barley Massey - Credit: Barley Massey
Each week, the Gazette takes to the streets to unearth something being manufactured right here in Hackney. This week we speak to Barley Massey who creates homewares and accessories out of discarded materials at her shop Fabrications in London Fields.
Barley Massey with a 'forget-me-not' cushion - Credit: Barley Massey
Barley Massey “upcycles” textiles in her London Fields shop, where she makes homewares, accessories and “forget-me-not” cushions out of lost loved ones’ clothes.
When the Gazette spoke to the textiles graduate at Fabrications in Broadway Market, she was making delphiniums out of jeans, which are going to be displayed at an exhibition promoting recycling.
Barley opened the store in 2000, when many of the shops along the strip were derelict, and the council was encouraging in artists.
“I thought the shop would give me a good studio space and a window onto the world,” she said.
You may also want to watch:
Her service “Remember Me” sees people bringing in sentimental textiles for her to transform into cushions or comforting items.
“The items could be from a lost loved one,” she said.
Most Read
- 1 Hackney Wick bar and restaurant opens with Two More Years to go
- 2 Legendary east London graffiti pub to reopen after 26 years
- 3 How Homerton Hospital staff took on the virus in the first year of Covid
- 4 'They don't care,' says Hackney family living in mould-infested property
- 5 Residents report losing sleep over Broadway Market drinkers and idling minicab engines
- 6 Stamford Hill North and Shoreditch hardest hit during Covid waves
- 7 Gone in 60 seconds: Watch as 'keyless' thief steals Hackney car
- 8 New traffic measures as school brings pupils onto a single site
- 9 Surgery blunder sees wrong side of 75-year-old patient's thyroid removed
- 10 Crowdfunder for Prodigy's Keith Flint mural to raise mental health awareness
“It’s therapeutic for the person who uses the service and helps them through a difficult time. If people bring shirts I’ll suggest using the sleeves on the back and keep an opening so the person can put their arms through. It’s a bit like hugging, if you like.”
