Have you ever thought of what you could do with that pretty bed sheet that your grand aunt gave you all those years ago? Or how to transform your baby’s old blanket into something practical since you simply cannot bear to part with it? Well have a chat with Tracy Jackson Blake,
She is the princess of repurposing old items and the self-taught queen of quilting, all in an effort to turn your old trinkets into treasure.
A trained early childhood educator, she utilised her creativity when she had difficulty finding items she needed for her children. “I decided charity begins at home so I sought to cater to my children first. I then decided to make it into a business while working from home so I could have time for the children.Jackson Blake, who has been transplanted in Jamaica some 16 years, says it is awesome to take something and see it evolve into a totally new item. “People will bring their fabric or I shop for fabric or use recycled clothes etc. I usually find inspiration fabric and draw from the colours to make it pop out to let the fabric shine. A good portion of my clientele order and buy items to send overseas for a new baby, a christening or for some special person in their lives that they love and value.”
Creativity is definitely in her blood as her grandmother was a pastel landscape artist while her mother is a potter so the love of artistic expression has been passed down through the generations. Art was something she had also drawn on because doing art always lifts her spirit and makes her happy as it feeds the soul. Outside of quilts she also creates backpacks, draw string bags, yoga bags, coin purses and presently she added clutch bags that are Japanese inspired and self closing bags, these are all signature pieces so no two pieces are ever the same. “My goal is zero waste as we have limited resources and more people need to shift to that way of thinking. Love is a recurring theme in all of my work in addition to earth consciousness so its really a celebration of life, humanity and the world around you and about living in the present.”