The 3 R's - Neroli Henderson - "Would you Kill a Panda?"

For the 3R's challenge (Reuse, reduce, recycle) we were taxed with the challenge of not only making an art quilt that related to the theme but also out of only what we had on hand. This proved harder for me than expected.

I wanted to make a statement about how we all seem to just consume, consume and consume - and it's never enough. We no longer fix, change or (God forbid) make do. We just buy another. The amount of times that people have asked me if my iPhone is a 5s (it's a 5) and then asked why I didn't upgrade just astounds me. There's nothing wrong with my 5 and the 5s - for me - didn't add features that made it worth the cost to the planet (and my hip pocket) that creating something new for no good reason would entail. However a mindset that if it's new it must be worth getting exists in our society.

So many of us don't even do the simplest of things to ensure environmental sustainability - we don't put the right rubbish into the recycling and instead put recycling into the rubbish. We buy overly packaged goods or those with intensive travel miles - often when there is a similar product we could buy that is otherwise equal. Not many of us would kill a Panda but we don't realise that by not at least attempting to follow the 3R's we are killing off so much of our environment - and Pandas will follow.

So next time you go to throw a chip packet in the recycling or a coke can in the bin (neither go there) - ask yourself - "Would I kill a Panda?"

"Would you Kill a Panda?" Sashiko stitching, tea bag dying, free motion quilting. On recycled Damask fabric.

"Would you Kill a Panda?" close up showing the tea dying which was done after the sashiko stitching. As the white thread was a poly it didn't accept the dye and has stayed white in most parts.

This was one of my earlier ideas, however I had to ditch it because I purchased the font without even thinking. Proof that even when doing a 3R's challenge consumption without thought is just so ingrained in our culture.

So… will you try a little bit harder to reduce, re-use and recycle? Would you kill a Panda?

- Neroli

P.S. the Panda in question may look familiar - he's satirised from the WWF (World Wild Life Foundation) logo and turned upside down and given crosses for eyes. This is meant to show how we are having a detrimental effect on all wildlife - hence the barren environment and dried grass he is confined within too.