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NORTHMORELAND TOWNSHIP &#8212; Times Leader recently visited Vicki Prekel of rural Northmoreland Township, a crafty homemaker who has devised a way to give new life to older shirts. So far the revitalized garments have been gifts for family and friends &#8212; and getting lots of compliments. Earlier this week she was getting ready to take several dozen to regional craft shows.You&#8217;ve been working with mostly men&#8217;s shirts. Did they belong to your husband, Thaddeus?No, a lot of them are men&#8217;s shirts from yard sales and some of them were never worn. Other shirts might have been showing signs of wear at the collar or cuffs, but that&#8217;s what I cut off. I cut off the collar and cuffs and trim them with fabric.How did you get the idea to do that?My daughter Sera likes to wear men&#8217;s shirts but she doesn&#8217;t like the collars. She was bugging me to cut them off. My other daughter, Genna, lives in Seattle and she said they would sell like hot cakes out there because everyone is &#8220;green&#8221; in Seattle.So, repurposing these shirts is good for the environment?Yes, I feel like I&#8217;m recycling. I&#8217;m cutting off the parts that wear and I&#8217;m giving the shirts new life. I also really enjoy the creativity of matching up the material &#8212; at the moment I have a lot of that, ever since Endless Mountains Quiltworks (in Tunkhannock) went out of business.Are the shirts all for women now?Well, this one is definitely feminine because I added material with roses on it. If another one has a picture of a tractor on the pocket, that one is more unisex. I have all different sizes from triple X to slim fit, and removing the cuffs shortens the sleeves, which usually makes them fit women&#8217;s arms better.I do have a friend with four daughters, and they&#8217;re all 6 feet tall, so they wanted me to keep the sleeves longer for them.After giving some shirts away to family and friends, now you&#8217;d like to sell them at craft shows?Yes, I&#8217;m going to give it a try. On Saturday (Nov. 14) I&#8217;ll be at Carbondale Elementary School (103 Brooklyn St. in Carbondale) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday (Nov. 15) I&#8217;ll be at the Holiday Craft and Gift Show at the Irem Clubhouse in Dallas from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.How much are you asking for a shirt?$12Have you always been a crafty person?Well, I was a Girl Scout leader for 15 years and did a lot of kids crafts with the girls. Then I put away the scissors-and-glue and decided to do something for me. At first it was quilting, now this, too, and I&#8217;ve had lots of sewing projects. My mother didn&#8217;t sew, but my grandmother did. I guess the craftiness skipped a generation.Do you get a lot of satisfaction from the domestic arts?Yes. When I was growing up my mom would let me go into the kitchen, bake whatever I wanted and make a mess. Then she&#8217;d clean up &#8212; I was so spoiled &#8212; and thank me for making dessert. Later, when I got married I was always calling her up for cooking advice. She was a great cook, and now I really enjoy cooking for people as well as baking.What do you do when you&#8217;re not cooking, baking or crafting?I&#8217;m a volunteer secretary at the Harding Church of Christ, a La Leche League leader and I&#8217;m on the board of directors of the Victims Resource Center. Sometimes I feel like a homemaker who&#8217;s never home.How can people get in touch with you if they don&#8217;t see you at a craft fair?My phone number is 570-836-3013.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Vicki Prekel from Northmoreland Township has been busy repurposing men&#8217;s shirts into stylish women&#8217;s apparel. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_vickiandpumpkins-006.jpg</photo0><caption0>Vicki Prekel from Northmoreland Township has been busy repurposing men&#8217;s shirts into stylish women&#8217;s apparel. </caption0><photoCredit0>Mary Therese Biebel | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Mary Therese Biebelmbiebel@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT. Reach crafter Vicki Prekel at 570-836-3013.</shirttailMeta></div>

Meet Vicki Prekel, a crafty homemaker who repurposes shirts