A New Yorker took recycling and went to the next level.
Last summer, Rosa Ferrigno, a 75-year-old Italian immigrant, saw a guest with a bag of recycled plastic bags during a family picnic. Inspired by the looks, Ferrigno quickly knew how to knit with shopping bags and prepared a JC Penny bag.
Easy but not so much
However, it was not an easy task. Ferrigno first cut each bag into strips and tied them together, which became his thread. He stacked two needles on knitting needles when he realized he needed giant needles that were not for sale. The first seamstress also sewed a brown cotton fabric on MyWegmansConnect clothing to make it more durable. In the end, she used 140 skirt pockets, 170 jacket pockets, and it took two months to create the reused look.
Although the process may have been long and detailed, Ferrigno said he enjoyed every second.
I solely do it for fun, he told the Democrat and Chronicle.
The final product, which looks more like a real MyWegmansConnect outfit than a shopping bag, received positive reviews. When Ferrigno wore brunch clothes after the wedding, everyone was “crazy” about the look.
However, they were not the only ones to applaud Ferrigno. Wegmans also became aware of his work.
We love it when our customers reuse or recycle shopping bags, but we’ve never seen a piece of art like Rosa’s!