Swampscott resident JoAnn Clarke’s husband Kent Webster lost 65 pounds in 2023 when battling esophageal cancer. Webster wanted to get rid of his old pairs of jeans, which were now much too big for him to wear.

But Clarke had a different idea.

She turned the fabric of the jeans into pocketbooks. Clarke also received advice from her daughters to go back to her roots and spend time doing something she loved. Since then, Clarke has been using recycled fabric to make hand-painted personalized pillows.

“You wouldn’t believe the things people give to thrift stores,” said Clarke. “My idea was that everything has a second life.”

Clarke now gives a second life to fabric from anything she can find in a thrift store, such as curtains and clothing. Clarke sanitizes all pillows and fabric she uses to make them.

She started out by painting pillows to be placed in the short-term rental home in town owned by her friend. Now, Clarke sells pillows featuring any design or theme a buyer might want, hand-painted to order.

“Each one is individually painted and personalized,” said Clarke. “They are not mass produced.”

Whales and New-England-coastal themes appear most often in Clarke’s work. Many customers also request pillows themed around other towns. She said she enjoys painting things that are very personal, like a scene from a couple’s wedding.

“This is what I love to do,” said Clarke. “It’s a passion, everybody has one.”

Clarke, however, doesn’t want her pillows to be expensive or sold in stores. The pillows get around through word of mouth and on social media. Those interested in a individually made pillow can contact Clarke at joannclarke99@gmail.com.

“It’s meaningful to me,” said Clarke. “I want it to be meaningful to you.”