MANY OF us are creative and enjoy making items for ourselves and others. I have been asking myself recently if I can do this in ways which help protect our planet. Here are a few ideas I have found.
Look for fabrics, threads and yarns produced without large amounts of water and toxins. Organic cotton is grown without using chemicals or pesticides. Hemp is made from plant fibres. Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial, hypoallergenic and is also biodegradable. Organic silk is naturally sustainable and differs from standard silk because the silkworm is not killed when making it. Soya is made from tofu manufacturing waste and the fibres produced are incredibly soft and, feeling similar to cashmere; it is often combined with organic cotton. Linen is made from flax fibres and is durable and strong; it is also highly absorbent and good for garments to keep you cool.
Viscose and Tencel are produced from wood fibre. The traditional viscose process is chemically intensive. Tencel production is less harmful as almost all the solvent used in its production is reused rather than dumped into the ecosystem. Also it is made from sustainably sourced wood.
Plastic from PET bottles can be spun into threads, such as the Sew-all Thread by Gütermann, made from 100% recycled polyester. The spools used for this all-purpose thread can also be recycled. Scanfil has a range of organic thread on eco-friendly wooden spools. If you are using interfacing, Vlieseline has fusible lightweight and medium weight recycled polyester options.
Of course repurposing fabrics into something new is best of all. Happy crafting!
For more information, see:
www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/using-eco-fabrics
www.goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-tencel
www.greenandgrowing.org/sustainable-fabric-eco-clothing
