More About Fabrics....

I have been over at Green Sage Learning Center, and brought back a ton of information.  This part is a history lesson of sorts.....I am sharing with you.  Those of us who work with textiles and have focused on creating green products to sell need to learn what works for us.  We think green, buy green and sell green in our shops and in our homes.  I have learned that once we start we will walk the talk naturally.

At ecoVogue365 blog there is a lot of hip, up-to date and fun stuff. 

Before 5,000 B.C., experimentation with other natural materials produced the first basic woven fabrics and cloths. Then the first cloths came which consisted of plant fibers from hemp and flax and animal fibers such as wool.

For centuries hand weaving was the only production method. The spinning wheel developed in India and the technology traveled to Europe by the 14th Century. Not until 1733 with the invention of the flying shuttle, and the subsequent need for spinning to keep up with it, did production begin to increase significantly. The invention of the steam engine, and its adoption by the textile industry began the industrial revolution. (uh, oh).

 Conventional synthetic fabrics for the home and office....where we work,  sleep, breathe and spend most of our hours are usually chemically treated for fire retardancy, water- and soil-repellancy and permanent press qualities — all of which can outgas VOCs (or volatile organic compounds).

Sustainability criteria include textiles that are not made or treated with hazardous chemicals, use no formaldehyde nor have VOC-emitting materials. 

We can look for  natural fiber fabrics — some are manufactured to be biodegradable (for example felt byproducts sold to Swiss farmers who use it as insulation for their crops), or specify fabrics made from recycled content or are recyclable (such as recycled polyesters and nylons).

Over 4 million tons of post-consumer textiles enter the waste stream every year, mostly going to landfill. Only 1 million tons are collected for recycling. About 25,000 tons of new textile fiber is disposed of each year by manufacturers and mills. 

 Be sure to check out the Green Teams on Etsy and shop there often.  Shop using keywork TeamEcoEtsy sellers are committed to reusing, recycling, fair trade, creating with sustainable fabrics, going paperless,

Bamboo....did you know?

I have talked about bamboo before, but I am putting out a little more information.


Ok...here we go...... DID YOU KNOW?

Bamboo is better for you:

• Fabric made from bamboo is incredibly soft That's just the way it is, naturally. Wearing a bamboo T-shirt for example, is like wearing cashmere, but for next to the skin. 

• Bamboo fabric is smooth and luxuriously comfortableAt a microscopic level, bamboo fibre has a round surface.  Because of this, it’s very smooth and sits perfectly next to the skin.  Petrol based synthetic fibres can sometimes irritate the skin and they also start to smell really quickly

• ‘Bamboo Dry’ – absorbs and evaporates sweat in a split second.  It doesn’t stick to the skin.  Its extraordinary natural breathability keeps you comfortable and dry for longer.

• ‘Bamboo Thermo-control’ – bamboo fabric is highly breathable in hot weather and also keeps you significantly warmer in the cold.  Keeping you more comfortable in all temperatures -  ‘Air conditioned clothing’

• Bamboo clothing is anti static, so it sits very well next to your skin, not clinging to it.  It's also UV protective (it cuts out 98% of harmful UV rays) and anti fungal, so it's just better, whether it's on you in the Alps or stuffed at the bottom of your bag for days on end.

And it gets better.....better for the environment:

• Bamboo is 100% naturally grown, without assistance from man. Bamboo is 100% sustainable

• Bamboo thrives naturally without using any pesticides or fertilizers

• Bamboo fibre is 100% biodegradable

• As the fastest growing plant in the world, bamboo grows to its maximum height in about 3 months and reaches maturity in 3-4 years.  It spreads rapidly across large areas.  Because of this, bamboo is known to improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas of land.

• As a grass, bamboo is cut, not uprooted, also helping soil stability.  Bamboo also can grow on hill slopes where nothing else is viable.

• The yield (i.e. the amount of product) you get from an acre of bamboo is 10 times greater than the yeld you get from cotton.  In an age where land use is under enormous pressure this is huge.That an acre of bamboo supplies about 10 times more fibre than an acre of cotton?  Without using any pesticides at all.  Or fertilizers.

• The water requirement for bamboo is minute, mainly just from what falls.  As opposed to cotton, whose water requirement per shirt's-worth is huge.

• If clothing made from bamboo becomes popular, it means more bamboo plantations, which means more photosynthesis and less greenhouse gas.  “The greatest challenge facing mankind” would get just a little easier.

In contrast.....

• Synthetic performance fabrics are made from petrochemicals, a non-renewable fossil fuel. They go to make clothes which get smelly really quickly. 

Clothing made from bamboo is nature's answer to our needs for everyday fabric, in an environmentally sustainable form.  It's just our luck that it's so much better as well!

My family wears bamboo clothing,  we use bamboo sheets and towels, I use bamboo batting and fabric in my quilts and bags that I make for Etsy.  If you visit my shop, you will  see that I also use organic cotton, hemp and linen.

Some more about fabrics...

Modal

My quest continues to learn more about fiber and what it means to all of us....from an environmental and economic view.  I deal with fabric every day..... I make quilts and bags, I shop for it,  I read about it and I have blogged about it. Back in June, I came across information that led to a fiber epiphany ..... I was aghast at what I found and so I blogged about the what I found.  


Recently a friend asked me about modal...if I knew what it was.  Had no clue....so I googled around a bit and found some information - not only on modal but some other fabrics as well.  Thought y'all might  be interested in this site www.envirofabrics.net ...here is a little of what I found there.


Silk.....an easily dyed fiber that retains its shape; cool to wear in the Summer and warm in the Winter.....

Wool......a hearty fiber that’s light weight; naturally wrinkle and dirt resistant as well as absorbs moisture

Linen/Flax.......70% cellulosic, it absorbs as much as 20 times its weight in humidity before feeling damp. Linen fibers are naturally non-allergenic, antistatic and antibacterial

Cashmere.....a luxurious goat wool imported from Central Asia

Viscose....called an artificial silk, it has a silk-like aesthetic with superb drape and feel. Viscose is moisture absorbent, abrasion resistant and low in pilling.

ProModal^® ....a blend of TENCEL^® and Modal^® fibers combining Modals soft hand with Tencels moisture absorption's skin sensitive properties and strength. With ProModal^® you can feel nature. The fiber blend is extracted from wood. Timber from sustainable grown forest plantations have a much lower impact on the environment than cotton, consuming 10 to 20 times less water than cotton.

Modal LP^®......a 100% Modal for garment dyers that will greatly diminish the pilling and hairiness effect associated with regular Modal in garment dyeing.

Supima Cotton/MicroModal^®......if hand and softness is needed for drapability, then the intimate blending of two yarns creates an unbeatable product. Buttery soft knit fabrics in a variety of stitches and colors.

Triblend......using a combination of polyester/cotton and Rayon intimate blended to form textural yarns. Used in a variety of coarse gauge sweater knits for contemporary fashion.

Bamboo 101

I looooove this fibre....yummy and soft, no wrinkle, wash hang to dry....t shirts, sheets and towels.  Sweet!


Bamboo fabric (truly viscose-from-bamboo) is made from the pulp of bamboo grass. It's softer than cotton, has a gorgeous drape & a silky feel that looks luxurious but feels like pajamas! I do enjoy an occassional indulgence in the ultra-soft bamboo fabrics. Oh, how the soft fabric cradles my body and how it makes me feel...

Because it grows so fast - 1-3 feet every 24 hours - bamboo is one of the most renewable resources on the planet. It also produces 40% more oxygen than a hardwood forest on the same amount of land.

Bamboo is also "naturally organic." Bamboo grows like a weed (people who plant bamboo in their yard can attest to this fact after their yard becomes a bamboo forest!) and it doesn't need any pesticides, fertilizers or irrigation to enhance it's prolific growth. This is a huge step up from cotton, which requires the intensive use of pesticides & irrigation (even organic cotton - yes, organic farms still have to use pesticides, they just have to be approved. Not to mention the irrigation

Used in everything from flooring and construction to bed sheets, bamboo is quickly becoming a popular choice for environmentally conscious people around the globe.

But above all else, people continue to be amazed at how comfortable bamboo clothing is. Like a blend of silk and cashmere, viscose from bamboo feels great on the skin. Bamboo also has a benefit that silk and cashmere will never have... it's cruelty-free! That makes bamboo clothing perfect for vegetarians!

J.Dewberry-Almond

J.Dewberry-Almond,
originally uploaded by Maria Elena Designs.

This fabric in this colorway is really hard to find. Do you anyone still selling it?

Flikr Photo Of The Day

AggieRay
originally uploaded by aggieray46.

AggieRay Designs has come up with a real head-turner! Aside from the stunning design of the bag...I love the staging of the photo with the mirror. Beautiful.

In my yard??

,
originally uploaded by la vida compartida....

Are these chairs fab or what?

I want to do this project.http://lavidacompartida.blogspot.com/

Flikr Photo of the Day

Love this series of quilts and the photos from Ashley over at FilmInTheFridge .

Just Listed In My Shop....Look, Look....

What do you think....is this suedecloth bag just green or deep celery....how about basil?

I have just listed this and the Lucy Tote in my shop.  

I love suedecloth, but it is not new to me....But  Laura Gunn’s new fabric line “Lantern Bloom” knocks my sox off and really shows off this bag…or this bag shows of her fabric line. The lining is also from the line. Laura is an artist and this bag, inside and out, looks like a painting. The aqua background really makes the orange Chinese Lantern Flowers pop.

Our Bag Is Done!

Here is photo of finished frame clutch using the fabric you voted for.







There are a couple of things to add.  I topstitched around the top of the bag to give it some structure.  My thinking was that it would to into the channel of the frame more easily.  It does.

Then, I remembered reading somewhere in my research to apply some masking tape to the edge to keep the glue off the fabric.

...zoom in on the photo on the left

and notice the glue on the frame.  You can

remove this easily with nail polish remover and

a Q-Tip.  And from your hands as wel.

Finally, thank you all for following along both on the blog here and over at the Carried Away Bag Team thread.  I will leave it up until someone decides it needs to go.  Thanks especially to Andy, Sherry, Sandra, IslandGirl, SoCalGal, Bagalicious and my DH who worked so hard getting the glue off the bag frames I ruined.

Cheers.