The materials.

What says summer better than a pile of super-soft, beyond beautiful, vintage linen. Nothing!
(Okay, raspberry popsicles maybe - but who's counting?)

The tools.

This strange beast, this deep-sea-dweller - is a set of straight jaw locking pliers with a snap setter spot-welded to it's mouth parts. And you know what that means.... Snaps on everything!

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why.
This is hemp/recycled polyester twill.
My impression: Sturdy, but with a beautiful drape. Super soft, changes color in the light - from dark charcoal and indigo to light and silvery, easy to work with, lovely.
The upside: 77% Hemp - an extremely fast growing crop, producing more fiber yield per acre than any other source. (Fewer resources used.) It is commonly grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides. Fabulous. 23% Recycled Polyester - made from post-consumer PET bottles - which, like it or not, seem to be here to stay. Better to use a finite natural resource twice, right? The process of recycling plastic into polyester fiber is less energy intensive and emits less carbon dioxide than the production of virgin polyester fiber. And it keeps some bottles out of the landfill.
The downside: Recycled petrochemicals are still petrochemicals. Made in China (but, with considerable disclosure about the factory's employee and environmental policies).
So there you have it - imperfect. Better than lots of stuff.
And! Listen to this short (4:35) piece about recycled polyester and cost, climate change, and one percent of the cotton in the world and stuff. It's interesting.

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why.
This is "destash" - which seems to be both a verb and a noun. In this case, bits of fabric that friends no longer need or want - things that would have been thrown away otherwise.
The upside: Abundant and free. It's got a bit of randomness to it, which I like. Plus, there's the fun of trying to figure what the heck she was making when she cut that wacky shape. Is that a collar? For a doll? No idea. It's very "mend and make do," which is somewhat satisfying.
The downside: Read all about conventionally produced cotton here. And, I suppose, random cast-offs, weirdly cut could be seen as a negative. There you have it - imperfect.

The Materials.

This just in - a roll of the hemp/lyocel in PLUM! It's the plummiest.....

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why.
Remember the seventies? Fondly? We certainly knew how to work a pattern back then.
The upside: Already exists in the world, probably in a drawer somewhere. Light cotton fabric, softened with use and washing. Absolutely gorgeous.
The downside: None that I can see. With any vintage piece, there may be holes or other damage to work around. In general, I find that signs or wear, age, and storage add beauty and uniqueness to a piece and will be left in as long as they don't compromise the structure of the final product. In a world of imperfect choices, this is one of the better ones.

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why. Fascinating, right?
This is hemp. Not that kind. This is the hemp webbing I use for tote bag straps. Super-strong and dependable - it will not let you down. It hasn't been bleached or dyed - that's the gorgeous natural color.
The upside: Hemp is an extremely fast growing crop, producing more fiber yield per acre than any other source. (Fewer resources used.) It is commonly grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides.
The downside: Though industrial hemp is a different variety of Cannabis Satvia from marijuana, is cultivated differently, and has a low THC level, it's currently illegal to grow it in the United States. I source this fabric from a small American importer with factories in China, Romania, and Canada. My supplier has a deep knowledge of hemp production, engages in free and fair trade, and answers his own phone.
So there you have it - imperfect, but better than most choices.

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why. Fascinating, right?
This is recycled rubber. It's a broken inner tube from a flat bicycle tire. I wash it and use it to reinforce the grommets on my aprons. Durable and good looking. Put it through the wash and don't worry about it.
The upside: Available at my local bike shop. Free. They were going to throw it away anyway.
The downside: None.

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why. Fascinating, right?
This is hemp. Not that kind. This particular hemp fabric is one of my favorites. It hasn't been bleached or dyed, that's the natural color. At 11 ounces, it feels like an upholstery-weight linen and it's perfect for bags. Super-strong, rugged and soft.
The upside: Hemp is an extremely fast growing crop, producing more fiber yield per acre than any other source. (Fewer resources used.) It is commonly grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides.
The downside: Though industrial hemp is a different variety of Cannabis Satvia from marijuana, is cultivated differently, and has a low THC level, it's currently illegal to grow it in the United States. I source this fabric from a small American importer with factories in China, Romania, and Canada. My supplier has a deep knowledge of hemp production, engages in free and fair trade, and answers his own phone.
So there you have it - imperfect, but better than most choices.

The Materials. (Honestly.)

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why.
This one needs little introduction - it's conventionally produced cotton.
The upside: Inexpensive, easily sourced, abundant variety.
The downside: Cotton is one of the most chemically-intensive crops grown in the world, using pesticides and defoliants that are known human carcinogens. It's bad for wildlife, and for the people who work in the cotton fields or live near them.
How I justify using it: I don't buy much. (Sometimes, though - there's a Liberty of London or an Anna Maria Horner that calls out to me - and I buy it.) What I do buy, I use every centimeter. I will keep and find a use for any scrap more than an inch square. I take "destash" - bits of fabric that friends no longer need or want - things that would have been thrown away otherwise. It's very "mend and make do," which is somewhat satisfying.
It's one of the least best choices (Honestly.) and I choose it the least often. There you have it - imperfect.

 

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why. And then you can have some candy.
This is a vintage tablecloth produced by the Weil and Durrse Company (est. 1924), from their Wilendur line — at least 30 years old, probably more, and in fabulous shape. There are hundreds of Wilendur designs, often featuring a repeating pattern of 14-inch images. This is their "Dogwood" pattern, which dates from the 1950s. I'm going to cut it up and make some aprons and totes out of it.
The upside: Already exists in the world, probably in a drawer somewhere. Heavyweight cotton fabric, softened with use and washing. Absolutely gorgeous pattern - feminine, but simple and modern. I buy a Dogwood tablecloth every time I see one - in yellow, red, grey, forest, and lime green. If you find a black one, let me know. They're rare.
The downside: None that I can see. With any vintage piece, there may be holes or other damage to work around. In general, I find that signs or wear, age, and storage add beauty and uniqueness to a piece and will be left in as long as they don't compromise the structure of the final product. In a world of imperfect choices, this is one of the better ones.
Alright, go have some candy.

The Materials (and the tools).

There's nothing like the right tool for a job to make me swoon. Especially if the tool is a big mallet. Everything begins to look like it could use a grommet. Or two.

The Materials.

The world of textiles is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect choices - so I thought I'd tell you about some of the fabrics I'm using and why. Fascinating, right? Go get a cup of coffee and come back, I'll wait.
This is Hempcel. It's 55% Hemp and 45% Lyocel. It's a new one for me.
My impressions: light and strong, great feel, easy to work with, washes up with a satisfying line-dried-linen-like crinkle, but slightly silky. Lovely.
Sourced from a Colorado-based company where a rep calls me when they're about to run out of something I like. Good sales technique, probably. Also, nice.
The upside: Hemp is an extremely fast growing crop, producing more fiber yield per acre than any other source. (Fewer resources used.) It is commonly grown without the use of pesticides and herbicides. Lyocell is made from renewable wood pulp (eucalyptus) in a closed-loop system that recycles almost all of the chemicals used.
The downside: Made in China (but, with considerable disclosure about the factory's employee and environmental policies). Lyocell production is energy intensive and involves an iffy petrochemical.

So there you have it - imperfect. Worse than some choices. Better than most. Where's my coffee?