Go green with your sewing projects, and together we can make a difference in the world!
Grow your own fabric
Recently a friend sent me a link for a video about Allan Brown, who harvests wild stinging nettle to create his own fabric. He makes it look incredibly easy, and I find myself wondering what other plants can be used (I’m based in South Africa so stinging nettles aren’t so common) and whether or not I have the courage to give it a try.
Here’s the video for those who wish to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0SFRIZqkfE
And isn’t it amazing, if we put our minds to it (and managed to find the time) we could really create custom garments from scratch, from the thread up… and can you imagine the money we could save from all that store-bought fabric hoarding – I have at least 15 crates… that’s right CRATES of fabric at any given time. Of course this process can be used for creating balls of yarn for knitting and crochet projects too.
While looking more into the concept of using plants to create fabric, I came across something else that is completely wonderful – GROW YOUR OWN LEATHER IN YOUR KITCHEN! – Suzanne Lee has come up with a method where you can grow your own leather! It’s a wonderful, magical tea that ends in happiness. Here’s her TedTalk video so you can see more on the subject. https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_grow_your_own_clothes
London based designer Suzanne Lee produces fabric from yeast and the same microbes that ferment green tea, resulting in her very unique “BioCouture” collection
And while I dream of finding the time to create all these wonderful things, I must admit for right now, it’s just a little easier for me to pop online or into the nearest fabric store, but perhaps there’s no time like the present to start a new fabric adventure.
For those of you who wish to feel less wasteful (as I myself do) while at the same time “Going Sew Green” but you don’t have the time to manufacture your home grown fabrics, why not take the time to start Upcycling.
The rise of fast fashion in Australia means 6000 kg of clothing is dumped in landfill every 10 minutes.
I recently saw this post which shows the amount of waste created in the Australian fashion industry EVERY 10 MINUTES! Imagine what it must be like all around the world!
This made me want to get into my Up-cycling projects even more. So I eagerly popped onto Facebook to join some groups, and you know what I discovered? Not only are there fabric up-cyclers eagerly creating new projects all over social media, but it is also a viable business. That’s right, Upcycling fabric designers and artists are selling their wares on etsy, and all over the internet. Support these amazing artists and designers and together we can all make a really huge difference in the world.
Check this awesome group across social media and on etsy:
Sew You! Magazine 