I love the idea of making vibrant meaningful art from materials that are locally, organically, and safely sourced- and was shocked to find that we have things in our back yard and grocery that create quality art that’s sure to make your heart thump and hands clap. These videos are of the painting process using poke berry & turmeric paints, made easily by boiling each with some kosher salt for about 45 minutes. I started experimenting with these paints a few months ago and the color has not faded at all- plus you can mix these organic colors together to get more variations. The paint brushes I used are made with human hair (mine and my neighbor’s), a stick and a rubber band to hold the hair in place (you can shape it perfectly with scissors!). The “canvas” is paper sewn together and hung in a tapestry fashion with locally woven organic cotton scraps.

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Now you can take a virtual walk with me through a few of my favorite festival crafts…

It never ceases to amaze my inner child when I see someone has taken funked out metal parts and welds them together to make whimsical creatures. This flying bird monster & friends looks like it all began with a tiny BBQ propane tank.

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This week I got a chance to catch up with Etsy’s eco lingerie designer Clare Bare. Clare has incorporated thrifted & vintage fabrics into all her designs, taking a once tablecloth, bed sheets, curtains or old granny’s nightie and transforms it into retro eco lingerie. If that isn’t earth hugs and kisses enough, she uses organic cotton to line her sexy & imaginative knickers. These are the kind of skivvies that a green crafter can get all gushy over. Clare is obsessed with her pet bunny, felt frustrated with pro-fur classes in fashion school, and gives advice about how to get started making your own upcycled creations.

Who taught you to sew?

When I was in sixth grade, I took a mandatory sewing/cooking class- we learned how to make nachos and duffle bags…need I say more? Our teacher was the biggest nerd- it wasn’t a very serious class, but I took it pretty seriously. I remember everything so vividly- I bought all this white cotton fabric with little blue cows and red hearts printed all over it and a pin cushion that looked like a mouse, and for my final project I made a stuffed animal rabbit! Even though it wasn’t considered “cool,” I secretly loved that class. I didn’t really sew again until high school when a relative passed away and left behind an amazing old Singer home machine with a sewing table and an entire sewing kit full of fabric, thread and trim. I had a friend whose mother is the ultimate homemaker and she taught us basic construction skills such as darts, hems, interfacing, etc. We were inspired at the time mainly by the Victoria’s Secret catalog (and our lack of funds necessary to buy their bikinis) so we would stay up all night sewing, thriving off of our creative energy, then drive to the beach and lay out all day in our creations. Ironically, now I think that Victoria’s Secret makes overpriced, poor quality garments that don’t fit well-I strive to do the opposite of what Victoria’s Secret is doing in so many different ways.

You went to Parsons School of Design in NYC, did your studies there influence your decision to begin designing lingerie?

While I was in school, I pretty much learned more about what I didn’t want to do than what I did want to do. Originally I went to school thinking that I would be a fashion design major, but after foundation year I felt that I couldn’t chose just one thing.

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• It cannot be toxic in any way, even if the substance is natural.
• It has to be in abundance and easily gathered in nature (don’t ever take so much that the plant can’t survive or make seeds.)

I totally hit the jack pot when I walked outside to find that my landlady next door has a plum tree with a gazillion plums that had already fallen to the ground and were being eaten by bugs, rotting, fermenting, gushy etc…

The natural organic dye experiment begins…

Supplies you’ll need to cook your brew:

• Water
• Salt or vinegar
• Cooking pot ( a spare that you don’t use for cooking food)
• Measure cup
• Strainer
• White, off white or light colored natural fabric (linen, organic cotton, wool and silk are best)
• Some sort of plant, flower, berry, root, bark, etc to dye with

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Since I am learning to sew (better) right now and actually don’t own t-shirts I want to cut up I decided to delve into the saucy project #69 “Cinch City” with some organic cotton scrap fabric. I bought my organic cotton for $2 downtown Asheville NC where the Spiritex warehouse sells off the leftovers from their locally woven organic fabric production. (Major score!) The “Cinch City” skirt truly was easy, although they say to only cut one rectangle to make the tube skirt, I actually had to go back in and make more of an angle to fit my waist. To make this skirt all you need is a swatch of organic or upcycled fabric big enough to wrap around your waist & hip, a ribbon, and the most basic sewing skills. It really inspired me to use more drawstring and cinching in my sewing for decorative effect! You can get super creative with this simple design too by making a longer more sultry skirt, instead of the Vegas style mini- or even adding a drawstring cinch at the waistline too so that you can fluctuate in weight and still sport your skirt, well, forever.

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Corn, soy and bamboo are all very similar in texture and feel, being very smooth, silky and soft. The soy was totally easy to work with, in fact it was like a crochet dream come true - it never got caught on the hook like the funky acrylics do, it pulled through so easy my project went twice as fast, and the end product was soft and pretty.  I didn’t get to try my banana fiber yarn yet, but the texture is really fascinating - it looks a little wild, frayed and fun…could possibly get caught on the hook?

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Before I rant anymore about how silly we humans have gotten with our toxic craft inventions, I think I shall go ahead and share this mythical creature I found. Eco Art Works! (Oh my gawd, I hardly know where to begin because this online store has such a cool and interesting selection, every single item is a green crarfters treat.) Eco Art Works crosses barriers between the artist, the crafter, and children to bring a full range of eco art supplies from non toxic professional watercolors, pastels, and paints to organic yarns, beeswax modeling clay, soy crayons and paper making kits. If you aren’t dizzy yet from this Bigfoot-like sighting there’s even more, so hold on to your chair…

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The First Runner Up is Becky, a loyal fan of Crafting A Green World and a wonderfully obsessed crafter who writes the blog Sew & So. Becky’s upcycle fashion is totally awesome cause she is willing to experiment with some really super fugly clothes and manages to  resuscitate life back into their once doomed future. Her ability to take a way out of style bridesmaid’s dress belonging to her mom and turn it into this adorable cocktail dress rocks! For the record, Becky has inspired me to go on an upcycling 8o’s prom dress binge that has been really fun. The Before and After shots of her mad sewing skillz really drive home the point… lame can be made cute.

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The last few years have thankfully brought us far beyond the once confused crunchy DIY & organic wedding designs into a realm where your green wedding dress fantasy will now become a memorable reality. This is a joyful list of craft culture worthy bridal gowns that will not only beautify your celebration but will solidify your environmental beliefs.

For those of you who may cower at the thought of sewing your own organic or upcycle wedding dress, don’t stress- there’s affordable eco designers who will handcraft your dress, plus bridal gowns are available from charities, vintage, or on auction.

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You Will Need:

• One large thrifted or kidnapped scarf
• Wide ribbon
• Stretch lace/Elastic (optional)
• Scissors
• Thread (that either matches your ribbon or is a fun contrasting color)
• Sewing machine or Olympic hand sewing skills

Step One: Choosing- Find, beg, thrift, or steal a scarf that has a pattern you want to flaunt and is made of a comfortable fabric. Avoid overly crunchy polyester fabrics that feel like your 1984 taffeta holiday dress, and lean more towards soft cottons and silk. I found my scarf  for $1 at a local thrift shop that supports ending domestic violence. The organic satin ribbon was already waiting in my craft box.

Step Two: Cutting- In order to get the sizing perfect without having fret over a pattern that may not fit, I use a pair of panties & bra (or) bikini I already have to outline the shape I need. Bikini’s are great for sizing since they usually have side ties and can be taken apart and laid flat for measuring. Remember when cutting that you will be sewing a seam line, so cut a tad wider then the exact outline of your previous lingerie. Note: You can make your new lingerie set have more coverage by cutting the triangle shapes wider, or less coverage by thinning them out even smaller.

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You Will Need:

• legs left over from your last denim craft project
• scissors
• sewing machine or turn of the century hand sewing skills
• thread of a fun contrasting color

 STEP #1: Choosing - I chose legs from two different stone washed jeans to make subtle contrasting stripes, but you can use any number scrap colors. You can also go for the mono color look, and let the thread be your main contrast.

STEP #2: Cutting - Now is the time to lay out those jean legs and cut them open. You will want to save the thick seams for the straps of the bag, so cut directly up the seams on both sides and remove them. Then cut 9 rectangles at 13inch X 5 inch  ( you can make them larger or smaller if you’d like to change the size of the bag, as long as every rectangle is the same exact size.)

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Supplies Needed

:

• Funky jeans past their prime (beyond patching or your style threshold)
• Scissors
• Sewing machine or mad hand sewing skills
• Thread of any color you enjoy

Step one: Choosing

Use either old jeans, or thrift jeans that you really love the color of but you just don’t wear that MC Hammer style anymore. Just make sure the jeans fit your hip or waist where you plan to wear the skirt.

Step two: Length

I like mine short, and I measure it against a skirt I already own that is the length I like by laying them flat on top one another. It’s a good idea to start with a longer length, since you can always go back and cut it shorter. Decide whether you want it to hit your knee, mid thigh, or super high.

Step three: Cutting

Once you know the length, cutting will be easy. Cut straight across both the legs at the length measured and wa-la, now you have some jean shorts! But you want a sexy mini, so take the scissors and begin cutting the inner seam line and cut open the crotch of the jeans. Then cut along the front seam up to the zipper. (If you made your skirt longer you may want to cut along the back seam 2-3 inches, so it doesn’t pucker in the back when you sew it back together.)

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