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.

Many of the projects in the book are also no sew, and so basic you will want to giggle. What’s even cooler is in the second half of the book they show you how to take all your tiny scraps and make hair pieces, fabric flowers, earrings, and shag-a-delic rugs so that nothing goes to waste. If that isn’t amazing enough, the finale project is an entire upcycled wedding dress made entirely from 6 white t-shirts!

 I give this book a green crafty star for being so environmentally friendly and resourceful, and for inspiring it’s reader (like me) to think of even more ways to use up the things we think are crafting garbage. If you now feel like you have to have this book (and I agree that you do), keep with your eco-minded style and buy it used or see if your local library carries a copy.

Have you made any creations using t-shirts or fabric scraps? Tell us about it and send pics of them at craftingagreenworld@greenoptions.com! We love to see what you’re crafting green <3 !

It has gone beyond being relegated to the novel and expanded into all other aspects of art and design, making it’s way into fashion as well. The style is most often characterized by the use of found and repurposed objects, open circuitry and exposed gear cogs. There is also a blog devoted to all things steampunk called The Steampunk Workshop.

The mentality of do-it-yourself, that is pervasive within steampunk, is what helps this aesthetic cross into green culture. The clothes, jewelry and moded phones and computers are all created with vintage or thrifted items to achieve the proper “look.”

Growing up, my mother had several pieces of jewelry that she no longer wore. Not wanting to get rid of them because several pieces had sentimental value, she searched out what to do with the hardly worn items.

She happened upon a woman that would take old jewelry and recreate miscellaneous items into beautiful new pendents and pins from the old. My mother had at least two pieces created from this woman. The resulting products contained gem stones, pearls and gear parts from old watches. Who knew that my mother was at the beginning of an aesthetic culture called steampunk?

Adjowah Brodi of the Weekend Store offers beautiful handmade items typical of steampunk, such as cufflinks made from old watch parts and bracelets made from old watch faces.

Etsy is also chock full of steampunk influenced handmade items. Dust Design Co offers beautiful pendents (pictured above) and rings, also made from vintage watch parts. They are simply elegant in their nakedness.

Steampunk characteristics have also found a home in clothing too. Check out Bonzie, who specializes in thrifted and upcycled fabrics to create steampunk clothes. I am currently enamored with their antique tapestry jeans jacket (pictured), made with antique fabrics and frilly lace trim.

Image credit: Dust Design Co and Bonzie, respectively.

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.

The Crowning Queen of Upcycled Fashion is the lovely Suzannah **hands over a dozen organic roses and vintage tiara**. She hails from Vermont where she has been “obsessively making oodles of clothes from recycled and organic fabric” and with colorful, fun, and innovative results. Suzannah manages to find really vibrant upcycle fabrics and chooses wonderful combinations of these bright hues to make the style of her clothes really pop out.  You can see clearly in her creations how she makes use of scrap fabrics and the simplicity of design lends to current yet timeless pieces - and timeless is superb for the environment. Doesnt that sun dress & tank look so perfect for this hot summer inferno? Congrats to Suzannah!

Thanks for sending in all your awesome pictures and please send more. It’s so much fun to share crafting achievements, especially when they give momentum to the green crafts movement!

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.

DIY: If you are the type of grrrl who has the sewing skills that can pay the bills you may just want to consider the intimacy & loving quality of creating your very own wedding dress. You will be able to choose all your own eco safe fabrics, save plenty green in your wallet for your biodegradable ecofetti & wedding favors, and be super proud to wear your handcrafted eco lux gown.

Get some DIY bridal inspiration from the Stitch Lounge, where Hope shows her step by step experience. If sewing your own dress makes your knees feel weak and your blood pressure rise, you can hire your local seamstress who will whip up your pretty dream dress from that coveted picture you tore from Brides Mag or a pattern (look for vintage patterns on e-bay and at local thrift stores). Purchase the organic fabrics online from a store like Near Sea Naturals who sells swatches and samples so you can actually touch it before you decide what you want. The types of fabric with the most traditional look and feel would be hemp/silk blends, tencel or eco silk, but many ladies are branching out with bamboo, organic cotton blends, and hemp linen.

UPCYCLE: This is where the imagination can run wild and free the way it should. Anywhere from creating your own eco couture design (without a couture price tag), forgoing expensive fabrics for something cheap, already used, embellished, with seams in place- to creating a simple elegant design based on that almost perfect dress you saw at your local thrift. Remember what Molly Ringwald did with Lona’s fru fru prom dress in Pretty In Pink? Hell yeah!

A great place to start is good ole’ Ebay for a crazy amount of used & vintage wedding gowns - some priced as low as $9, that’s totally cheap! You or your seamstress can transform these old bridal gowns (from the thrift, your mom’s closet, Brides Against Breast Cancer, or in the local classifieds) into new one of a kind creations, and leave almost no environmental footprint behind. Hint: Personally I find, the weirder the wedding dress is to start off with the further you will have to push your design and the better the end product will be.

HANDMADE JUST FOR YOU: There are fabulous eco designers out there who have already designed an array of organic & eco friendly wedding gowns and are just waiting for your measurements to sew one for you. The prices range from $250 to over $3,000, all of which are made specifically for you. This is an important environmental factor, because the traditional wedding dress industry pumps out tons of gowns that may or may not ever be bought or worn & are made from toxic materials causing a serious environmental impact. The eco designers listed below use only the most environmentally safe fabrics & practices.

1.Designer Rene Geneva makes incredible, show stopper, eco wedding gowns and corsets (as pictured here with corset)- using sustainable materials such as hemp, organic cotton, and eco silk. This is for the high end eco wedding, these ethical bridal dresses can price well into $3,000 range- but holy crap they are awesome!
2. Get Conscious makes extraordinary eco wedding gowns for every genre, from the clean lined strapless, to the flowy Marilyn Monroe, Flamingo Dancing, Mermaid, and various other fun designs. Seriously, these dresses have character! Their prices start around $630 and go up well into $2,000 range for their eco couture styles. They also carry bridesmaid & groom gear.
3. Thread Head Creations -Choices! Choices! At Thread Head Creations you can choose from a handful of organic bridal dress already designed, alter these designs, or even work one on one with designer Rai-Lynne to design your very own dream dress. All materials used are sustainable fabrics like hemp/silk blends. These dresses are very affordable (as far as organic weddings go) starting at $475.
4. Isadora (eco Etsy artist) has designed a beautiful stylish bamboo wedding gown that is absolutely gorgeous! This is for the wedding goddess in you. It runs about $750, which for an all eco wedding gown is rather comparably priced to a traditionally made gown (aka-sweatshop/bad for the earth). Plus when the wedding is over, this dress can be dyed and cut to be an adorable timeless cocktail dress.
5. Wholly JO - Custom made eco wedding dress created exactly the way you want it, by someone who lovingly will help you design just the right one for you. Only drawback for gals in the USA is this designer is based in the UK - Prices start around $600. Check out her picture gallery for inspiration! For those in the USA, try Olivia Luca who provides the same personalized service as the UK’s Wholly Jo.
6. Gaia Conceptions is an eco designer on Etsy, her organic wedding dress is made with locally grown and milled organic cotton, this is a simple formal wedding gown that you can have custom designed, starting with this basic example. Priced at only $250!
7. Spiritex - A North Carolina based organic clothing/fabric maker, Spiritex has added organic, bamboo, hemp and silk wedding gowns & bridesmaid gowns to their collection. Call to order & ask questions (828-254-8949) because their designs are absolutely stunning. A must see for the eco-bride!
8. The Frock - Exquisite, stunning, fabulous vintage wedding dresses, that would make a drag queen shed tears! What could be more earth lovin’ then a gown long since been made, like since the 1920’s. These though are not cheap, running $1,000 and way up. The selection is 16 pages long, and every gown is a complete showstopper.
9. Blue Sky Bridal (for wedding accessories) - an eco esty store that carries pretty organic & vintage & upcycled wedding veils, wraps, and corsets. Prices start as low as $35. While your at Blue Sky Bridal, go ahead and search Etsy for all the lovely handmade wedding gear a crafty girl could want.

Now go and get married in your saucy planet friendly wedding gown! Don’t forget to write us and tell your DIY wedding story @ craftingagreenworld@greenoptions.com .

Images: Spiritex, Stitch Lounge, Isadora, My Corset

Though I was not 100% reassured by what I found, there are at least some safety regulations in place for arts and craft supplies, and fusible web does meet those standards. So let’s move on to my next challenge: assess the environmental impact.

The environmental impact of many products is pretty evident. Oil is a non-renewable resource and it creates toxins when you burn it, so I think it’s a no-brainer to bubble in “No” on the sustainability question in the answer booklet. Bottled water exchanges an efficient public delivery system for an inefficient private one and creates a massive pile of barely recyclable containers.

Fusible web, though, isn’t as immediately apparent to me. Obviously, any product that is manufactured (unless it’s Cradle to Cradle certified, Autumn reminded me) uses up resources and thus isn’t as environmentally benign as going without or re-using something that was already made. But beyond the issues posed by using any manufactured product, is there anything else going on with fusible web that is praiseworthy or less so?

Unlike what I found when I looked for safety information, I only found one online resource concentrated on environmental impact of using art and craft supplies. Pollution Prevention for Arts Education by the Pollution Prevention Regional Information Center, jointly operated by the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), contains tips and information on non-toxic and least toxic supplies and disposal issues. There are no federal laws yet requiring that arts and craft supplies, or anything else, be assessed for their environmental impact throughout the product’s lifecycle, so there’s no uniform standard. Unless the product has some kind of eco certification label on it, manufacturers probably aren’t addressing the issue, and even if it’s labeled you don’t necessarily know what that label means without additional research.So I set out to answer four basic questions on my own:

• What is it?
• How is it made? (What are the ingredients, process, and waste products?)
• What happens when you throw it away?
• Is there anything better we could use?

Though what I found is specific to fusible web, answering these four questions about any product should be a good start in understanding whether a product is green or not so much.

What is it?

First stop, the manufacturer’s websites. The Steam A Seam website yields no clues. The Stitch Witchery website offers this: “Stitch Witchery is a polyamide fusible web that permanently bonds two layers of fabric together.” Polyamides, says Wikipedia, can occur naturally but are also produced artificially. Polyamides are a type of plastic, and more specifically they are what’s known as a semi-crystalline plastic. One of the main synthetic polyamides is nylon, which leads me to believe that fusible web is fairly related to nylon. I found several other articles in various places that describe nylon as the trade name for polyamides, so I’m going to proceed under the assumption that I can evaluate fusible web by evaluating nylon.

How is it made?

If I were going to make fusible web, what would I buy? (Aside from a factory.) What process would I use to make it? What waste would be generated? I’ve always seen people saying that synthetic fabrics are less environmentally friendly than natural ones, but I didn’t really know what that meant.

The Chemical Heritage Foundation, “dedicated to preserving and promoting the progress of science,” has an educational website called “Spinning the Elements: Wallace Carothers and the Nylon Legacy.” It says this about the manufacturing process:

… adipic acid is mixed with hexamethylene diamine at room temperature… The nylon salt is then purified. This nylon salt is a crystalline solid. When the time to make nylon comes, one just has to heat the nylon salt to over 285 ^oC, and it reacts to become nylon polymer.

Back to Wikipedia. Adipic acid was historically made from fats, but now it’s made from cyclohexane. Cyclohexane “cannot easily be obtained from natural resources such as coal” and must be manufactured from benzene or petroleum using other chemicals. The International Chemical Safety Card for cyclohexane is really scary as far as health effects and risk of explosion, but the Australian fact sheet on cyclohexane seems to indicate that environmentally it’s not that bad. Hexamethylene diamine is “highly toxic and can cause serious injuries.” It’s made from adiponitrile. If follow adiponitrile back in the process, you’re looking at a petrochemical origin.

Anyone else having a sinking feeling?

After I did all of that Wikipedia-ing, I did a little more digging to see if I got it right. How “Green” is Your Gear? The Environmental Impact of Nylon by Geoffrey Skinner, written in the Spring of 2000, discusses an article in the National Outdoor Leadership School’s newsletter The Leader from 1999 and a 1998 article in the respected journal Science. Skinner reports that the manufacture of nylon, from petroleum products, involves the release of pollutant nitrous oxide. A method for reducing the nitrous oxide emissions had been developed, but at the time of his article it was more expensive and not in wide use.

UK website GreenChoices describes nitrous oxide as “a greenhouse gas 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide” and notes that nylon manufacture uses a lot of energy. A 1991 paper in Science estimated that manufacture of nylon may account for 10% of the increase in atmospheric nitrous oxide, which contributes to destruction of ozone.

Is this a rigorous scientific review on my part? No. Is it enough for me to get the gist? Yes.

What happens when you throw it away?

Nylon doesn’t biodegrade, and we know that’s bad. Nylon carpet has some possibilities for recycling, but I didn’t find any other examples of nylon recycling and it gives off toxic fumes when incinerated. Ugh. Granted, fusible web, like many arts and craft supplies, is made to be used up and not tossed out.

Is there anything better we could use?

I got rid of all my son’s plastic toys, bottles, and dishes this past weekend, because I had finally decided that it was worth my peace of mind to replace them with wood, glass, and cloth (preferably thrifted or handmade). I guess the question for each crafter, like each parent, is when a product is bad enough that you’re willing to give it up. Fusible web and nylon are made from petrochemicals and create toxic byproducts, which doesn’t count as sustainable in anyone’s book.

Applique was not born with the invention of fusibles, and people somehow made clothes before fusible interfacing was available. How much is the convenience of fusibles worth?

In my post about the Amish and green quilting, I mentioned that quilters often point to the t-shirt quilt as a great example of recycling. However, the dominant method for stabilizing t-shirts so they can be easily pieced into a quilt is to back them with fusible web. (It’s like in Autumn’s post about making a bag out of playing cards, when she observed that a major component of that “recycled” craft project was duct tape and laminate.) Not all knits are fused before they’re sewn, or my cotton tank tops would be awfully stiff, so I imagine that there would be a way to make these quilts without fusibles. It would just make the sewing (a lot) more difficult.

I have a t-shirt quilt in waiting upstairs, and I have already purchased the fusible web for it, so I’m going to make it. Throwing the stuff away won’t un-do the damage caused by its manufacture. But I’m going to think long and hard about whether it’s worth making another one.

Once you begin deconstructing fulgy clothing you will find that all the supplies you need are right there! Elastic, yarn, lace, and a plethora of fabrics & patterns to choose from- to mix, match and create your own indie style beauty.

My first project was this strapless sun dress, which started out as a clogger riverdance puff sleeve frill collared mess. I took apart the top half of the dress, sewed the belt in(which ties in back), and then added the button trim from another old yellow polka dot top.I think it’s agreed that no one wants to wear that heavy 70’s polyester fabric anymore, since it is like wearing a non breathable chemical suit (think boy in the bubble), but vintage polyester can make fabulous trim on hemlines, seamlines, and anywhere you want to add pizazz! Next I want to tackle some of those 80’s prom dresses!

Share your reconstruction ideas here, and if you have  cool pictures of your eco construct email us here at craftingagreenworld@greenoptions.com so we can ogle your skills and feature our favorite one!

Photo/Image: Amour Sans Anguish, Supayana

My favorite jeans have finally died, and before I saw Gavin’s post I was planning to start a denim quilt. Denim quilts are heavy duty for picnics and playing on at the park, and I was just at Goodwill this past weekend so I’m inspired by the availability of cheap denim that needs a second chance at life.

Then I started to think about my “dead” jeans from a green point of view. The mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle doesn’t include the word “repair,” but it probably should. Reducing is best, reusing or repairing is good, recycling is a last resort. I had decided to recycle my jeans rather than repair them because I had this notion that patched jeans look “run down.” It’s like I’ve been trained by society that if a repair is visible, it makes the garment worthless.

Let’s get serious, people. I am a stay-at-home / work-at-home mother of an eight month old baby. I spend most of my waking hours in my own house. I get spit up on a lot. I crawl around on the floor to retrieve pacifiers and toys. Who the heck is going to put me on What Not To Wear for sporting a pair of patched jeans? I thrifted a “new” pair to replace them for going out, but if I can get more life out of the old ones, why not do it? Also, that way the new ones won’t be worn every day and they’ll last longer for occasions nicer than than cleaning pureed sweet potato out of someone’s hair.

I’m not saying that I’m going to spend all day in clothes I hate in order to be green, but I think it’s time for me to fight my way out of the trap that equates repaired with flawed.

At this point you may be thinking “Um, excuse me, wasn’t the title of this post DENIM QUILTS?”

Yes! Even though my favorite jeans aren’t going to be included, I still want to make a denim quilt.

The Goodwills in my town don’t sort jeans by size, so it’s way too time consuming trying to find some to wear. It’s more fun to pick them out for craft projects. I’ve been to the “overflow” discount shop where I saw how many they’re trying to get rid of that didn’t even make it into the store, so I know they’re not running short on jeans for people who are actually trying to buy clothes to wear.

I’ve been looking for inspiration, though, because I’m in a quilting rut lately. I keep falling back on unplanned scrap quilts or large squares just to get a project done instead of putting time into finding or designing a pattern I will be delighted to look at. A lot of denim quilts are rag quilts, which I don’t personally care for, or they look a little bit country to me.

So I went to look around for other options, and I thought I’d share a roundup of some of the beautiful denim quilts I found.

• Denim Quilt (2000) by Sandra J. Loosemore
• The Freebox Jeans Quilt, a work in progress at The Daily Dabbler.
• Denim Workclothes Quilt #1 and DenimWorkclothes Quilt #2, vintage quilts owned by Flickr user m.ruth
• Workingman’s Quilt by Ellen Sohn
• Random Blues by Flickr user sholridge mixes denim with other blues. Here’s a shot of the whole quilt.
• This mixed denim and scrap baby quilt by Flickr user cvkasdan could be adapted to other types of fabric. I’m thinking Japanese indigos.
• Jim’s Quilt by Brandy Agerbeck is made out of cords instead of jeans.
• Stepping Out In Denim by Flavin Glover looks a bit grey and fuzzy in the photo, but I’m loving the log cabin adaptation.

So that ought to help me get out of the quilting blahs. First, though, to patch my jeans…

“Crows make use of tools in their daily activities. They learn as they live- they adapt. Crows also come to the aid of unrelated crows in need or distress. Here are some resources to help you learn, adapt and help others in our world.”

Or maybe I should speak just for myself. My name is Skye, and I collect craft books. My collection is very small when compared to some people’s (hello Jessica, are you reading this?), but it contains books for quilting projects that I likely will never undertake. Celtic knot applique using bias strips, crazy landscape piecing techniques, etc. It’s like I have a fantasy craft life that is totally divorced from my real craft life, which is mostly concerned with making baby quilts for other people’s children.

Now I’m branching out into non-quilting books as well. One of the books that is about to add itself to my collection - note the use of passive voice to imply that it’s not my fault - is the eco-fabulous Second Time Cool: The Art of Chopping Up a Sweater by by Anna-Stina Linden Ivarsson, Katarina Brieditis, and Katarina Evans.

I know that getting books from the library is the greener option, but at some point the Austin Public Library is going to get sick of me having their book out all the time and want a few words with me.

The fun, funky projects in Second Time Cool include skirts, hats, scarves, jewelry, gloves, slippers, and bags. It’s intended for teens, which is why many of the projects are too cool for me, but there’s plenty there for a 30-something mom as well. Everything I need to know is included, from felting and deconstructing a sweater to adding embellishments to the final piece. I have heady visions of the wonderful recycled sweater crafts I will create after rummaging through Goodwill during the three weeks a year when they actually put wool sweaters out for sale here in Texas.

Or will I?

Does anyone? Second Time Cool is lauded across the web for its style and possibilities, but out of all the people who bought it, did anyone actually make anything? I can’t find sales figures, but its sales rank on Amazon is 554,476. For reference, the cookbook from reality show The Biggest Loser is 18, and one of my husband’s obscure books is ranked 1,964,912. So let’s assume that a reasonable number of people bought Second Time Cool.

After careful research, I have found dramatic evidence that at least THREE people on the planet have actually completed a project using Second Time Cool as inspiration. I would now like to pay tribute to those brave souls.

First up is Aimee Owen at Wardrobe Refashion. She actually did turn a sweater into a skirt. Aimee, we salute you!

Flickr user vasilisa also turned a sweater into a skirt, adding a crocheted hem and a ribbon at the waist. Impressive!

Last but not least, it turns out that the staff at Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon is full of crafters. Who knew? Tracey of Powell’s made some sexy wrist cuffs, which she wears inside at her desk. Tracey, congratulations! And tell your employers to turn on the heat.

All joking aside, craft books are yummy, and buying them new supports crafters and authors. Buying them used is greener. Either way, frequenting your local independent and used bookstores is good for you and your community.

And I am heartened to discover that making a project from a book is not just an empty dream.

Related Posts:

• Upcycle!, about another “trash into treasure” must-have book
• Recycle Sweaters Into Yarn
• Top 5 Must-Have DIY Sewing Tomes

For 6 months (that started at the end of January), Marks & Spencer (M&S) have joined forces with Oxfam to set up a clothing exchange. Designed with the dual purpose of encouraging people to recycle clothes and raise money for Oxfam’s work, customers who donate M&S clothes to Oxfam will receive a voucher £5/€7, valid for one month, to use with their next purchase of £35/€50 or more. Although buying new clothes paid for with old clothes isn’t the best way of doing things in my opinion, it’s certainly not a bad way of encouraging people to recycle clothes if they are planning on buying more anyway. And perhaps they’ll find something they like in Oxfam!

This is part of M&S’s Plan A - a five year, 100 point “eco-plan” that also includes charging for plastic bags. It’s nice to see a retailer with firm actions in place and a willingness to do them. Their five pillars, to achieve by 2012, are:

• Become carbon neutral
• Send no waste to landfill
• Extend sustainable sourcing
• Help improve the lives of people in our supply chain
• Help customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle

What do you think?

1. Essentials – air, water and food… products and processes for human survival.
2. Clothing —  what to wear!
3. Shelter — spaces and places for living and working. 
4. Energy — a power-full life. 
5. Health —  healing and feeling good.
6. Conversion — waste not, want not, have more… from composting to upcycling.
7. Materials — elemental building blocks: biological and technical.
8. Tools — making things easier.
9. Movement — getting there.
10. Connection — we are not alone: direct and indirect communication; knowledge; governance.
11. Play — having fun along the way! 

The Canadian media mavens at GreenLivingOnline.com have allowed me to share my interview with Heather and Wendy, which was first published on GLO a few weeks ago. Keep reading for all the juicy details about the past, present and future of Passenger Pigeon - and eco-fashion as a whole!

The label was previously named Calledyourbluff and was changed to Passenger Pigeon when the brand began using sustainable textiles. Why did the collection change to eco-fabrics? Do you find working with sustainable fibers to be more limiting when coming up with designs?

Wendy: Do we feel limited? Yes and no. In the past we’ve dyed fabric because it only came in beige, and the very reason we use prints so much is because much of the available fabric is quite basic. Working within these limitations means that we have to get pretty creative sometimes, but I think that’s where the charm of our line comes from.

There’s actually a good range of eco-friendly textiles, especially for more casual fabrics like knits and twill. The one thing that we would like to see more of is affordable organic wool and other heavier fabrics for winter. However, it seems every week we get new, exciting swatches from different suppliers. There seems to be a lot happening in the textile industry to develop beautiful, new, sustainable fabrics.

Heather: A common theme found in my art work while I studied for my BFA was that of solid waste and responsibility with material use. After graduation, and during the first year of selling clothing and accessories I had made to local stores, this theme kept resurfacing within my mind. So, in order to curb my sense of guilt for manufacturing goods that would inevitably end up in the landfill, I opted to use materials that had a lighter bearing on the environment during their production and manufacturing. In addition, once these materials do decompose, they will leach a lot less back into the environment than their non-organic heavily dyed counterparts. I love making clothes and other items and being green alleviates my guilt for doing so!

In many ways, working with sustainable fibers is more limiting, for there is much less to work with, and fewer colors to choose from. However, in some ways this makes it easier for me and Wendy, since our decision process is that much shorter. I only wish there were more eco-liners (lightweight fabrics to line clothing) as well as more affordable organic wools (and I so miss working with herringbone and hound’s tooth woven wools!!)

Do you find people often asking you about the plight of the passenger pigeon, your brands’ namesake and a now extinct species?

Wendy: A lot of people ask about where the name came from. I’m surprised the story isn’t better known, so we end up telling it often. I love the part about passenger pigeons being so plentiful that when they flew by people held up umbrellas as protection from their droppings. I still think it’s just the perfect name for our company. It works as a great reminder that some of our resources are finite and we have to preserve them.

Heather: I have been surprised to find out that very few people are aware of the Passenger Pigeon. Wendy and I often find ourselves educating people about this extinct species. The plight of the Passenger Pigeon is found on our website as well as in Wikipedia and other websites dedicated to this fine bird. [Editor’s note: The Smithsonian has an excellent web page devoted to the bird.]

You design, screen-print and sew everything in Toronto. Do you find it more expensive to keep your production local or is the cost similar to what you would pay to have the goods made elsewhere and then shipped back to you?

Wendy: We know other designers who have made the move offshore for production, and we can’t believe how cheap it can be done! Despite all the shipping involved, producing garments offshore is undoubtedly cheaper than producing them in Toronto. It means that our garments work out to be more expensive than mass produced clothing that you find in the malls. However, our prices are competitive with other locally made clothing lines. Although it is sometimes tempting to cut production costs so dramatically, supporting local economies is a major priority for us. For us it goes hand in hand that we avoid exploitation, both of the environment and laborers.

Heather: We have never considered sending our clothing off shore. We believe in supporting local industry, and we try to keep shipping to a minimum. However, we have compared notes with other local designers who do produce off shore, and their costs are lower.

Between the two of you, your college careers involved studying sociology, photography, print making, drawing and painting - how did the two of you team up to make an eco-fashion line?

Wendy: Heather and I met through friends a few years ago, as she was transitioning into an exclusively eco-friendly clothing line. I was really inspired by the direction she was taking. She had always talked about wanting a hand with pattern making and garment design and I had graduated from a course in just that. I guess we were both drawn to each other and it worked out that our different skills were so complimentary.

Heather: Wendy and I had a common friend who introduced us at a fashion show. I immediately knew I wanted Wendy to become my business partner, for she possessed strengths, talents and skills that complimented my own. It has been true delight working with Wendy, and the clothing line is so much stronger now that she is onboard!

Is Passenger Pigeon involved in any local or green-based charities, helping to give back to the community?

Heather: We donate to Greenpeace as well as WSPA. In the past, I used to volunteer with FLAP– a group that collects dead and injured song birds that have hit buildings during their bi-annual migration (I hope to help again this spring). We also donate our off-cuts and bolt ends to local schools, where they reuse the fabric to make paper or for other textile projects.

The wind turbine screen print from the Fall/Winter 2007 was really popular with a range of consumers and the Spring/Summer 2008 collection features awesome bicycle and plastic bags prints. Will we be seeing hybrid cars and corn stalks in 2009?

Wendy: Hmm, I don’t know about hybrid cars! Heather and I aren’t really into cars so much. Heather is the one to come up with the print designs, depending on what’s on her mind at the time. Last summer she was on a garbage theme. I was skeptical at first - piles of garbage didn’t seem like a good idea - but the prints turned out to be so lovely!

Heather: As much as I try to veer away from bird imagery, I tend to come back to it season after season. I have dabbled with alternative energy symbols as well as bicycles; however, my heart is with objects, creatures and shapes created in the natural world. I may just consider corn stalks in the future!

Passenger Pigeon’s fashion and accessories are made with organic cotton, hemp, tencel and lyocell. Do you intentionally avoid using bamboo because of the heavily chemical processes used to produce it or do you just find it to be too popular?

Wendy: We do actually use bamboo in our line. There’s this beautiful bamboo knit that we like to use for wrap dresses for our fall/winter collections. We also use soy a lot too. The lighter knits are great for summer. It’s true that bamboo is not a miracle fabric in regards to sustainability. However, we feel that it is better than many fabrics such as rayon or conventional cotton. No fabric is 100% ideal, so we try to make responsible choices given what is currently available.

Heather: We do use bamboo, and have received a very small amount of scrutiny from a couple concerned citizens. We have explained to them that, although processing bamboo does use some chemicals, this chemical use is much smaller than say, with cotton or petroleum products. Bamboo is a sustainable fiber, for it grows rapidly. It is a much better solution to conventional cotton.

What do you say to the folks that still believe global warming is just a myth?

Wendy: Wow, do people still believe that?! I think we don’t run into people like that so often. I feel like there is always a way to connect with people, even cynics, when the topic of the environment comes up. It’s really so much more than global warming. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t agree that reducing waste and conserving resources is a good thing.

Heather: I can not believe some people still believe this to be a myth!!! Just ask the world’s top scientists and they will all say it has been a true trend for the past century!! (Since the industrial revolution).

Do you have any other nifty, secret projects in the works that you could hint at?

Wendy: Personally, I’m interested in doing more custom work for weddings — bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses in sustainable fabrics. I got married last fall, so I did a lot of thinking about how to design a good eco-friendly wedding. For Passenger Pigeon, though, you’ll just have to stay tuned!

Heather: We do in fact have something up our sleeves! We will be sending out a surprise treat with each and every garment this spring. It is up to our consumers whether or not they will want to use this tool attached to their purchase.

Launched a month and a half ago as part of the new EcoGeek blogging network,