Green Options

Please forgive me for this shameless plug for a project that I am involved in called the Summit of Awesome. I had to share because well, it is awesome and more importantly there are some really great green crafting workshops and learning sessions that will be held during the Summit.

First up - our own Becky Striepe will be speaking on a panel called Crafting a Green Craft. She will share the stage with the co-founders of Cosa Verde and the owners of Urban Fauna Studio. These amazing crafters will be talking about the ins and outs of green crafting - something that you see right here on Crafting a Green World.

I confess:  I am a craftaholic.  Yes.  It’s true.  [Just ask my wife and she'll tell you ALL about it.]  The strange thing is, I don’t limit myself to just one ‘craft’ or medium.  I run the whole gamut.  From fabric to fiber to paint to rubber stamps to card-making … the list goes on and on.

On the bright side, I’m very proud of the fact that instead of running out to my local craft store to buy my supplies, I scour the local thrift shops and Goodwill stores to find items that I can buy (for next to nothing) and convert them into something with new life.  Example:  a pillowcase, in good condition, can be turned into a tote bag, a pencil case, a crochet hook keeper or a travel-size tissue holder.

There are lots of great items you can make using organic cotton yarn.  These washcloths are just one option.  Other items include dishcloths, makeup removers, pots-and-pan scrubbers (a great alternative to sponges) and coasters (to keep your coffee table dry).

My aunt is a crafty gal, and she gifted my wife and I some organic cotton dishcloths last year.  We love them.  They are sturdy and good looking too.  You just throw them in the washer and dryer and they come out looking like new.

So this might not technically be a fabric, but it is so very cool none-the-less. Loop by MIO is a textile like material that can be used for virtually any project that you can think up.

It is made from Tyvek, a water proof material that is polyethylene based. It can be cut, sewn, wrinkled, folded, pierced, hung or hemmed like a fabric. I’m also convinced that this is another alternative to vinyl, which is really quite awesome.

Another fantastic property that this fabric comes with is its own envelope for recycling. With each order of loop, it is accompanied with a prepaid envelope for shipping your scraps or your project (when it is no longer wanted or needed) back to MIO for recycling! In wonky terms it is a “free product take back system.”

In the not too distant past I called for an outright ban on using vinyl in any and all craft projects in Crafting Vs. Vinyl (Round 1). I then followed that up with Crafting Vs. Vinyl (Round 2) and explored some possible alternatives to the toxic plastic, but had no such luck on finding a substitute to clear vinyl, a material that is used in many crafting projects.

Gidget recently inquired about PEVA as a possible clear plastic alternative. I jumped at the chance to look into this plastic, which I had not heard of, to see about its potential for crafting and how it rates in relation to PVC.

Gidget pointed out that IKEA was selling clear plastic shower curtains and that they were made out of PEVA, not PVC. I happened to be at an IKEA the other day and was able to look over said shower curtain. Indeed, it said 100% PEVA. It was clear and light and flexible. The biggest difference that I noticed right away was its lack of smell! It was also thinner and a bit more cloudy (but still clear) than PVC, but still flexible and pliable enough to be run through with a needle and thread.

While we’ve already covered passed crafting supply swaps like the one in Richmond, VA, we would be remiss if we didn’t tell you about one coming up that if in the Washington, D.C. area - you could participate in!

This coming Sunday, the Craft Mutiny Arts and Crafts Collective is having a Supply Swap at the fifth annual Crafty Bastards, Arts and Crafts Fair in Washington, D.C. The Supply Swap is a great way to reuse and recycle leftover craft supplies.

You can donate your leftover and slightly used craft supplies and trade them in for new-to-you supplies. Tried a craft that didn’t work out? Donate the supplies to the swap. Is your fabric stash threatening to take over your house? This is a great way to cull the herd. The swap will accept all sorts of supplies and materials from yarn to fabric to paint and beads. Things that are not swap-able are house paint, toxic materials and old clothing. You should try to bring supplies someone else would love to use and not that musty old fabric sitting in the garage!

Inspired by the first Carnival of Green Crafts and Yoel’s attempt at stashbusting I took a closer look at my yarn stash and encourage you to do the same.

There’s a reason you bought all that yarn in the first place, right? I know there is a plethora of your very own yearn worthy yarn, just sitting in your house waiting to be picked up and turned into an amazing project. Whether its a sturdy cotton blend, a fancy novelty yarn, or any one of the numerous environmentally friendly yarns we like to tell you about, your stash is a wonderful wealth of fiber. So use it!

Consumption is a sometimes tricky issue to tackle, because no one wants to be told that we buy too much stuff. But we do and we need to be doing less. Earlier this month I had the chance to hear Diane MacEachern, author of Big Green Purse speak on her book, consumption and purchasing power.

Here at CAGW, we try and direct fellow crafters to materials to use that are gentler on the environment for craft projects. From fabric and yarns to scissors and notions there is a plethora of options out there for the eco-conscious crafter.

On the flip side, these are limited options and often our craft supplies leave you wondering how safe and green are they. We’ve even started a list of demands for things that we wish we had.

Well, I am going to add waterproof, clear, flexible, “fabric” to that list. Many crafters use this in their projects for many purposes. Unfortunately, this “fabric” is vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a type of plastic (number 3 to be exact) and I am calling for an outright ban on this poison plastic.

Crafting A Green World is thrilled to announce the new Carnival of Green Crafts!

The Carnival of Green Crafts is a twice monthly online celebration of all things eco and crafty. Whether it’s a full-fledged tutorial or your personal musings, photos of projects in progress or completed, great thrift store finds that are destined for a craft project, or a love letter to your favorite environmentally friendly craft supplies, we want it! We hope that this Carnival is a place to show off, inspire, rant, rave, learn, and support each other as we find ways to create beautiful things while protecting the Earth.

If you’re not familiar with blog carnivals, here’s the scoop. A blog carnival is basically a traveling event, a regular series of posts that collect links to recently posted content on the carnival’s theme. Most carnivals move from blog to blog, with each edition hosted by a different blog. Crafting A Green World is kicking off the Carnival of Green Crafts and we’re giving it a home base, but we invite the green crafting community to jump in and make this carnival what you want it to be.

Do you ever wonder where that smell in your paint set comes from? If there was an ingredients list on your crafting supplies, similar to those on food and beverages, you might not like what you see.

It’s ironic that such a relaxing, restoring and expressive activity—making art and crafts—can also be so toxic. Although legislation controlling many of the dangerous ingredients in hobby materials has recently been passed, exposure to certain art materials remains a health risk.

CAGW pal Jennifer from Eco Child’s Play turned us onto an article from Care2 about arts & crafts supplies that I couldn’t resist sharing with you all. Adapted from Safe Substitutes: Non-Toxic Household Products by Gary Davis and Em Turner, the article brings to light the surprisingly abundant amount of dangerous chemicals and metals in common creative goods. “Toxic chemicals in the home can be eliminated simply by making thoughtful choices in the supermarket after educating oneself about what the hazards are of common consumer products,” said Gary and Em.

Green is the new black, as they say, but what in the world does that mean? It means living sustainably is the “cool” thing to do, but some of us have been doing these things for years. Take crafters for example - many of us keep scraps of fabrics from other projects for future use, “frog” old sweaters and scarves to have fresh yarn to work with, and tweak items and patterns we find to make them just right for our tastes. The renewed popularity of green living has benefits for creative folks as well, including new sustainable fabrics and innovate ideas for reusing a plethora of resources.

For those of us who enjoy being a part of the creative process or are beginning to experiment with do-it-yourself projects, then Crafting a Green World is for you! We’ll be featuring everything from eco-patterns, supplies, and creators to book reviews and event/sale notices. Crafting a Green World (CAGW) is working to be your #1 resource for organic, natural, and recycled crafty projects, products, media, and businesses. Whether you are a novice, a pro, or somewhere in between, Crafting a Green World will have the sustainable crafty content you are looking for.