Green Options

I fell in love with these eco-friendly fabrics by Jenny Lee-Katz the moment I saw them (thanks Design*Sponge).  With nearly 50 designs to choose from each available on three eco-friendly base cloths, I am sure you can understand my excitement.  The designs feature vibrant colors and a contemporary seaside vibe.

Remember this fabulous Forsythia linen swatch I ordered from Cicada Studio? Well,
thanks to Ohdeedoh’s post about de-branding the kitchen counter with pretty canisters, I was inspired to make over my stainless steel canisters. I love stainless steel, but it can seem very clinical. I decided to warm up my canisters with linen cozies. Read on for the complete how-to…

Just in for spring Cicada Studio has added a new linen swatch to the shop.  The cheerful Forsythia swatch is printed on a generous 13 x 17 inch swatch of 100% Belgium Linen.  I first featured designer Michelle Engel Bencsko in the Top 10 Modern, Eco-freindly, Printed Fabrics on Etsy. One thing I love about indie fabric designers is there ability to come out with new patterns more frequently and Michelle never disappoints.

Her fabulous linen swatches are the perfect size for a multitude of craft projects.   Read on for some great ideas.

I originally featured Shannon Lamden’s work in the Top 10 Modern, Eco-friendly Printed Fabrics on Etsy.  Since then the endlessly creative woman behind Aunty Cookie, has released a few new fabric prints inspired by the intricate art of paper cutting.    

The task of finding modern, eco-friendly fabrics is daunting.  Etsy is a fabulous resource of sprouting designers, but can be difficult to search.  My original post on the Top 10 Modern, Eco-friendly Fabric Sources on Etsy was the top post on the Tiny Décor Blog in 2008 and continues to be in the top 3 posts so far in 2009.  I have decided to again do all the research for you to create an updated list for 2009.  There are some oldies, but goodies that remain on the list, but I have also found a few new gems.

Determining what is eco-friendly and what is not is often very subjective.  At a minimum all the fabrics on this list are made of natural fibers with the least amount of conventional cotton as possible.  Some of these fabrics are a linen/cotton blend that is more eco-friendly than a 100% conventional cotton fabric or a synthetic fabric.  All of these fabrics are printed with non-toxic, water-based inks.  Most of these fabrics are screen printed by hand by the designers themselves.

Lotta Jansdotter is the label for Lotta Anderson’s amazing fabric designs and creations.  ”Dotter” means daughter and “Jan” is the name of Lotta’s father.  Lotta grew up in Åland, an island between Sweden and Finland, which has been a great source of inspiration for her Scandanavian designs.

Lotta Fabrics

There is a small selection of wonderful, modern fabrics at Lotta Jansdotter.  The fabrics are screen-printed on 100% linen.  Linen fabric is made from flax fiber which is naturally grown without the use of harmful pesticides.  Fabrics are sold by the half yard for $22.  There are also linen remnant bags available with 4-5 remnant pieces each featuring a different design.  Both the fabric yardage and remnant bags would be prefect for small sewing projects (try making your own fabric cuffs).  Just look at Lotta’s bags and home accessories for inspiration.

Check out these amazing and bright fabrics by Marina Cavalieri. These wonderfully designed textiles are hand-printed onto certified organic and natural fibers.

The textiles designed by Marina Cavalieri are perfect for home accents, soft furnishing, upholstery and fashion clothing and accessories.

On top of their small production company and printing in small batches onto organic and natural fibers, the company is also working towards Fair Trade certification, to ensure that communities receive a fair wage and adhere to ethical practices.

It’s great to see that more and more textile companies are coming around to the term green. For some, they dip their toe in the water, for others it’s complete immersion. GreenSTYLE by Robert Kaufman is a nice wade into environmental waters with the green shore on the horizon.

This line of green fabric is organic, sustainable and uses low-impact dyes. The company recognizes that it is just the beginning of their journey into eco-friendly but their commitment to greener fabrics extends beyond production and procurement and into the office itself. The company is taking steps “to reduce paper waste, recycle and conserve energy.”

The GreenSTYLE line offers up many different fabrics including a nice selection of canvas, Linen and organic cotton.

It seems to me there is an abundance of cozy sustainable T-shirts, sweat pants/shirts and general weekend lounge wear out there, but where does that leave the nine-to-fivers, cubicle and corner office dwellers; those of us who need to look crisp & collected during a presentation in the board room, court room or at that power lunch?    

Discover some great looks below made of sustainable fibers that will help you look pulled together, while also satisfying your desire to tread a little (or a lot) lighter:    

GreenFibres is a UK based online “eco goods and garments” shop which sells a number of hemp, linen, silk, and organic cotton fabrics by the yard.  Their cottons and linens are certified organic, and two of their fabrics are certified fair trade - others “are made under fair and safe working conditions.”  The fabrics they offer are the usual natural, unbleached fabrics with a couple of colorgrown patterns thrown in.

They offer two items that really caught my attention, though, because I hadn’t seen them anywhere else: organic cotton gauze, and organic cotton / nettle blend fabric.

The first is organic cotton gauze, a.k.a. netting.  They say that it’s great for gardening, with an almost throwaway comment that it’s “great as a craft material or dressing up prop!” Indeed, I’ve always associated gauze with doctoring more than with sewing, but since they’re selling it in the fabric section instead of bath and body, I thought I’d figure out what crafters could use it for.

Don’t forget!  The next Carnival of Green Crafts is Thursday at Whip Up.  Sneak your entry in just under the deadline now!

I started writing the Fabulous Fabrics series here in March, and I thought the six month mark would be a good time for a retrospective.

What I’ve liked best about doing this series is seeing the combination of creativity and passion that goes into what these fabric designers and manufacturers do.  If someone’s making organic fabric, it’s because they believe in it.  It’s not just because a market analysis told them they would make some money.  (In fact, I sometimes worry if they’re even making enough to live on, given the extra work they’re doing to source and use eco-friendly materials and fair trade practices.)  These folks really want to make a difference.

So here are the fabrics and shops I’ve covered so far in the Fabulous Fabrics series here on Crafting A Green World.  At one point I was afraid I would run out, but more and more come to my attention all the time.  So here’s the past, and I’ll see you next Tuesday to start in on the next six months!