Green Options » scraps

Fab Fabrics: Raid Your Scrap Bin!

Becky Striepe — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:00:00 +0000

As I’ve confessed here before, I can’t stand to throw things away. Sometimes, that causes some storage problems. Other times, though, it means inadvertently collecting an awesome stash of fun fabric scraps! Let’s focus on those times.

Even if you’re careful to only choose organic, sustainable fabric options, there’s a carbon footprint that goes along with any new materials: from production to shipping to your trip to the fabric store, all of that adds up. If you’re not a scrap-saver now, give it a shot! You’ll be surprised at how fast those bits and pieces accumulate, especially if you sew on a regular basis. Not only does sewing with scraps keep that fabric out of the waste stream, it’s super duper fun! Here are a bunch of great projects you can make using those odds and ends.

Read more of this story »

Tutorial: Makeover Plain Greeting Cards with Fabric Scraps

Jackie Hernandez — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:49:23 +0000

I loved this post on upcycling greeting cards and it got me thinking about my stash of notecards that are out of style. In this economy, instead of buying new greeting cards I decided to make my own. I need a beautiful thank you card to send to the hostess of a dinner party, but all I have is a stack of blah thank you cards. They were purchased originally years ago to send as a follow up thank you after corporate interviews, therefore they are very corporate.

I decided to spruce up a few of the cards giving them a handmade touch with a scrap of fabric, bias tape, stamps, and a sewing machine. It took less than 10 minutes! I will probably never buy a new card again. If I ever run out of blank notecards to transform, I can make my own with recycled card stock.

Read more of this story »

Build a Greener Craft Fabric Stash

Jackie Hernandez — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:53:34 +0000

Crafters and quilters usually build up a fabric stash over many years of collecting. A fabric stash is usually filled with fabrics they couldn’t resist and knew someday they’d find the perfect project for. I think most crafters and quilters would be frightened to be stash-less. A fabric stash can serve as inspiration and always provides security knowing there is a project hiding in there somewhere.

Well, what to do if you have decided to craft green and have no stash? Start building one.

One of the fastest and most affordable ways to build a stash is by buying small cuts of fabrics you love. There are so many eco-friendly fabric sources that sell fabric mix packs and remnant bags perfect for starting a new stash. Here is a round-up of my favorite sources for eco-friendly fabric scraps and remnants.

Read more of this story »

Fab Fabrics: Sample Scrap

Becky Striepe — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:41:58 +0000

Emily Siwek from Sample Scrap is an interior designer who started reclaiming fabric when she realized that so many quality materials go to waste!

[Reclaimed Upholstery Fabric from Sample Scrap]

A certified LEED-AP, she was taken aback by the waste associated with the design world. So many pieces of quality scraps head straight to the bin once their life as a sample is over. Emily wanted to change that, so she launched Sample Scrap on Etsy in June of 2008.

Read more of this story »

Recycled T-Shirt Crafts (Without Fusibles)

Skye Kilaen — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:54:27 +0000

Ah yes, the souvenir t-shirt… too silly to wear, but what do you do with it?

I know Leslie’s probably going to be rocking us with recycled t-shirt projects from Generation T for quite some time, but I’ve also been racking up a few t-shirt craft ideas that I wanted to share. (Yes, we seem to have “fads” among the CAGW writers sometimes. First jeans, now t-shirts. Next up: socks?)

Specifically, I’ve been looking for t-shirt crafts that do NOT rely on fusible web. Since I wrote my two-part post a while back on how to think through the “green-ness” of your craft supplies using fusible web as an example, I’ve been less than enthusiastic about ever adhering the yucky stuff to a piece of fabric ever again. (In case you missed it, here’s the part on craft supply safety and the part on craft supply environmental impact.) I have one t-shirt quilt already planned, with the fusible web already purchased, but after that I’m done.

So what to do with cherished t-shirts after that?

Read more of this story »