By Becky Striepe •
March 31, 2009
[Creative Commons photo by Lindsey T]
We’ve talked about organic cotton’s merits before. Conventional cotton uses all sorts of nasty pesticides when it’s grown and chemicals and dyes in its production. Organic is just better for you and for the planet. You can imagine how pumped I was to stumble upon this 100% organic cotton terry cloth from Hart’s Fabric!
My first thought when I ran across this was, of course, to make dish towels, so I did a little searching and found some great inspiration. Check out the terry cloth eye candy!
Think t-shirt printing has to be eco-unfriendly? Think again. This California company has replaced its traditional Plastisol inks with 100% water-based ink that is both durable and soft to the touch — a perfect complement to its choice of fabrics on which customers can print: hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton.
By Jackie Hernandez •
January 28, 2009
The designers behind Kirin & Co. (Lara Cameron) and Hollabee (Bianca van Meeuwen), along with friend Tegan Rose, have joined forces to create Ink & Spindle. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Ink & Spindle is a yardage screen printing business, with an environmentally friendly focus. Lara, Bianca, and Tegan are a powerhouse of designers each with their own unique style, yet somehow all of their prints go together. They share their journey with us through the Ink & Spindle Blog.
By Jackie Hernandez •
January 27, 2009
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.
By Jackie Hernandez •
January 20, 2009
The beautiful textiles made by the likes of Kirin & Co., Pippijoe, and Mod Green Pod are inspiring and beautiful, but they carry a designer price tag. If you can’t afford designer hand-printed fabrics, consider screen printing your own. By printing your own fabric you can control the materials used, the design, and colors.
Learn to Screen Print
I recommend reading up on screen printing before you get started. While most hand printing methods seem overwhelming to a beginner, they are all quite easy to perfect with a little patience and practice. I highly recommend reading Lotta Prints by Lotta Jansdotter and Printing By Hand by Lena Corwin. Both of these books provide a thorough overview and how-to for each of the hand-printing methods. Each book also includes a few patterns from the author. Anna Laura, of the blog Anna Laura Art, shares a wonderfully detailed how-to for screen-printing with drawing fluid and screen filler.
By Skye Kilaen •
August 5, 2008
Thea and Sami is based in Brisbane, Australia, creating fashions and accessories out of natural materials and earth-friendly inks. They have begun adding some certified organic fabrics to their collection, including this handprinted “Iron Flowers” design in turquoise on white or grey on black on organic linen. The fabric is 142 cm wide (56″) and costs $A38.50 per metre.
