Written by Autumn Wiggins
Published on June 18th, 2008
Cradle to Cradle by William Mcdonough & Michael Braungart may be the world’s most environmentally friendly book. Not only will it give you an entirely new perspective on how we manufacture things, but you can read it while snorkeling. The pages are made of non-toxic plastic resins and inorganic fillers combined to form a durable, waterproof paper that is infinitely recyclable. These characteristics also exist in a new substrate being produced by Natural Source Printing called FiberStone.
From their website: “FiberStone is made from 80% Calcium Carbonate (CaCOз) with a small quantity (20%) of non-toxic resin (HDPE- High Density Polypropylene). The Calcium Carbonate comes from limestone collected as waste material from existing quarries for the building and construction industry.”
The bottom line is that no trees are cut down, no water is consumed, no bleaching chemicals are used, and no air pollution is created. Along with being waterproof and recyclable, it is also tear resistant. They offer a wide range of products such as marketing and packaging materials as well. Does this sound like a dream come true for some of you struggling to find ways to reduce the environmental impact of your creations and microbrands?
I asked a representative from the company a few questions with the indie craft community in mind… Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Skye Kilaen
Published on June 17th, 2008
So far in the Fabulous Fabrics series, I’ve been looking at offerings from independent designers as well as specialty online shops. We’ve seen organic cotton, recycled fleece, hemp, and other fabrics that try to step more lightly on our common home.
That’s great for people reading this blog and other green crafting blogs, but large scale change is going to require many, many crafters demanding organic and other earth-friendly products. If all the products are sequestered in little green boutiques, that’s going to be a slow process. What about the crafters who aren’t reading this blog? Do they know these products exist? Have any of these products gone mainstream? I went on a hunt through some of the biggest mainstream fabric shops’ websites to find out.
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Written by Kelly Rand
Published on June 16th, 2008
Raise your hand if you’re like me and have an overflowing bag of plastic shopping bags?
Ok, good. That’s just about everyone.
Raise your hand if you try and reuse them for random things like other trash bags and carrying lunch to work?
Great! I think that’s still a good chunk of you.
Now, raise your hand if you still have all these bags and still don’t know what to do with them but refuse to throw them away?
Yup, that’s what I thought.
Well you’re in luck because this week I am going to explore a bit about what to do with all those plastic bags. I’ve already told you about Conserve, a wonderful company that employs rag pickers in India to pick up plastic bags and then uses the bags to create the most amazing purses and totes. I’ve always wondered how to make bags out of plastic and knew that it involved fusing plastic together, but that’s about it. So I started to do a bit of research into what it take to do it yourself.
From the looks of these three tutorials it seems pretty simple. All you really need to fuse plastic are your plethora of plastic bags, an iron, freezer paper, parchment paper or other scrap paper, and a well ventilated area.
Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Leslie Richard
Published on June 13th, 2008
A few weeks ago I wrote about the joys and environmental benefits to upcycling your old worn out duds into hot new creations. We asked that you send in some snazzy pics of your own upcycled fashion projects and this is moment of truth, where we crown a green crafting superstar!
The Firs
t 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. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Skye Kilaen
Published on June 12th, 2008
Let’s see, how to introduce a list of my favorite green crafting blogs that aren’t us? Hmm.
“More ways to spend time on the internet instead of working.” Probably true, but slightly too cheeky.
“More ways to spend time on the internet instead of crafting.” Again, probably true, or maybe I’m just projecting my personal issues?
How about: “These are cool, you should read them!”
Slightly dull, but honestly I’m a bit tired today and that may be as good as it gets. So without further ado, here are some of my personal favorite green craft blogs, big and small. Check out our blogroll for more, and feel free to add your suggestions in the comments! Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Autumn Wiggins
Published on June 11th, 2008
I found Smelly Chick’s Online Soapmaking Resource the other day, because they had blogged about my seed packet tutorial. Interestingly enough, the site includes “tutorials, soap porn, industry news, and more”.
Now, the term “yarn porn” is often thrown around in the craft world. In fact, you are reading a blog post by the proud owner of knittingwhorehouse.com (I collect domain names with the loftiest of intentions). But… “Soap Porn”? Smelly Chicks, you asked for it, and I’m going to goat’s milk this for all it’s worth. Ahem… Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Skye Kilaen
Published on June 10th, 2008
This week in Fabulous Fabrics, I’m venturing a little outside the normal to include a recycled fabric product that’s halfway between fabric and paper. On Kim Kight’s yummy fabric blog True Up, I saw this recycled paper/fabric hybrid from a company called Soolip. It’s a wallpaper weight paper made out of “recycled cotton rag that comes from unused off cuts of clothing from India’s garment district.” Kim speculates that it might be good for sewing projects as well as the gift wrap that Soolip suggests.
You can see all of the patterns here – but make sure you notice there’s a page two, navigation is in the upper right. Most of them come in additional colorways and you have to click through to see them. Each sheet is about 22×30, and they sell for $6 or you can get 3 sheets of the same pattern for $12. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Kelly Rand
Published on June 9th, 2008
We sure do love our tote bags around here. Target, denim and sail cloth; yup, we are definitely in love. So, to add to our never ending list, I submit to you – Conserve.
Just like Be Sweet, Conserve is a company with a conscience. Based in Dehli, India, Conserve employs rag pickers in the slums of the city to collect an abundant resource; discarded plastic bags (the bags are so prevalent that they clog water drains and cows will try and eat them.) The bags are then washed and prepared and made into beautiful fashion bags. The process they use to make the bags produces no extra pollution and uses less energy than conventional recycling methods.
Getting the plastic off the streets and made into bags is a win-win for Conserve. They offer income to an otherwise disenfranchised people and help clean up the streets. They use no dye in their bag making process, relying on the variety of colors and color combinations that is found on the streets instead.
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Written by Autumn Wiggins
Published on June 8th, 2008
I like to rock out with my sock out while crafting, but have always been a little conflicted about sock monkeys. It’s one of those items that are difficult to envision using recycled materials for, unless your feet smell magnificent. Also, I haven’t even finished the first sock I cast on about 2 years ago. So, hand knitting a few pairs from yearn-worthy yarn, only to cut them up, seems less than realistic.
I’m happy to report that Friends of Socktopus found a viable alternative. Handmade from recycled sweaters, these adorable soft toys are an imaginative use of an abundantly unwanted article of clothing. In their shop, you’ll also find sweater monkeys and owls, alligators…even kits to make your own.
Be sure to sign up for the “I’m a Friend oF Socktopus!” Sweepstakes on their website, and you’ll be entered to win a Deluxe Socktopus or your very own.
Written by Kelly Rand
Published on June 5th, 2008
It warms my heart when I come across a company that touches all aspects of the triple bottom line – financial, social and environmental. It really gets my blood pumping when that company produces yummy yarns.
Created by Nadine Storyk Curtis, Be Sweet is one such company that has all those lines covered. While living in South Africa, Curtis became enamored with the local craftspeople and wanted to share in their creativity and resourcefulness.
Working with a rural South African community, Be Sweet offers over 15 different yarns that are hand spun and dyed by women who work within a job creation program. All of Be Sweet’s yarns are made from natural fibers and most are created from using leftover yarn tid-bits and environmentally friendly fibers like bamboo.
Read the rest of this entry »
