Published on May 12th, 2008
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My love affair with cork is not over. Last week, I learned that cork is not just for wine. Today, I learned even more from crafter extraordinaire, Martha Stewart. Her website is chock full of green crafty projects but when I stumbled across these gems, I just had to share.
First up is the cork trivet, it does not get any easier then this craft which uses only two inexpensive materials. Simply collect (or save) about 50 wine bottle corks and tie them together with an 8-10 inch metal hose clamp. Voila! You have a trivet to protect table-tops from hot dishes! Make a few for a simple hostess gift!
Next up is the cork covered supply tin. Affix cork sheet to the top of a used Altoids box with glue and label the top to remind you what is inside. What a nice simple solution for those unruly paperclips! Don’t forget to give the teachers in you life an end of year thank you gift!
Cork is a great go-to material for crafts because it is sustainable, recyclable and so darn versatile. I’d love to see what kind of cork creations you come up with! (and NO this is not just an excuse to drink more wine!)
(Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart Whole Living)
Published on May 8th, 2008
Autumn recently posted The Eco-Crafters List of Demands, asking green crafters what they would like to see stocked in the craft store of their dreams. Katherine Cota of Spindle Bell had quite a few suggestions:
My ideal craft shop would have EVERYTHING! I love it all. I would especially love a great supply of pretty recycled papers and unique recycled beads. Non-toxic glues/adhesives, glass etching solution, paints. Unique synthetic yarns AND more stylish (affordable) knitting needles/crochet hooks.
Katherine also mentioned that she had stopped shopping at mainstream craft stores, but had concerns about the independent online retailers as well. How do you know their business practices are any better?
I can definitely sympathize with Katherine. In my fantasies, I can walk down the street and shop at a grocery store where everything is organic and either local or fair trade. Anything I see that I want, I can have without worrying if I’m doing something bad to the planet or people. Put a craft store next to that grocery store and I would be in heaven.
While we wait, though, I thought I would round up some recycled and fair trade beads we can all feel good about:
While this isn’t the same as walking into an all-green, fair trade craft store, it’s a start. If you have a favorite source for earth-friendly, people-friendly beads, please share it in the comments.
[Image from eShopAfrica.]
Published on May 6th, 2008
One of my favorite exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is the Japanese Arms and Armor collection… because it’s where they also keep several kimono. So beautiful. So priceless. So likely to get me in trouble if I touch them.
Lucky for me, vintage kimono fabric is available elsewhere without the bother of glass cases and security guards. I found out about online shop Ah! Kimono when I came across Maitreya’s cute flower pin on Craftlog. Ah! Kimono imports used and vintage kimono from Japan and resells the fabric.
Owner Cheri Bridges describes the founding of Ah! Kimono as follows:
In the ’80’s and ’90’s a person could buy 200 lb. bales of used kimono. The very idea of that seemed so amazing, but what would I do with that many kimono I wondered. I really just wanted a few of them to line some hand woven garments. In 1991, I was taking a garment class with a wonderful group of adventurous women. We decided to split a bale of kimono so that we could learn more about the textiles.
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Published on April 29th, 2008
Michael Miller Fabrics is co-sponsoring a Baby Bootie contest with Craft Magazine. I would love to see a green crafter win this with organic or recycled materials.
I do suspect there’s some kind of craft hive mind episode going on here, because I’ve planned to write about their organic fabric line this week - and just last week, Autumn posted here at Crafting A Green World about recycled handmade shoes. I fully intend to investigate this set of coincidences, but first let’s talk about Michael Miller Organics.
Michael Miller Fabrics launched its organic line at the beginning of the year. The sneak peek on their blog last fall included a shot of the supercute booties shown here. That blog post gave a snapshot of some of the challenges facing folks who want to bring organic cotton to market:
Did you know that organic cotton has to be grown for at least three years without chemical pesticides, defoliants, or fertilizers? It costs more because organic farms are more labor and management intensive. They’re also usually smaller and do not receive federal subsidies like conventional farming.
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Published on April 24th, 2008
Here in the District of Columbia, we have a very short window of time we call Spring before the oppressive heat and humidity descend like a hot wet blanket over the city for the Summer. Blessedly, we are currently enjoying our Spring. The cherry blossoms have since bloomed and it is that sweet spot of weather where long leisurely lunches outside make returning to work all that much more difficult.
The pretty weather and gorgeous sunshine have given me a hankering for beautiful spring colors in my yarns. Thankfully Tahki Sky has it covered.
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Published on April 22nd, 2008
Welcome to Earth Day, crafters! Today, in honor of our one and only home, I’m taking a break from the Fabulous Fabrics series to address a serious dilemma.
If you’re like me, you have a decent sized fabric stash sitting around. In my case, it’s quilting cotton. Yards and yards and yards of it. If you’re like me, you also spend a lot of time thinking about how you can help avert ecological crisis. When the two collide, it can produce guilt about consumption of that much cotton - which uses a ton of water to produce - as well as dyes to make it pretty.
Don’t fret! While cotton is a thirsty crop, your stash can start to make up for its ecological footprint while it awaits that perfect project. Scientists here at Crafting A Green World Laboratories have been working diligently to evaluate all the possibilities and develop this list of the Top 5 ways your fabric stash can help save the earth. (We believe these tips are also applicable to other stash materials, such as yarn and possibly ribbon, but our research is still ongoing into these supplies.) Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 21st, 2008
It is hard to talk about stuffing and not talk about batting. They are practically the same material, except the former is loose and used for pillows and plushes and the later is formed into flat layers perfect for quilting.
Like the world of plushes and softies, quilting is another craft that I have been keeping an eye on, but have yet to fully try out. The concept seems easy enough, but I’ve never been very patient and can’t quite get the whole measure twice, cut once, thing down. A friend of mine recently made me a quilt and I am in awe of the time and talent that she put into it.
Quilting is definitely on the move in the crafting world and quickly becoming the hip craft to do. The exploding popularity of Amy Butler and Denyse Schmidt have propelled this craft into the lime light and it is easy to see why.
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Published on April 15th, 2008
In Kelly’s post on earth friendly stuffing yesterday, she mentioned online shop Near Sea Naturals. You may have seen their name pop up before in my profile of Mod Green Pod.
So I thought it was high time to give this online eco-shop their own day in the sun in our Fabulous Fabrics series. Their collection of cotton, wool, and hemp fabrics, yarns and knitting needles, and notions is sure to warm the heart of any green crafter. Since there’s so much to see on their site, I thought I’d take a moment and highlight a couple of the new fabrics they just added.
The White Sands Safari Interlock, pictured above, is 100% cotton and whitened with peroxide instead of chlorine bleach.
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Published on April 14th, 2008
Everyday I come across something on Etsy that surprises and gets me excited about the endless recycled craft possibilities. This week I came across reiter8, a upcycling crafter from Brooklyn that takes sailboat sails that would otherwise go to the dump and creates bags and pillows out of the canvas. The designer came up with this idea while visiting her mother in Maine. After taking notice of the strong canvas material that made up the sails on a boat, she realized that this material would make a sturdy alternative material for bags and pillows all while saving them from going to landfils. Reiter8 takes full advantage of all of the different stitching styles Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 14th, 2008
One craft that I have yet to delve into is the art of making a softie. These cute creatures, some with faces only a mother would love, abound on the internet. I would even say that there is a softie explosion of popularity happening right now with all the attention being made to creating your very own cute and cuddly creature.
There are several books devoted to softies and plushes, as well as quick and easy tutorials on creating a softie. And don’t forget the plethora of amigurumi. Heck, there’s even a gallery showcasing some of the best plush makers around.
With all the craft love for the softie, how can we make them a bit more lovable for the Earth? It’s all in the stuffing.
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