Published on August 18th, 2009
The nice thing about sewing for kids is that their clothes take so little fabric. A shirt or pair of pants for a five-year-old, a dress for a three-year-old, matching bloomers for both–you could sew any of these things using less than a yard of fabric.
For that reason, kids’ clothes are very well-suited for sewing with recycled materials. I’ve sewed smocked sundresses for my girls out of pillowcases, a pants and kimono shirt outfit for a newborn out of one blouse, two sturdy diaper covers out of a felted wool sweater.
I was afraid of sewing from a pattern when I was a novice seamster, ironically, but now that I sew well, I enjoy using patterns to create more complicated clothing with attractive detailing and sophisticated elements. And so, although they’re pricey, I do buy some of the children’s clothing patterns from Oliver + S each season. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on August 18th, 2009
Betz White and Spoonflower are teaming up, and they want to see how you Sew Green!
To celebrate the release of her book Sewing Green, Betz white designed a special Sewing Green print on organic cotton just for Spoonflower. Not only are they running a deal on the fabric itself, they’re holding a contest where you can win your choice of book from STC Craft, the company that publishes Sewing Green. Here are the deets!
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Published on August 14th, 2009
Craftcycle by Heidi Boyd is one of the newest eco-crafting books to hit the bookshelves and one of the best. With super creative, crafty and ingenious ideas this book is a keeper.
With over 100 eco-friendly projects plus eco-living tips and ideas, this is a book that is going to be on many “greenies” wish lists. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on August 9th, 2009
The Green Crafter: 52 Eco Friendly Projects for Every Week of the Year is a cute book by Richela Fabian Morgan.
In the book you’ll find a bunch of cute eco-craft projects for adults and kids. You’ll find detailed directions for fun projects like sock monkeys, very awesome paper dolls, garden butterflies, paper flowers, rock animals, ghosts on a string, photo ball ornaments, and keepsake boxes…just to name a few of my favorites. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on August 7th, 2009
The Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts ( Leisure Arts #4802)
is a collection of fun and fabulous crafts made from all kinds of trashy, upcycled products.
I see quite a few old favorites in this Leisure Arts publication from other Leisure Arts books including the Trash to Treasure books.
I also see a few new crafts and one that I am thrilled to have found the instructions for. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on July 31st, 2009
Fairfield, the makes of Poly-fil have gone green adding a whole new line of eco-friendly products to help green your fiber arts and crafts.
You can now quilt green, stuffyour little critters in an eco-friendly way and have bamboo pillows.
Nature-Fil batting, fiberfill and pillow forms now come in bamboo options and natural fiberfill is made out of both bamboo and PLA corn materials. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on July 30th, 2009
Ever get the urge to revisit the 80’s, pining away for your acid wash jeans? What if you could knit with a variety of jean washes? Would that sooth your soul enough to put down the crimping iron?
Well Tahki Jeans yarn has got you covered.
This tape yarn is made from 100% organic cotton and colored with low-impact dyes that are environmentally-friendly.
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Published on July 28th, 2009
If you are crafty with upholstery (who wouldn’t love those huge tacks? That gorgeous upholstery fabric?), or were thinking about learning how to reupholster a couch or slipcover an ottoman, or perhaps if you just have some ratty old furniture that could use a good makeover, take note.
American Lifestyle magazine (”Celebrating Life in America”) has announced its first ever DIY contest. The theme for this first year is “upholstery,” and the emphasis is eco-friendly, on the refurbishing of a piece of furniture instead of discarding it. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on July 26th, 2009
Soap boxes (from bath size bars of soap) can easily be transformed into fun little gift boxes. These soap boxes are small and cute and can easily be made by anyone, even the youngest children. They can be customized for any occasion.
Kids can easily decorate them with stickers, scraps of old wrapping paper, cutouts from old greeting cards, foam shapes or anything on hand in the craft box.
The boxes can be decorated in so many ways and are the perfect size for gift cards. Stuff the box full of tissue and slide the gift card in, that way the receiver still gets to open a gift not just a card. Plus the hand decorated box makes it so much more personal. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on July 25th, 2009
Liquid Nails Home Projects Repair Adhesive is GREENGUARD Children and Schools certified which basically boils down to it is very low in VOCs, has a mild odor odor and contains very minute amounts (if any) of hazardous materials like formaldehyde and phthaltes which makes it generally safer and less toxic to use than most adhesives.
Now it is not the whole line of Liquid Nails products that are now GREENGUARD certified just the Home Projects Repair Adhesive.
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