Do you remember making paper snowflakes when you were a kid? Use the same fold & cut technique to make these eco-cloth ornaments. Cut snowflakes from white linen fabric backed with fusible web. Fuse and hand stitch your one-of-a-kind designs to 3" hemp rounds, front and back. Insert a piece of boiled wool sweater or wool batting to give ornaments a bit of dimension. Blanket stitch outer edge and add a loop using hemp twine or wool embroidery floss. Happy Holidays!
Dec 15, 2011
Oct 19, 2011
Hemp: A Healthy Home Fabric
If I had to choose my favorite fabric I'd have to say it's hemp of any classic weave: canvas, summercloth, linen, twill and herringbone. New or vintage. Natural colors or dyed. I love them all.
Hemp's inherent beauty is only part of my attraction. This amazing bast fiber boasts a long list of impressive qualities: extremely strong and durable, more absorbent than cotton, insulative and compost pile worthy.
Best of all, when hemp fabric is produced according to sustainable methods --from field to fiber to finished goods -- less water is required than other natural fiber production and little to no chemicals are used. Now that's a healthy home fabric!
The only down side of hemp fabric is it's still grown and produced off-shore. Read why Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act.
Oct 14, 2011
Hybrid Quilts
Hybrid Quilts, that’s what I call the patchwork blankets I make from new and old fabrics that are both eco-friendly and home healthy: vintage cotton prints for the top and new wide-width organic cotton or hemp/organic cotton blends for the backing. Sandwiched in between is sustainably produced natural fiber batting such as an alpaca blend, wool or cotton. The fun part about making a hybrid quilt is hunting for the vintage fabrics and creating a color scheme that’s uniquely you. I use a simple square or rectangle layout. I can piece it quickly and then hand everything off to a long arm quilting pro to do the rest. A hard core quilter once called that “lazy”. I call it energy efficient!
Oct 13, 2011
Hemp Canvas Fabric
One of my favorite hemp fabrics is the versatile 11 or 12 oz. semi-bleached canvas. It’s the ideal weight and texture for so many home décor applications: pillows, cushion covers, upholstery and shades. Hemp canvas is durable; wear and tear softens the hand over time but the fiber remains strong. The milky natural color has a subtle yellow cast, like pale butter. It's one of those goes-with-everything neutrals. No dyes are used to achieve it, just hydrogen peroxide. And, here’s a tidbit that might surprise you: the color deepens slowly with age and sunlight exposure resembling a tea stain. Get it at Hemp Traders.
Sep 28, 2011
Toxic Free by Debra Lynn Dadd
Furnishing your home with items made from untreated and organically processed materials is critical to protecting your health and creating a healthy living space. Once you’ve tackled that take the next step in reducing your exposure to other chemical off-gassing products throughout your entire house. Need a little help? Read Toxic Free by Debra Lynn Dadd. This book is full of practical information and resources for freeing yourself from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals found in consumer products and the environment. This is a must read. I like!
Sep 27, 2011
Turn Old Ties into a New Rug
Whenever I shop the thrift stores I can’t help but sift through the tie rack. I love looking at the graphics, especially the geometric and floral designs from the 1960’s and earlier. The fabrics, colors and endless array of patterns used in old neckties inspire repurposing projects like no other fashion accessory: Danielle Bags makes wallets from a single tie, Glamarita pieces ties to craft bags and Gadora Wilder covered a chair seat by weaving ties together.
I couldn’t resist designing with old ties either! Here’s how to make my floor runner design…
Sep 23, 2011
Natural Fiber Shower Curtains
I’m a huge fan of cloth shower curtains. The cotton canvas and hemp linen curtains I use do a great job at stopping water from spraying outside the shower. They work like a wick, channeling water downwards through the cloth into the tub. And, the best part: no chemical off-gassing.
Replacing a vinyl shower curtain with a natural fiber alternative is one of many simple steps you can take towards improving your home’s indoor air quality. Why? A shower curtain made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) off-gasses toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The vinyl material contains the chemical additive DEHP, a phthalate that is a suspected carcinogen. Yuck, who needs that!
There are plenty of fabric shower curtain options like GreenHome’s Organic Cotton Shower Curtain or GreenFeet’s Natural Cotton Shower Curtain. Both are made in the USA and priced under $50.
And for you DIY’ers, look for a 7 to 10 oz. natural or organic cotton canvas, either un-dyed or bleached white using hydrogen peroxide, at your local fabric retailer or online at Fabric.com. A semi-bleached Hemp Summercloth also makes an excellent shower curtain, which can be found at Hemp Traders.
Do you use a cloth shower curtain? What’s your favorite: cotton or hemp?
Sep 14, 2011
Non-Toxic Mattress Pads
Making an organic mattress pad isn’t at the top of my project list. In fact, I’d rather just go out and buy one. But when I discovered the hefty price tag on my favorite ready-made versions, making my own is now my new obsession. Here’s a couple cost-saving style and fabric options for making your own healthy home mattress pad:
Sep 09, 2011
Amy Butler's Organic Soul
This week’s healthy home fabric find is this gorgeous design from Amy Butler, just one of several floral prints from her Organic Soul collection. Printed on 44” wide certified organic cotton using low impact dyes (Hurray!) and priced at $14.98/yard. I see curtains; a simple pocket-rod style lined with hemp & organic cotton muslin to add body and drape. This Lime-Peel colorway is my favorite -- a soothing and refreshing palette of greens that make an ideal backdrop for interiors. No doubt it will grace your space with “organic soul”.
Sep 08, 2011
Hemp Quilt
A quilt made from hemp? Yes! And, it’s soft, cozy and warm just as you’d expect any quilt to be. This one is a simple, scrappy patchwork design made mostly from hemp summercloth, hemp canvas, hemp muslin, hemp herringbone; classic weaves of subtle textures and natural hues that showcase the beauty of this amazing bast fiber. Pieces of color grown organic cotton chambray and herringbone, and vintage linen twill are interspersed to add color depth and additional surface interest.
Read on to find out why hemp makes the best healthy home quilt, which batting to use in a hemp quilt and tips for “tinting” hemp fabric with coffee or tea to create a rich palette of naturals for your patchworks.
