Healthy Fabrics

Handmade Hemp Ornaments

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!

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.

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…

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”.

 

Happy Yellow Organic Cotton Twill

My healthy home fabric find this week is Yellow Organic Cotton Twill from Organic Cotton Plus. At 90” wide this sustainably produced 7 oz. twill is a bargain: $8.95 / 1-4 yards and $7.95 / 5-9 yards. It’s an ideal weight for throw pillows, cushions and casual slipcovers. Limited time offer so buy it now and use it to brighten and invigorate your space this winter. Per Kate Smith of Sensational Color: In the world of color, yellow is considered one of the most stimulating and emotional in the spectrum. Read her interesting post, Yellow’s Split Personality.

Organic Linen Resource for Curtains

Simple organic linen panels are the perfect eco-alternative to polyester sheers. Make your own with GOTS and IMO certified organic linen from Pickering. This flax fabric is semi-sheer, lightweight and has lovely body and drape even after washed. It does a great job at filtering light no matter the season. The soft-white color and subtle texture looks beautiful when layered with decorative curtains. Cold wash and warm dry this fabric before sewing to give your panels a soft crumpled, casual appearance and to minimize shrinkage. Expect 2” shrinkage per yard length. Note: Pickering is a wholesale fabric supplier and welcomes small business purchases of 10 yards or more. For retail purchases please contact me. 

Laurel Leaf Farm’s Vintage Fabrics

 
If you’re on the hunt for a one-of-kind cotton print from a specific era be sure to peruse Laurel Leaf Farm’s extensive offering of reclaimed fabrics. This is one of my favorite online retailers for feedsacks, quilting calicos, 1940-50’s mid to heavy weight decorator cloth, like these large scale cottage florals, as well as, some really groovy prints from the 1960’s.  

 
 

Oliveira Textiles Printed Hemp

If you love sewing and decorating with hemp but want to add a pop of color to your neutral palette of creamy naturals and earthy taupes consider these bast beauties: sea-inspired hemp prints designed by Dawn Oliveira of Oliveira Textiles.

Printed without heavy-metal pigments or chemical finishes on soft, beefy twill and herringbone made of hemp and hemp/organic cotton, Oliveira's fabrics lend themselves to a variety of healthy home décor applications. Dawn's contemporary prints are rendered with graceful lines and pretty hues taken straight from her native seaside landscape. It's a design aesthetic that's comfortable, happy, and well-suited for making colorful accent pillows, cushions, curtain panels and casual slipcovers for chairs and ottomans.

One of my favorite things about well-designed eco-prints like these: as little as one yard will make a big impact (on your living space and the environment). Dawn is offering her prints at a special reduced price of $55/yd (regular price $75/yd) from June 13th-20th.

Oliveira Textiles is a Rhode Island based design studio focused on producing environmentally considerate fabrics that combine Dawn’s 30+ years of textile design experience with certified production partners. Fabrics can be purchased through their studio. Email info@oliveiratextiles.com or phone 401-396-9194.

 

Elegant Custom Eco-Furnishings

If you’re a green interior designer you know the value of offering your clients custom made eco-furnishings. But put hemp in the hands of an inexperienced maker and you’ll end up with a mess instead of a masterpiece. Finding an expert custom furnishings service versed in sustainable textiles can be challenging. So when I come across an outstanding resource I like to spread the word. Meet Kathleen Redmond, owner of Magnolia Lane Soft Home Furnishings, Inc. located in the San Francisco Bay Area.