Pretty Little Green Things

Archive for the ‘Fabric’ Category

Hopefully by now, your home and life are a bit more organized.  If not, check out some eco-friendly tips and tricks I put together to help 2012 be your most put together yet.  As for me, I’ve been working furiously on getting our apartment ready for the new baby, especially because I know I won’t have the time once he/she arrives.  Our bedroom has desperately needed a new set of roman shades so that’s what I’ve been concentrating on this weekend.  I ended up breaking down and buying Marimekko fabric (on sale!) to add a jolt of color and pattern to our otherwise plain walls.  I just wish I had seen this chic fabric from Nina at Swanky Swell beforehand, since her collection is not only colorful and bold, but every bit eco-friendly.

A girl after my own heart, Nina Jizhar, creator of Swanky Swell, is a LEED Accredited Professional and a former commercial interior designer turned entrepreneur & mom.  Naturally her collection of fabric uses organic grounds (all of her fabrics are OE100 certified), are printed with water based, ultra-low VOC inks and don’t require a chemical pre or post treatment to set.  One of the things that I always find most inspiring about handcrafted products is the small batch process – since these fabrics are printed on demand, from large to small orders, there’s pretty much no fabric waste.  Check out her collection online or on her Etsy page.

Fall Collection

Daydream

Bliss

Raindrops in Mandarin

Heritage

Ginkgo

Blossom

Photos from Swanky Swell

I was hanging out with my best friend from Minnesota a couple weekends ago, naturally chatting about our lives and homes while we toured around the city.  As the ultimate nester , she has done not only the most ambitious remodel to her home but grows her own fruits and vegetables in a large veggie patch in her backyard.  This friend is the version of me I would like to be if I didn’t live in a tiny apartment in Manhattan and instead had a house with a tiny plot of land to call my own.

You can probably guess that in addition to catching up, I was also hitting her up for every recipe and tip she could give me.  One of these said tips I want to share with you: laundry soap.  As a self proclaimed do-it-yourselfer (did you see my roman shade?), I have to admit this is one topic I’ve never thought was within my realm of competance.  I mean, once you start getting into chemicals and mixing things, you should leave it to the professionals, right?  Well, it turns out that making laundry soap is really easy, so much cheaper than commercial detergent and of course much more natural and better for you and your clothes.

Powdered Laundry Detergent Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated Fels-Naptha soap (this soap comes as a bar.  You can grate it with a regular household grater, although I would recommend buying a dedicated one for just this soap)
• 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda!)
• 1/2 cup Borax**

Mix all the above ingredients together and store in an airtight container.  You can double or triple the recipe if you want to keep more on hand.  For light loads, use 2 tablespoons and for heavy loads use 3 tablespoons.  This recipe will not suds up as much as commercial laundry detergent which is actually even better if you have a high efficiency washer.  Easy, huh?  You can play with the recipe a bit by adding essential oils and other scents to it to make your clothes smell extra good.  You should be able to find all these ingredients at your drugstore and can certainly find them online.

**Borax is a naturally occurring substance and is a greener household product choice.  However, it should be stored in an airtight container and kept away from food.

My friend only makes the powdered version but if you’re a liquid detergent person, you can still make this at home – it’s basically the same recipe with a few additional steps.  There are tons of recipe versions online, although I have not tried these myself so can’t judge how easy or effective they are.  Now that I’ve been inspired, I’m going to try dishwashing detergent next.  Stay tuned for that experiment!

Some of you have been asking about how my lovely roman shade turned out, so here goes.  I finally finished it over the weekend and wanted to post a few quick pictures so you could see the final result.  The process was not without some blood, sweat and tears (okay, maybe no tears, but definitely the other two), but I’m really happy that I was able to customize it exactly the way I wanted and of course I’m loving the final product.  I’m thinking of writing up a tutorial for the roman shade novices because this is one complicated process.  Would anyone be interested?  And a big thank you to Mod Green Pod for supplying the awesome fabric.

So what do you think?  Do you love it?

Ta da!!

And a close up

I’ve been scouring the internet lately for chic and eco-friendly fabrics for my own house and came across Cloth Fabric.  They’re based in Australia (but they ship to the United States!) and their fabrics are oh so fun.  I love that each of their patterns are inspired by Australia – from the plants, sand, raindrops and even the vibrating train tracks of the Central railway.  Founded by Julie Paterson, Cloth Fabric handmakes their products sustainably.  Hemp, linen and organic cotton are staples and the dyes & inks are water-based.  I’ve included a few of my favorite patterns below as well as a few of Cloth’s furniture pieces, upholstered, of course, with their fabrics.  Enjoy!

Wattle in Night

Two Up in Indigo

Currawong in Surf

Stoney in Pink

Abstract in Steel

Photos from Cloth Fabric

For all of you throw pillow fans out there, I’ve got some eye candy for you today.  If you’re like me, you understand how wonderful that little puffy thing sitting on your sofa truly is.  I mean, just an 18″ x 18″ square can really transform a room with a new pop of color, texture or pattern.  And all without fear of commitment (just make sure when you’re done with it, you donate that pillow cover, and don’t, *gasp* throw it away).

Now I normally look through quite a lot of throw pillows, but when I saw the latest collection from Fabricadabra, it definitely stopped me in my tracks.  I mean, what’s not to love?  They’re beautiful, unique, colorful, fun and above all, eco-friendly.  For those of you who don’t know about Fabricadabra, this awesome company is run by Donna Halloran, a textile industry pro.  All of the fabrics she uses are sustainably sourced and produced, and include organic, handmade and fair-trade options.  In addition, Fabricadabra also sells eco-friendly pillow inserts, which is actually something I don’t see very often, even from green retailers.  Seems like a no-brainer to me, but I digress.

I found it impossible to stick to just one or two pillows to show, so instead I decided to pick a whole bunch and organize them in rainbow order.  So happy Wednesday and enjoy!

Cotton batik crackle pillow cover; Vintage suzani pillow cover

Silk/cotton ikat pillow; Cheeky ikat print on organic cotton

Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover in orange; Dutch wax printed batik cotton pillow cover

Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover; Untreated cotton batik crackle cloth pillow cover

African wax printed cotton sheeting pillow cover; Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover

Tie-dye on organic cotton jersey pillow cover; Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover

Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover in purple; Dutch wax printed/batik pillow cover

Cotton mud cloth pillow cover; Silk/cotton ikat pillow cover in charcoal

Photos from Fabricadabra

Now I’ve seen a lot of interior products – it’s what I do all day and how I unwind at night (what could be better than a new shelter mag and a glass of wine?)  I’m generally a lover of most things, but it takes something really unique to get me to truly sit up and take notice.  So when I first saw wallpaper and pillows from Shanan Campanaro of Eskayel, they stopped me dead in my tracks.  The patterns are beyond gorgeous and so different than anything I’ve ever seen.  (See what I mean?  A smattering of the patterns are above).

Shanan is an artist by trade but started experimenting by digitally manipulating portions of her artwork into kaleidoscopic patterns on wallpaper.  The result is what you see here.  You can tell that a few of these came from a painting of a sleeping polar bear (beyond gorgeous), while others it’s much harder to tell.  I imagine you can look at this wallpaper for hours and always see something different.  Here’s a link to Shanan’s artist website so you can see the original works of art for yourself.

Now for the green creds: Shanan’s pillows are 100% eco-friendly, made with organic denim, water based inks and digitally printed (and made locally if you’re near Pennsylvania and sold in Brooklyn).  The wallpapers contain no VOCs, are vinyl free and also digitally printed (no run off waste).  Gorgeous and eco-friendly?  Sign me up!

So what else will Eskayel be taking on you ask?  Fabrics and ceramic tumblers.  I have to save something for another post, so you’ll have to be patient.  In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few more pictures of Shanan Campanaro’s gorgeous patterns.  Enjoy!

Photos from Eskayel

The last company that I’ll be showing you is Harmony Art Organic Design, which I think is a great way to end this series of beautiful organic fabric.  I love their slogan, “committed to keeping oatmeal and granola where it belongs…”  Their heavier twills and denims are great for upholstery and their sateens would make damn cute pillows, tablecloths, curtains, you name it.



Their patterns are feminine but young, fresh and fun.  All are organic cotton sourced and printed either in India or the US, because as I’ve been learning India is one of the best places for organic cotton.  Harmony Art is also dedicated to fair trade practices and “promoting social and environmental progress in the textile industry.”  What a great way to run an organic fabric company!

Unless you’re a wholesaler or are planning to buy 50 yards of fabric, you can’t buy directly through them.  However, there are plenty of online retailers that carry their fabrics.  Happy shopping!







Photos from Harmony Art Organic Design

For those of you who are more partial to solid colors, subtle patterns or just want a variety of fiber choices, one of the best retail organic fabric companies I’ve come across is Near Sea Naturals.  They have an amazing variety of organic cotton, wool, hemp, blended fibers and peace silks in lots of beautiful colors.

As an interior designer, I am particularly fond of silk, for its luster and hand.  However I’ve always been under the impression that as long as you’re using a natural fiber, you’ve made a more or less green choice.  But as with so many eco options, it’s never quite that simple.  Yes, it’s a natural fiber, biodegradable and made from renewable resources, but there’s so much more to it than that.  Treehugger has a great article describing whether silk is green or not in a very easy to understand way.  As you’ll learn, peace, Tussah or fair-trade silks are a much better choice than standard silk.  And fortunately Near Sea Naturals has a great selection so you can feel good about your chic choices.

Here’s a picture of Near Sea Naturals’ peace silk.  Gorgeous!

Near Sea Naturals’ website has a TON of fabric options so I don’t think it’s possible to choose wrong.  As you’re shopping, keep in mind that many of their fabrics are lightweight and woven for clothing or throw pillows.  There are, however, plenty of options for upholstery and light usage and it usually says in the description what you can use the fabric for.  Images on their website are fairly good, but if you’re trying to match something specific or working on a design scheme, you can always buy a swatch to see the fabric close up.  The only downside I’ve found is that you’re not guaranteed that a certain fabric will stay in stock or that they’ll be able to order more.  So make sure to order soon and order all of the yardage you need!  And don’t forget to order organic notions, batting and ribbon to go with your beautiful organic fabric.

Here are just a few of my favorites.

Here are just a few of Near Sea Naturals’ solids in cotton, silk wool and blends.  They have a beautiful color selection.

Photos from Near Sea Naturals

The stereotypical organic fabric is neutral in color and somewhat unrefined, however this next company is also showing that green does not have to equal boring.  Founded by Michelle Adams, who you may remember from an earlier post I wrote about her super chic apartment, Rubie Green is out to prove that their fabrics can be  just and colorful and graphic as the next.  And we’re glad they did.

Rubie Green uses only 100% certified organic cotton to print on.  Their inks are water-based, non-toxic and contain no VOCs. What I found especially impressive is their heat printing method uses only about a gallon of water a day.  Normal printing methods use a lot of water and create a lot of waste.  I don’t know how much fabric Rubie Green prints daily, but this seems like an impressive goal for textile companies.

Their prices, at $90 per yard, are more than Mod Green Pod but with patterns this bold and colorful, you really only need a little bit to brighten up a room.

Here are just a few of my favorites.  Make sure you check out their website for more.  Enjoy!

This pattern is called East Village.  I may have to get a yard or two not only because it’s a great pattern, but that’s my neighborhood!

This pattern is so fun in lime green, or…

Beautiful and elegant in gray

Photos by Patrick Cline for Rubie Green

So now that I’ve shown you that beautiful and sustainable furniture is possible and available, the next question to answer is: where can I find beautiful and sustainable fabrics to upholster my gorgeous furniture with? For manufacturers who don’t provide their own organic fabrics, I’ll be profiling a few textile companies over the next few posts.  First up is Mod Green Pod.

Founded by sisters Nancy and Lisa Mims, Mod Green Pod makes graphic and colorful fabrics and wallpaper that are anything but boring.  Their patterns are all printed on 100% certified organic cotton that has been grown and woven in the United States.  According to Mod Green Pod:

Conventional cotton represents only three percent of the world’s cropland, yet it’s doused with 25% of all insecticides and over 10% of all pesticides. In California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are given the most toxic classification for cancer-causing chemicals.

That’s scary stuff and just one of the many reasons that natural fibers are not always the same as organic fibers!

In addition to using organic cotton, Mod Green Pod also uses non-toxic printing pigments and dyes.  What they don’t use are fabric protectors, color fast agents, stain resistants, wrinkle-free agents or fire retardants that may contain toxins.

Here are a few of their fun, colorful and graphic patterns.  And for about $40/yard, you can use these fabrics for larger item or drapery.  Mod Green Pod also has a range of bright solids and can do custom colors with large orders.  Tell me what you think!

Hey Mod Green Pod!  If you’re out there, I love this print and think you should make it in a bright color such as purple or royal blue.  I have dining chairs that need reupholstering and this fabric would look perfect on them!

Love the retro look of this one

I love that this pattern comes in a large and small scales.  I’m a bit partial to the magenta color way though.

Photos from Mod Green Pod