Working on my designs. Sooooooo many choices in terms of fabrics- each with the pluses and minuses. I thought it might be helpful (for me, at least) to do a quick rundown of the various materials that are considered green or greenish that I am working with. Anyone with any experience or opinions can feel free to chime in.
Organic Cotton- Pretty self explanatory. What might not be know is the insane amount of chemicals that are used to grow conventional cotton- way more that most food plants. Much looser laws. Positives: supporting organics is always good practice- less chem. in the world short term and encouraging sustainable practices long term. Also, the quality of fabrics I have seen has been excellent. The companies I have received samples and orders from really seem to take a lot of pride in their products. Also, colorgrown fabric is available. My first bags that are ready for sale are made with a really cool diamond pattern that is completely chemical free from start to finish. Negatives: Price!!!!! Printed organics go from 15-100+ a yard. My goal is to make products that I can offer for a reasonable price. (Most people are unwilling to pay 100$ for a shopping bag. Where are people's priorities?) Although there are some great companies like Harmony Arts making some really cool stuff, the choices, obviously, are a teeny fraction of what is available in conventional cotton materials - limits boundaries of design a little, but not much. Also, the majority of the cotton is grown outside the US. Just not as many cotton plantations near NYC as one might think. Huh.
Hemp- Pretty well know- the pot cloth. Positives: Extremely eco-friendly agriculture. Little to no pesticides required- feeds the soil. CAN be very sturdy fabric. And let's face it...there is a tiny cool factor involved in designing in hemp. Negatives: Price again! Even more so than the organic cotton. 20-80$ a yard for sewing quality fabric. Which brings me to my next drawback, very inconsistent in quality. One sample fantastic, the next threadbare. Also inconsistent in availability. I found a fantastic artichoke pattern. From the time I got the sample to the time I tried to order it, it was out of print. :(. Most of fabric quality hemps I have seen are not 100% hemp, 50% at best; that leaves a whole lotta room for pesticides and other questionables. Also not grown in the US. Although, Canada is relatively local enough for me.
Bamboo- Material made from the pulp of bamboo. Positives: Very silky- great for gift bags and ribbon making. Very eco-friendly growing requirements. It also has natural antibacterial and anti fungal properties, making them great for hygiene products. Negatives: Now, I fully disclose, that my research on actual in the hand fabrics is limited to a 1/2 dozen or so. This, in and of itself, is part of the problem. I am not finding a ton of distributors or variety even with the ones who do carry bamboo.. The samples I have received are silky, as mentioned, but not practical for sturdy applications- which is where my first set of designs really focuses. (My experiences with real silk and satin projects have been.....a little on the pathetic side to be generous to myself.) The average price I am finding is 15-25$ a yard. Since I haven't really created any designs with bamboo yet, I can't decide if the price will be prohibitive or not. I see ribbon potential. I haven't closed the door on it- just need to do more research.
Reclaimed- Anything headed for the bin qualifies here. Could be a scrap from a designer too small for his/her use, or cut up fantastic curtain from a yard sale. Not sure how I would work this yet. Still way in the research phase. Positives: Saving anything from a landfill gets a happy green thumb up. The potential for design creativity is infinite and exciting. Vintage prints would be a lot of fun. The cost of materials could be as low as nothing- allowing me to make shopping bags, etc. extremely affordable.... and super interesting to boot. Negatives: Obviously no bulk ordering here. Each piece would be pretty much one of a kind. Working with various fabrics at once can be a sewing challenge as well. (I am nothing if not challenged.) Storage and organization might push me, or at least my husband, over the edge. Also, for people who want organic to avoid the chemicals on the fabric itself, these wouldn't be an option. And here is the big one....would people be skeeved by used fabrics? Would you buy a bag made out of old fabric? Not so much an issue for scraps from designers or whatnot, but for really reclaimed things.
I hope to have the first few bags up on etsy this weekend. Just waiting for my shipping supplies to arrive. (Thank you burbanmom for all you advice on shipping!)
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4 comments:
OK, here's a thought... what about letting the customer choose their fabric and adjust the price accordingly. Say someone wants a dozen napkins. You could have a base price of $1.00 per napkin for basic cotton, but off them the option of upgrading to organic, hemp, bamboo or reclaimed for more $$$. I mean, part of the reason they're buying from you is because they want a one-of-a-kind item, right?
Just a thought...
PS. I don't think people would be skeeved by the reclaimed fabric. I saw some lady with a purse made out of old Caprisun juice pouches last week. If that doesn't gross folks out, I don't think a used cotton bag would bother 'em!
Heh, I was gonna plug burbanmom's blog as another great source for making steady changes in your life!
anyway, freecycle is a great place to get used fabrics - sheets, towels, woven cloth shirts, etc. Top sheets often get less wear and stains and are easier to work with than fitted sheets. Most people like their sheets to match, so you could probably get some decent top sheets when people's fitteds & pillowcases wear out. Again, there's that skeeve factor - I think using "made from reclaimed fabric" as a term versus "made from used sheets" is a step in the right direction, marketing-wise.
As far as bulk orders go, you could use, say, a queen-sized sheet to make a bunch of matching bags, sell them as a set, then use the scraps to make random bags - I think there would be a market for random bags.
Oh, and Target had all their organic cotton sheet sets on clearance last week for 75% off - a great source for organic cotton fabric!!
I didn't forget burbanmom! Having her around is like having my own personal cheerleader- a smart one who knows about sewing junk. I even gave her a little shout out - yes I'm bringing back the shout out - in this post. When I am in a more poetic frame of mind I will write an ode to her. OK- maybe a haiku- a little pressed for time these days.
I did sign up for freecycle- but haven't found anything yet. I need to post a want. Just have to find a way to word it so I don't end up with bags of stuff I can't use.
That is a great tip about Target sheets. They might not work for bags- too soft- but I'm sure I could think of something.
Sadly- I'm not sure how to post names so that it gives people a link to their sites. Is it the same as posting an address link?
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