“Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.”
Vivienne Westwood
It’s Earth Day! The perfect time to slow down and focus on what we can do to make our craft as sustainable as possible. Today I’ll be working on some mending and planning out some scrappy projects. I thought this was the perfect time to share some of my fav tutorials and tips to keep your sewing practice as eco-friendly as possible!
Sustainable Sewing Tips
- Reuse and recycle old clothing and textiles
- Mend and repair
- Use organic and sustainable fabrics and notions whenever possible
- Keep it Local
- Look for Fair trade and ethical production
- Avoid chemical dyes. Use plant based, low impact and non toxic dyes
When I’m sourcing fabric for my makes I try to be mindful of where I’m purchasing and salvaging fabric. I prefer organic, sustainable and fair trade natural fibers as well as sourcing deadstock and recycled fabrics (especially for swimwear). Antique stores, thrift shops and estate sales are also wonderful places to source fabric from. I focus on how to optimally cut my fabric, aiming for minimal waste. I save my scraps in dedicated baskets for stuffing and small projects. Here are some of my past projects as well as some great links to projects.
Scrappy + Eco Friendly Sewing Projects:
Some of my Favorite Refashions from thrifted fabric:
Goodwill dresses for refashion Kwik Sew 3232 Skort
Sustainable Reading:
“Becoming more mindful about clothing means looking at every fiber, at every seed and every dye, and seeing how to make it better. We don’t want sustainability to be our edge, we want it to be universal.”-Eileen Fisher
Happy Earth Day! Go Mend and Sew your way to a better world!
2 responses to “Earth Day & Sustainable Sewing”
Perfect post for Earth Day!
Thanks mom! This was a fun one to write up.