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Working with fabric

by Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade, 3.6 Good to know Tagged

One of the much touted benefits of plastic is that it reduces pressure on natural resources. Nowhere is this more true than in fabric and fibres.Producing natural fibres is certainly resource intensive. And synthetic fabrics have moved on since the early days of crimpolene and can now convincingly replace anything from wool to silk. They used to make the sheerest of stockings to the thickest and woolliest of fleece jackets. Dirty old fishing nets can be recycled into saucy bikinis.

And at a fraction of the price. So much so that synthetics now make up 60% of the market.

While using synthetic fibres means that less space is needed to grow cotton or flax, less pesticides are used and vegans can be pleased that less sheep need shearing and silk worms dont need to die for us.

But of course synthetics come with their own very real and severe environmental costs.

Synthetic fibres have the same qualities as plastic. The problems with a polyester sock are the same as with a PET bottle. Though you get more wear out of a sock eventually it gets thrown away and because it is now non-biodegradable rubbish it needs to be specialy disposed of. Cheap clothes and fabrics  go on to pollute the environment in the same way a bottle may.

Plus all the other problems attendant with plastic products (you can read more about the problems with plastic here).

Micro Pollution

And it’s not just end of life disposal that is difficult, synthetic fabrics pollute through out their life time. Everytime they are washed they shed thousands of non biodegradable micro plastic fibres that wash down the drains and into the oceans where they are now affecting the ecosystem, (see micro plastics for more)

The energy used (and the CO2 emitted) to create 1 ton of spun fiber is much higher for synthetics than for hemp or cotton. 

So I am researching natural fabrics

Fibres to fabrics 

My  ongoing experiences with fabrics

The more I sew the more I realise all fabrics are not the same – even if they go under the same name! The following are my ongoing notes on the subject. I have a lot to learn!

Cotton

http://plasticisrubbish.com/2024/09/26/cotton-fabric/

Lawn is a very fine cotton though as with everything in life it seems you can get different grades of fabric that have, predictably, slightly different qualities. The Ebay lawn I used to make my wrap around top creases far more than the Thai lawn from Japan I used to make the back packers bloomers. I am not complaining about the Ebay lawn. It is still good and at that price, a real bargain. But if you don’t like ironing but do mind looking crumpled than it might be better to try and source a higher grade fabric.

I though I had when I bought some grey lawn from the Button Box in Huddersfield to make the Choir Boy Top. This is more like a muslin more crumply than the Japanese lawn but nots as creased as the Ebay stuff.

Printed Cotton
ROse and Hubble for loon pants. Seems to be indestructible.

Batting

Looks like a kind of cotton wool used for quilting and stuffing things. Can be bought HERE

Wool

Reading up on wool. How eco is it? This wonderful blog is my go to for this stuff. Heres their introduction to wool.

Silk

And while we are on the subject did you know about peace silk?

“When it comes to peace silk, the moth has been allowed to complete it’s full transformation, emerging from the cocoon alive and able to continue with mating. Additionally, the eggs are raised every year from one strain, assisting in the conservation of the species. ”

You can buy peace silk here

Silk is measured in mom’s. the more moms the thicker the silk. One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter; 8 mommes is approximately 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter.

https://www.lilysilk.com/us/what-is-momme-silk/

10 momme = 43gm per square meter

Die silk

Acid dyes – Jacquard Acid Dye 14g

Hot-water powder dyes, producing vibrant colours on protein fibres including silk, wool, feathers and most nylons. The “acid” is the vinegar that you add for fixing. Dye in an old saucepan, in the microwave, or paint or print and steam-fix. Ideal for dyeing silk scarves a constant colour, silk fibres for silk-papermaking, or wool for feltmaking.

Each pack will dye approx 2lbs of fabric

https://www.rainbowsilks.co.uk/ProductDetails.cfm?SubCatId=107&Code=JACA

Chiffon is a translucent fabric, or gauze, it is a lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, woven of alternate S- and Z- Twist crepe (high-twist) yarns. Chiffon is smoother and more lustrous than the similar fabric, Georgette.

Early chiffon was made purely from silk Under a magnifying glass, chiffon resembles a fine net or mesh, which gives it some transparency.

Chiffon is most commonly used in evening wear, especially as an overlay, for giving an elegant and floating appearance to the gown. It is also a popular fabric used in blouses, ribbons, scarves and lingerie.

Habotai is a soft, glossy, medium weight Chinese silk in ivory. It is popular for silk painting. It can also be used for making scarves or cushions, although other silks are preferable for the more hard-wearing uses.

Habutai or habotai  is normally a lining silk 

It comes in a variety of weights (thicknesses) which is measured in mommes (abbreviated mm). A lightweight and sheer habutai silk might be 8 mommes (“8mm”); a 16mm habutai is considered quite thick.

I bought this 

good quality silk habotai, 10 momme, 140 cm wide, ivory, suitable for lining and craft

naturalsilks 

And you can get organic 100 % cotton lace here

  • N.B.
    lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
Join our Facebook group here
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Elastine

by Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade Tagged 2 Comments

I wear mostly natural fibres but occasionally have problems with elasticine. I thought this referred to elastic. So when the label said 95% cotton 5% elasticine I thought the article of clothing contained elastic. I was kind of confused to find my jeans contained elastic but considered it essential in my knickers. Obviously more research was needed.

What is elasticine? also called Spandex or Lycra

elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It can be stretched up to 7 times it’s own length and snaps back into shape. So yes like elastic in that sense.

BUT rather than a stretchy piece of white stuff threaded through your waistband, it is used in a blend with other fibres. It is often mixed with natural fibres such as cotton to help them keep their shape.

There are two principal methods used in processing elastane. One is to wrap the elastane fibre in a non-elastic thread – either natural or man-made. The resulting yarn has the appearance and feel of the outer fibre used. The second method involves using pure elastane threads, which are worked or woven into fabrics made from other fibres. The added elasticity makes such fabrics more comfortable to wear. Blends with elastane depend on the type of fabric and the end use.

On care labels elastane is often designated as “EL”.

For cotton clothes that need a lot of stretch like socks and knickers it is almost impossible to find them elasticine free.

Why is this a problem?

It is a polyether polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPonts Wikipedia

Basically it is a non biodegradable plastic. The problem with non biodegradable plastic fibres is that they shed when the fabric containing them is washed. They are then swooshed into the drains in the waste water and, too fine to be filtered out, they end up the rivers and sea. Once there, being plastic, they don’t biodegrade. They are now amongst other problems, being eaten by plankton with worrying effects.

And then there is this….”Spandex is made from several chemicals that are known sensitizers. TDI and MDI (Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate; Methylene bisphenyl-4,4-diiisocyanate) are precursors of the polyurethane used to make spandex. TDI, a toxic chemical, has proved carcinogenic and can cause severe dermatitis. MDI is also toxic. Manufacturers of spandex products must use strict quality control procedures to ensure that no residual unreacted MDI or TDI exists in the final product.

Why I boycott….

Seemingly, wherever scientists look, they’re finding plastic fibers contaminating the environment. Often, plastic textile fibers are the dominant source of plastic pollution found in surveys. Plastic fibers have been found in the sediment surrounding beaches, in mangrove groves, and in Arctic ice — even in products we eat and drink. “The average person ingests over 5,800 particles of synthetic debris” a year, a recent paper in PLOS finds. And most of those particles are plastic fibers.

Read more here

 

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Cork

by Posted in 6 archive Tagged , 3 Comments

Flexible Rubber cork

Nitrile rubber is synthetic rubber. it can be used to bond cork to make a flexible sheet
like Klinger NI27 Rubber Bonded Cork
Klinger rubber bonded cork is bonded with synthetic rubber, it provides the compressibility of cork with the resilience of rubber. This material has high mechanical strength.
Manufactured from high quality cork oak bonded with synthetic rubber
Rubber cork sheets are made from cork aggregate and different rubber mixes, neoprene, silicone and polyurethane. The final product is incredibly elastic, durable and resistant against grease, oil, fuels, gases and many other chemical substances. It is used as a seal material for cars, agricultural machines and industry seals. Read more.

But you can get expanded cork boards that don’t use synthetic binders.
Expanded insulation cork sheets are natural, balanced and unbeatable cork products that, with this special type of agglomerated cork, do not contain polyurethane or any other fillers or additives. Due to the high temperature processing treatment it expands (similarly to popcorn) and suberin that is releases during is a natural adhesive that binds the expanding grains. This way we produce a wonderful, natural and sustainable material that offers a perfect vibroisolation, thermal insulation and acoustic isolation.
Find them here.

Heres some more information on expanded cork

and this about using cork in the green home.

Some notes on insulation

The green van. You can see all our related posts here Thermal conductivity, often denoted by the greek symbol λ ,measures …
Read More

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Sponges

by Posted in 3.1 Personal Tagged

You want a sponge? You could try a natural one but please do be sure it is sustainabley harvested… like these
Sustainable Sponge Farming
Sustainable Sponges are grown in the sheltered lagoons of Pohnpei, Micronesia. Sponge farming in Micronesia was started by the Marine and Environmental Research Institute of Pohnpei (MERIP) as a means of generating a sustainable livelihood for local community members, many of whom have no access to running water or electricity, and little means of earning money.
Read more and buy here.

If that doesn’t appeal you can buy biodegradable, cellulose sponges such as these.

ProDec Cellulose Large Size Sponge
Details:
100% cellulose for extra absorbency
Holds up to 20 times its own weight in water
150 x 115 x 40mm
100% natural cellulose sponge. Ideal for washing down and sugar soaping surfaces, hanging paper and cleaning tiles. Can also be used to help create special stippling effects. The super absorbent cellulose structure can hold up to 20 times its own weight in water, and when wrung out will wipe down surfaces leaving them virtually dry.
Buy them From ebay.

N.B.
You can get bath time versions that are more attractively shaped.
I have yet to find one in #plasticfree packaging

For washing up and wiping down I use these biodegradable cellulose sponge in compostable #plasticfree packaging. Fantastic. And I composted them in my bin when done. Read more here.

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Bleaching Paper

by Posted in 4 About The Alternatives Tagged

Until the 1990s, chlorine was mostly used for bleaching paper because it does the job very efficiently. The downside is that the process results in dioxins. Paper mills a major sources of dioxins in the environment.
Dioxins are known carcinogens that bioaccumulate in the food chain. You can read more here. They are very nasty and we do not want them lurking in the water or our body fat. Thankfully safer alternatives are being developed. Please consider choosing one when you buy any paper product.

Unbleached – BEST
No process is used to brighten the fibre and the resulting paper is the natural brown colour of untreated wood pulp.

When buying bleached paper heres what to avoid and what to buy

Elemental Chlorine. NO.
This is the old school method. A chemical gas is used to brighten paper fibers but results in the most dioxins.

Elemental Chlorine Free. IF YOU HAVE TO
“Uses a chlorine compound, most often chlorine dioxide, that significantly reduces dioxins but does not eliminate them. Paper companies using ECF often say that dioxin is “nondetectable” in their wastewater. This refers only to the sensitivity of prescribed tests, and does not necessarily mean there are no dioxins. State-of-the-art tests are often able to detect dioxins when prescribed tests find them nondetectable.”

Totally Chlorine Free YES
Non chlorine alternative bleaching processes, including
oxygen,
peroxide
ozone bleaching systems

None of the above result in dioxins or chlorinated toxic pollutants.

Processed Chlorine Free YES
When recycled fibres are used in the finished paper this tells you that the recycled content was originally bleached without chlorine or chlorine compounds as well as new the virgin fibres.

The Worldwatch Institute (Paper Cuts, 1999) reports that a mill using standard chlorine bleaching will release about 35 tons of organochlorines (dioxins and chlorinated toxic pollutants) a day. An ECF mill will release 7-10 tons per day. A PCF/TCF mill will release none.

N.B.

Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

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Watch – wooden

by Posted in 3.1.7 Wo/M/animals Tagged

Who wouldn’t want a wooden time piece to mark the hours ? Buy one from WeWood in Australia and they will also plant  tree for you. So sweet! You can get them from Ethical Superstore.

Want something cheaper There are more wooden watches on Amazon  and you can sponsor a tree plant via the national forest scheme.

 

Thyvogue Men's Red Round Red Dial Wooden Watch with 40 Mm Size W00007
Thyvogue Men’s Red Round Red Dial Wooden Wa…

You can read more about our relationship with Amazon here…

Burning plastic in the home

by Posted in 2.1 reports, stats and studies Tagged , ,

Some feel my worrying about plastic in the home is taking it too far?  Disposables? Yes, they can see I might have a point. But nylon carpet, foam-filled pillows and  polyester drapes…. what could possibly go wrong?

Well good taste aside…. you know how we were talking about hydrocarbons containing a lot of energy? Well all that energy means they burn hot. And that plastic is made from hydrocarbons. You got it. Plastic is a fuel too. So much so  that it actually has a higher BTU than coal. Great for waste to energy incinerators not so good for house fires.

For generations, firefighters’ had, “on average, 17 minutes to get anyone inside out of the building before they succumbed to smoke inhalation.” Because of modern fast burning synthetic furnishings that time is down to 4 minutes. Natural fibres and fillings do not burn as fast.

You can find lots more scary stats here plus a spooky burning chair that shows just how quickly you can be overcome.

Please people make sure your smoke alarm is working and maybe pay a bit more for cotton curtains and a wool rug.

Found this very interesting table on fumes released by burning. Hers an example…

Upholstery • Nylon Polybrominated diphenyl ethers Hydrogen chloride Hydrochloric acid Hydrogen cyanide Dioxins Possible carcinogen; poison by ingestion. Highly corrosive irritant to eyes, skin and mucous membranes; mildly toxic by inhalation. Corrosive; mildly toxic by inhalation; when heated to decomposition emits toxic fumes of chlorides. Asphyxiant; deadly human and experimental poison by all routes. Carcinogen; a deadly experimental poison by ingestion, skin contact and intraperitoneal routes. Immobile in contaminated soil and may be retained for years. No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Click to access OpenBurningChemicalList.pdf

And this

Burning a small sample of a synthetic fibre yarn is a handy way of identifying the material. Hold the specimen in a clean flame. While the specimen is in the flame, observe its reaction and the nature of the smoke. Remove the specimen from the flame and observe its reaction and smoke. Then extinguish the flame by blowing. After the specimen has cooled, observe the residue.

https://www.tensiontech.com/tools-guides/burning-characteristics

And this on toxic fibres and fabrics

https://fashionbi.com/newspaper/the-health-risks-of-toxic-fibers-and-fabrics

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Tiffin Tin

by Posted in 3.2 Outside the U.K. Tagged , , 2 Comments

There is some fantastic street food in China but they serve it in polystyrene (styrofoam) trays. So you will need to carry your own tiffin tin Dont worry if you forgot to pack one, the Chinese love tiffin tins. We got this beauty in a small supermarket. It has a screw on lid so is very secure and even a handle which made boiling water in our yurt easier. Rather it made making the tea with the boiling water so much easier.

 

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This post is my contribution to Zero Waste Week (‪#ZerowasteWeek) the brainchild of Rae Straus (also featured in our P-f U.K. directory). Each day, for 7 days, we will feature a tip to help you eat, drink and – ermmm – excrete in the most sustainable and rubbish free- way, backpacking kind of way. Each post will appear up on our advent calender of trash free tips. See them there.

 

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Air Miles & Buying British

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know, 4.9 Useful to know Tagged ,

One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the shops seeing what you can source. Better still if they are independant shops rather than supermarkets. But it’s not just about local shops, buying local produce is extremely important to me for a number of reasons, one of which is product miles.

What are product miles?

The distance a product has to travel from growth or production to the place of consumption. is called product miles.
It follows in the better known tradition of
Air-miles – how far a product had to fly
Food miles – the distance from farm to fork
I am sure there are others I don’t know about. Container miles maybe? Ship miles? But I prefer product miles as it covers them all.

Why Count Them
I am always concerned by how far a purchase has to travel to reach me. If it was grown or made next door it will, obviously, have to be transported a shorter distance than one made in China.
I want to cut the carbon cost of everything I use and product miles have an attached carbon cost. The longer the distance a product travels, the more petrol needs to be burnt resulting in more emissions, more trucks are needed on more roads… basically it means more of everything. And a lot of them things I don’t much like including global warming.

Seasonal & Local

Buying closer to home doesn’t always mean that product was produced more ethically. Peppers grown in cold Holland in artificially heated greenhouses may have a higher carbon cost then peppers imported from hot Spain even though it is further away. Out of season U.K. strawberries will have a higher carbon cost (again from heating greenhouses) than ones grown in season.

Buying native fruit and veg in season is the greenest way to buy. But does limit my choice. If I need to buy imported often because there is no unpackaged, local veg my general rule of thumb is seasonal, native from the country of origin. So I will buy imported melons from Spain but only if they are naturally grown in Spain and in season.

Ideally No further away than  Europe – bananas being the exception.

Case Study The Product Miles Of A U.K. Made Plastic Bowl
Even then it is not always easy….
Salmon Luke make plastic bowls here in the U.K. This is from their website:
“Here are the product miles for our bowl and cutlery.
One Salmon Luke bowl 1,972 miles
One spoon and fork set 2,164 miles”
But be aware that “the raw ingredient for plastic is obviously oil, but it’s nigh on impossible to find out where ‘our’ oil was extracted. So, for the purposes of our study, we calculated the product miles from the petrochemical company which produced the finished polymer. ”

Shopping British Owned

So we don’t just buy #plasticfree, we try to support our local shops when ever possible and buy British made. Failing that if we have to enter those hellish portals, we try to buy from a U.K. owned chain store. check out our buyers guide here

N.B.

Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

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Make up

by Posted in 3.1 Personal Tagged 1 Comment

It is a long time since I have worn make up. My excuse would be the most of it comes in plastic but the reality is that I’m simply too lazy. I can’t be bothered painting on some eyes, lips and cheeks every time I leave the house. Never have. My experience with makeup is limited to some exuberant punk escapades back in the day that featured a lot of smudgy black kohl and hanging around in bus shelters. It was grim up north I can tell you.

Since then my face has seen little more than a sweep of mascara on high days and holidays. And often not even then.

However the purpose of this blog is to source alternatives for plastic packed products and this year I am going to be making up for lost time. Time to tackle cosmetics and as I always like to lead by example so I am learning how to primp and paint.

I have bought some make-up. I’ve got a pencil, some liquid eyeliner, lipstick (greasy stuff) and blush. I will branch out into foundation and eyeshadow later. Learning to live with makeup is hard. Is it a skill you have to be taught in childhood? And I’m only up to mascara. One word – clumps!

Looking Into

Makeup Remover
Given my inexperience with makeup and hamfisted attempts with liquid eyeliner, my first and most important find has been a #plasticfree make up remover. And once again it is coconut oil. Removes all makeup easily and gently. Just add that to its many list of virtues. You can read about coconut oil and where to purchase it, here

Makeup

So I have been doing some research into plasticfree makeup. Here are some ideas

Boots no 7 foundation is in a glass bottle with a plastic lid
Besame cake mascara.They do it in both black and brown. The actual product looks great. Seems it comes in a tin with a paper wrap and cardboard box. Sadly the applicator is plastic and comes in a plastic bag.
read more here

Lush
solid perfume at Lush in tins like lip balm.
They also have packaging free blocks of lip colour in a pinks and reds option
eyebrow pencils that look like crayons as well.
They also do blocks of henna.
Read more about Lush here

LunaZeroWaste

is a UK designed and manufactured zero waste makeup brand. Our products are totally vegan and never come in plastic packaging.
The idea for LunaZeroWaste came from one person’s frustration in not being able to find makeup that was produced in the UK, animal product free and Zero Waste. We hope that you enjoy our products as much as we do!

Luna zero waste on Etsy does eyeliner, mascara an lip tint in glass and metal but no applicators read more here

Kajer Weiss do refillable metal and great makeup too read more here

Nuturissmo
Buy online and their packaging is all compostable and they sell things like kjer Weiss refillable makeup.

From the website
We want to be part of the solution so we practise responsible sourcing and make eco-friendly decisions. We stock products that avoid excess packaging and that provide packaging that can be recycled. Our own delivery boxes are 100% recyclable and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved which helps prevent the use of illegally harvested timber. Our tissue paper is provided by a sustainable company and printed with eco-friendly soy ink, not petroleum-based ink, and it’s 100% recyclable. We use 100% natural starch-based packing peanuts to secure your products inside they box; they are a far more environmentally friendly solution compared to petroleum-based polystyrene packing material. We favour 100% recyclable packaging, fair-trade, locally produced and biodegradable products, all of which help reduce waste and pollution.

I haven’t had time to research this site but it looks interesting and they do consider their packaging. So while not plastic free I have included them as make up is very tricky to find. See for your self HERE

Anything But Plastic

This is a great online shop. You can read more about them here

I will soon be stocking plastic free make up on my website Anything But Plastic, I’m just waiting to try out some samples before ordering. It’s so difficult to source in the UK, I hope I’ve finally found a good supplier, fingers crossed 🙂
read more here

Many thanks to the lovely Plastic Is Rubbish FB group who came up with these reccomendations. They are a great source of personal experience and up to date information.

More

There are more plastic free cosmetics featured on our Pinterest page.

Interesting article here

See all our Personal Care Posts here

Why This Post Is ….

A little bit rubbish. You are reading a work in progress. Here’s how the blog is written and why we post half cocked.

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Fabric – An Introduction

by Posted in 4 About The Alternatives Tagged , , 1 Comment

Post Index

Definitions

Making Fabric

  • Types  Of Fabric
  • Fabric Weights 
  • Why Organic & Fair-trade 

Related Posts

An Introduction To Fabric

Introduction 

Fibres are short fine hairs that can be twisted or spun into longer thread or yarn. This is then woven or knitted into fabric.Natural fibres biodegrade. Synthetic fibres are man-made and plastic. Most dont. Regenerated Fibres are cellulose converted through a chemical process. Some it is claimed are biodegradable. Some are not. Yarns and fabrics made from these fibres share these qualities. Clothing – ditto. 

Natural Fibres used for finer fabrics and yarn include

  • Cotton used to make cotton
  • Flax is used to make linen. It is one of the strongest vegetable fibres. Other vegetable fibres include hemp and nettles.
  • Coarse fibres such as hemp is used to make sacking 
  • Wool and other animal hair 
  • Silk strong and light weight. Read more here.
  • Read more  HERE

Synthetic fibres

These are man-made from chemicals many of which are petroleum derived. Acrylic, nylon and polyester  are the most common. They are made from oil and coal.

  • Acrylic fibre resembles wool and so is used to replace that natural fibre.
  • Nylon is used as a silk substitute. It is a very fine and strong fibre so can be used to make ladies tights.
  • Polyester is one of the most popular man-made fibres. It can be used to mimic almost any natural fibre. is the same Polyethylene terephthalat, (frequently shortened to PET or PETE and was formerly called PETP or PET-P), that is used to make bottles and a lot of other plastic stuff.
  • Read more HERE

Regenerated Fibres

The base material is cellulose that can be obtained from a range of sources including wood, paper, cotton fiber, or  bamboo. It is then converted through a chemical process into a fiber.

They usually go under the trade names such as 

  • Rayon
  • Bamboo Rayon
  • Viscose,
  • Modal
  • Tencel (lyocell)

Regenerated Fibres & fabrics  a very basic introduction

Making Fabric

Fabric can be woven or knitted from yarn made by spinning fibres. 

Fabrics are often named  after yarn type. So cotton can be the fibre the yarn or the fabric. They can be a mixture of yarns like poly cotton – polyester and cotton mix. They may be named after the trade name like Modal.

Mixed Fibre Fabric

Where different fibres are mixed together like a wool/ silk mix  popular for suits or natural and synthetic eg polycotton

Stretch Fabrics

Stretch fabrics contains elasticine also called Spandex or Lycra. It 

is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It can be stretched up to 7 times it’s own length and snaps back into shape. It is blended with other fibres, both synthetic and natural, to create a stretchy fabric great for underwear and sports wear. Read more here

more names for fabric

There are many different kind of weave resulting in fabrics of different thickness and texture. Fabrics may be named after the weave for example twill.

Jersey is a knitted fabric that could be made from cotton, silk or polyester.

Cotton fabric can be described as denim, lawn or muslin.

Silk comes under any number of of luscious sounding names including Charmeuse, Chiffon and Crepe de Chine.

Different types of fabric have different qualities – demin is a heavy thick hard wearing cotton fabric while lawn is thin sheer cotton fabric. Differences are down to how the fabric is made and the weight (thickness) of the yarn used.

You can find over 200 types of fabric listed HERE

Fabric Weights

GSM means grammes per square metre so typically a voile or muslin would weigh less than 100 grammes per metre.

Shirtweight would be 100 to 200 gsm. Lightweight canvas would be around 300gsm. Denim is often classified in oz per sq yard. 12 oz = 400 gsm.

Natural & Ethical Fabrics

As many fabrics are made in poorer countries, do try to source fair-trade when ever possible. There are good reasons for trying to also source organic. Cotton especially uses huge amounts of pesticides.

Problem is fair trade and organic don’t come cheap and I can’t always afford it. So, without beating myself up about it, I also buy natural but almost-certainly-non-organic, who-knows-how-it-is-made fabric from local fabric shops.

Buy Fabrics

Buy fabric and other related informotion here

  • N.B.
    lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
Join our Facebook group here



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Fabric Natural

by Posted in 4.9 Useful to know Tagged 3 Comments

Textiles and ultimately clothing start with fibres

Know Your Fibres

Textiles and ultimately clothing start with fibres
Know Your Fibres
Fibres are short fine hairs that can be twisted or spun into longer thread or yarn. This may be woven or knitted into fabric.
Fibres (and then yarns and ultimately fabrics) can be can be natural, synthetic or chemically produced hybrid called regenerated fibres.

Natural fibres Are derived from plants like cotton or animals like wool and silk, Coarse Fibres Are used for rope, string, sacking and industrial uses.Read more HERE
Fibres used for finer fabrics and yarn include cotton, wool and silk. Read more HERE
Synthetic fibres are man-made from chemicals many of which are petroleum derived. Read more HERE
Regenerated Fibres The base material is cellulose that can be obtained from a range of sources. It is then converted through a chemical process into fibres.Read more HERE

Yarns and threads

and what they are used for….
Yarns and threads often take the name from the fibre in which they are spun.
they can be used as a yarn or woven / knitted into a fabric.
See links to plastic free products yarns HERE

Fabrics & Fibres, an intruduction
Guide to synthetic, (plastic), regenerated, combination and natural fibres.
why I prefer natural fabrics over synthetics here.

Fabrics

Threads can be woven or knitted into fabric.
The fabric often takes the name of the fibre such as cotton or wool.
It can also go under a trade name such as nylon.
Or it can be called something else completely such as denim or crepe de chine.

Natural Fibres

Fibres used for finer fabrics and yarn include
Cotton used to make cotton
Flax is used to make linen. It is one of the strongest vegetable fibres.
Wools include
Sheep’s wool in a range of weights and qualities
Alpaca wool used to make high-end luxury fabrics.
Angora wool -The silky white wool of the Angora rabbit is very fine and soft, and used in high quality knitwear
Mohair also from the Angora goat.
Cashmere wool comes from cashmere goats and has great insulation properties without being bulky
Silk is strong and light weight.

Coarse Fibres for rope, string, sacking and industrial uses include:
Abaca -Once a favoured source of rope, abaca shows promise as an energy-saving replacement for glass fibres in automobiles
Coir -A coarse, short fibre extracted from the outer shell of coconuts, coir is found in ropes, mattresses, brushes, geotextiles and automobile seats. Can also be used in a brush rather like a bristle.
Jute -The strong threads made from jute fibre are used worldwide in sackcloth – and help sustain the livelihoods of millions of small farmers
Sisal -Too coarse for clothing, sisal is replacing glass fibres in composite materials used to make cars and furniture.
Copied from Natural Fibres

Hessian /ˈhɛsi.ən/, burlap in America and Canada,[1] or crocus in Jamaica,[2] is a woven fabric usually made from skin of the jute plant[3][4][5] or sisal fibres,[6] which may be combined with other vegetable fibres to make rope, nets, and similar products. Gunny cloth is similar in texture and construction.

Hessian, a dense woven fabric, has historically been produced as a coarse fabric, but more recently it is being used in a refined state known simply as jute as an eco-friendly material for bags, rugs and other products.

Wikkipedia

Why is nothing EASY??

From the world wildlife fund

About 20 million tones of cotton are produced each year in around 90 countries.

China, United States, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and West Africa account for over 75% of global production.

Cotton represents nearly half the fibre used to make clothes and other textiles worldwide ( the rest is synthetic fibres)It can take more than 20,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton; equivalent to a single T-shirt and pair of jeans. (Though I think there is more cotton in a tee shirt?)Here are some more facts about cotton taken from this article in GOOD
textile mills consume 4.5 million bales of cotton yearly
a quarter of the total worldwide pesticide use occurs in cotton farming.
Each year, the World Health Organization estimates that three million people are poisoned by pesticide use
In November 2012, Greenpeace International investigated the use of hazardous chemicals used in dyes and they discovered that 63 percent of the clothing items they tested showed high traces of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), and others had highly toxic phthalates and carcinogenic amines.

A report found that water pollution in China over the past few years has grown, with the textile industry responsible for pumping out 2.5 billion tons of wastewater per year.

Read the rest for yourself … it’s just as bad.

You can read more about fabrics and yarns here….

There’s a great list of organic cotton products & suppliers here  at the www.curiouslyconscious.com blog.

Why This Post Is ….

A little bit rubbish. You are reading a work in progress. Here’s how the blog is written and why we post half cocked.