Now I would never suggest you don’t take your plastic packed medication. If you need it you take it. But this recycling scheme might be of interest to those who have use inhalers.
Did you know you can recycle your inhaler?
Find your nearest participating pharmacy via this website.
Enter your post code
and its as easy as that to breathe new life into your old inhalers.
There is some scope for home remedies to deal with blocked up noses and the like. strong smelling essentials oils are useful. And it seems you can buy refillable inhalers which makes the whole process a little easier.
You soak the cotton wick in essential oils of your choice, put in the inhaler and sniff away.
If you live in the States you can buy these rather nice ones in glass and aluminium from Amazon.com 3.5 inches x .75 inches, outer shell is aluminum.
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
Want a halloween costume that doesn’t involve a lot of plastic?
The skull T was found over on Pinterest along with lots more very clever cut out ideas – some with instructions. The rest you might have to work out for yourself. Eek!
Martha Stewart can show you how to make cut out skeleton teeshirts. Which strikes me as rather strange. I didn’t think that was her thing.
If you are not so crafty, you might like to go as a head on a box!? Or 50 shades of grey…
Why make your own clothes? It’s the only way to get true plastic-free outfits free of synthetic threads, fixings, labels and packaging:Plus I can’t afford to buy ready-made sustainable clothes, but I can (sometimes), afford to make clothes from sustainable, organic and fair-trade fabrics Click each garment to see how sustainable it is. You can see a full list of my sustainable clothes criteria here
Stuff I Made
2019
Grey dress homemade
2018
Home made
liberty sleeveless made from yellow fabric I bought in India 175
How can you afford fair trade and organic clothes on a budget? Make your own! I wanted a long tunic ... Read More
Weighs In At
Why the weighing? Well this item of clothing is counted as part of my fair share fabrics project. This is a self imposed rationing system. I use no more than my global share of fibres and they have to be sustainably sourced. Whats a global share? Share out all the fibres made by all the people on the planet and it works out, (very roughly), 11.74 kg per person of which 3.8 kg is natural fibres. As I don’t like synthetics I try to stick to 3.8 kg of natural fibres.
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
This big and rather tent like top is extremely easy to wear. Long trousers, short trousers, no trousers even! With no zips or fastenings it is easy on, easy off making it ideal even for the beach.
Can I hear cries of “Are you mad” and “A beach dress should be summery? Colorful Pretty! What you have there looks serious, formal even! With 3/4 length sleeves….”
Well observed fashionistas but we may go home via Iran. Iran as you know has a dress code for women. The Mu Mu of modesty when worn with trousers and a headscarf will pass muster.
From beach to theocracy – I don’t think you can get much more multitasking than that! But obviously there are going to have to be compromises.
Details
The fabric is grey cotton with a raised stripe of contrasting colour and texture. Stiff rather than floaty this fabric conceals rather than drapes. It is densly woven so there is no peek aboo element (thanks be) making it modest and concealing. Although the tighter weave means it is warmer than a fine cotton say, it is still cool enough and its tent like qualities means it doesnt cling. The air can waft. In short good for both Iranian law and sunny weather.
Fabric
I bought the organic and fair-trade fabric on line from the Organic Textile Company. It cost around 27.00 including delivery. They have a good range of materials and designs. In their own words “All our fabrics are good quality inexpensive organic, cotton fairly traded.” Though they don’t actually have a fair-trade certificate you can see that they are committed to the cause. There are some nice personal details about the people they work with. I actually know who made my fabric.
NB the packaging was NOT PLASTIC FREE
Sadly the packaging was plastic. The fabric was sent in a plastic bag. I did ask about that and I was told “Due to the nature of what we send through the post it is not suitable for us to use paper packaging. We do reuse packaging that is from parcels that have been sent to us and we would be able to send out fabric using recycled packaging if it was requested by a customer.”
How can you afford fair trade and organic clothes on a budget? Make your own!
I wanted a long tunic style top with 3/4 length sleeves in thin cotton I could have bought a Billie Stripe Tunic in Navy Stripe from the People Tree made form 100% Organic Cotton costing £48.00. But last time I asked they posted their stuff out in plastic packaging. And it’s a bit expensive for me. Plus too short sleeves, too long length, knitted cotton takes ages to dry…. nah.
So I made one out of crinkly organic cotton that is “traded fairly”. It is similar to cheese cloth from the 70’s and is a nice sludgy airforce blue with an off- white stripe. Doesn’t crumple, dries quickly and is great for backpacking.Total cost including delivery £27.00.
Fabric
I bought the organic and fair-trade fabric on line from the Organic Textile Company. They have a good range of materials and designs. In their own words “All our fabrics are good quality inexpensive organic, cotton fairly traded.” Though they don’t actually have a fair-trade certificate you can see that they are committed to the cause. There are some nice personal details about the people they work with. I actually know who made my fabric.
NB the packaging was NOT PLASTIC FREE
Sadly the packaging was plastic. The fabric was sent in a plastic bag. I did ask about that and I was told “Due to the nature of what we send through the post it is not suitable for us to use paper packaging. We do reuse packaging that is from parcels that have been sent to us and we would be able to send out fabric using recycled packaging if it was requested by a customer.”
Buying plastic free cotton is hard. In my experience a lot of the cheaper cottons come plastic wrapped. If you buy unwrapped, cotton cotton (if you know what I mean), the reel is plastic! Buy cheaper “cotton” often on a cardboard reel and the thread is not cotton but synthetic! Polyester or some such which is of course non biodegradable and plastic! But then I found this….on a wooden reel – from Intermarche. Yes I know that’s in France. I bought loads to sew with at home.
Their products are posted out in cardboard boxes with plastic tape and the invoice in a plastic bag on the outside. You can read a review here
Organic Biz do what look to be the sameand say this about them …. the cotton is “made from organically grown long staple cotton which gives a silky strong thread. Cost is £2.99 natural or coloured and are 300yds (275m) which compared to Gutterman 100 metre spools of thread (around £1.50).
They come on heavy wooden spools, really nice to handle”
I love supporting my local fabric shops but the fabric is not organic or fairtrade. So I decided to split my sustainable budget and buy me some green threads. Actually I wanted them in blue….hahahahha. No, what I wanted was fair trade and organic cotton. Some research later and I came up with several online suppliers.
Here’s a list of shops some of which I have used, others that I like the look of.
Below that you is a brief review of (some of), the products sold. The ones I have come across in my research.
Below that are links to suppliers I haven’t yet looked at.
If you know of any that should be on the list please add their details in the comments box.
The hemp Shop pure Organic Hemp Strapping and fabric
RaystichHas a nice range of wollen fabrics some of it made in the U.K. and some 100% cotton fleece. Ian MankinLovely organic furnishing fabrics Drapers Organic are the Hemp Shower Curtain, Hemp Fabric and Hemp Homeware Company. Mauds Fabric FindsWhere I finally find a 100% organic cotton knit in a design I like. Lancaster & Cornish Ribbons and lace
Well Cultivated www.wellcultivated.co.uk Wool & fleece
Reviews
Offset Warehouse They have a wide range of fabrics including Peace Silk that is silk made without killing the caterpiller, organic jersey and ethnic prints. You can find them all here
Their explanations of the fabrics provenance were clear and detailed. They give the fabric weight and suggestions for its use.
Their products are posted out in cardboard boxes with plastic tape and the invoice in a plastic bag on the outside. You can read a full review here
Organic Textile Company They too had a good range of fabric and they state that ” All our fabrics are good quality inexpensive organic, cotton fairly traded. ” Though they don’t actually have a fair-trade certificate you can see that they are commuted to the cause. There are some nice personal details about the people they work with. I know who made my fabric.
Maggies Fabrics I bought some Highland wool, pink gingham cotton and some lawn from Maggie, a very nice Ebay traderwho is based in Leeds. It came packaged in a plastic bag.
Not used yet – the information is taken from the website
Lancaster & Cornish Ribbons like this…. This bias cut feather weight habotai silk is super soft and drapy. The silk is dyed with natural plant dyes in our Cornwall studio.
And lace like this Manufactured in Europe, this guipure style lace trim is 100% certified organic cotton from seed to finished product. The family run factory have developed an innovative process to manufacture with environmentally friendy, non-toxic production techniques from seed to finished product,
Where I finally find a 100% organic cotton knit in a design I like.
Simple, subtle plusses on a gray ground make up this sophisticated fabric. 100% organic cotton knit.
At 200 grams per meter, this interlock knit is soft, stretchy, and sturdy enough for easy sewing
Have a look at our range of organic, natural, fairly traded fabrics by the metres. You will find a comprehensive selection of organic cottons, wools, linens, and silk and hemp and also interesting combinations of these natural fibres. If knitting or crocheting is your passion, you will find organic wool and natural alpaca yarn in vibrant plant-dyed colours or attractive natural shades to suit a variety of uses.
Currently the majority of clothes and design fabrics are made from cotton. The major global fibre crop, it is also the most environmentally harmful, using 25% of the world’s pesticides. The mass introduction of chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides has helped keep the price of cotton and other fibre and oilseed crops low. However, as pests have become more resistant to these chemicals, larger quantities are required, poisoning both land and water. Hemp, by comparison, needs little or no insecticides or herbicides and produces three times as much fibre, making it more environmentally friendly.
Raystich
Has a nice range of wollen fabrics some of it made in the U.K.. Plus some pretty organic cottons some printed. And this
ORGANIC COTTON FLEECE – GREY MARL
£11.00 Soft, fluffy-back sweatshirt fleece with a tight weave. Perfect for sweatshirts, baby blankets, cushions… It has an approximate 20% stretch with 97% recovery, and stretches two-way. 100% organic GOTS-certified cotton. 1.8m wide. 330gsm. Made in Turkey.
Price is per HALF metre. Multiple order quantities will be cut in a continuous length..
COTTON SWEATSHIRT RIBBING – STRIPED DARK GREY/GREY
Heavyweight cotton sweatshirt 1×1 ribbing for use as cuffs, neck and hems on both woven and stretch garments. This comes as a tubular knit that you can fold it over in many places depending on your required cuff length to create the cuff piece. Stripes are 2mm in width. Oeko-Tex 100 Standard certified.
96% cotton 4% elastane. 84cm wide. 500g/m2.
Price is per QUARTER metre.
Ian Mankin
Ian Mankin is delighted that everyone is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental, ethical and medical advantages of buying organic products and that more manufacturers and retailers are importing wider ranges at more economically acceptable prices into the country or making them up here – but Ian Mankin are leading the way in weaving delightful designer organic furnishing fabrics in our own mill in the UK – high quality, reasonably priced organic fabrics made by a British firm that has lasted six generations and is the first of the few remaining cotton mills to weave organic cottons and linens.
Majestic Textiles ltd
The company stocks fabrics in their natural, boiled off (BO) state. These plain silks are then used as canvasses, upon which unique hand-painted or embroidered designs are created according to the wishes of the individual customer. The company purchased a field in Hertfordshire, UK, in 2011 to grow Mulberry trees. Leaves from these organically grown trees are used to feed the silkworms, which then provide the organic silk cocoons. This process was monitored by the Soil Association, which awarded us the certification for Organic Silk in 2014.
Majestic Textiles does not use any detergents or bleaches, or feed its silkworms with hormone enhancements, as is common practice amongst many producers. The silkworms are allowed a full life circle, which gives the silk ‘Peace Silk’ status. This is the ethical process of allowing the silkworms to live a complete lifecycle. The silk cocoons are not taken until the metamorphosis is complete and the moth breaks free. The silkworms need 14 days in their cocoon feeding off the silk inside. This means only half as much silk is left at the end of the process, which is the main reason most silk producers bypass the ethics and kill the silkworms as soon as they cocoon. Majestic Textiles’ commitment to its silkworms is the reason we were awarded ‘Peace Silk’ status. Once the moth has broken free, it spends four days mating, before laying its eggs, and dying.
The hemp Shop Hempiness have yet another winner for us with this pure Organic Hemp Strapping. Following on from their Hemp webbing, here’s a different style.Need something that is properly tough? With Hemp’s legendary tensile strength, its breaking strain is the strongest in the entire plant kingdom, you’ll never be let down by this fantastic product. This is the strongest most durable hemp material in the range. Less flexible than the others it is great for products that need a little more power such as bags, belts, chairs and even edging material for rugs.
are the Hemp Shower Curtain, Hemp Fabric and Hemp Homeware Company. We believe you should be able to have style and comfort whilst still enjoying a healthier, more sustainable living environment. We have therefore designed our own elegant range of hemp shower curtains, contemporary hemp fabrics and mix and match hemp tablecloths, napkins, runners, cushion covers & curtains. With our organic cotton sanitary pads, bamboo towels and hemp bags too, we aim to offer a real and affordable alternative for our customers. Thank you for looking.
Well Cultivated www.wellcultivated.co.uk
The finest wool, yarns and raw fleeces produced in the UK and processed in Lincolnshire, the home of Sir Isaac Newton whose family were sheep farmers at Woolsthorpe Manor. We are offering a range of rovings, skeins, wool and raw fleeces from alpaca, angora mohair, Dorset White, Jacob and Hebridean sheep.
Harlands Organic Furnishings www.organic-furnishings.co.uk
Specialist suppliers of organic fabrics, mainly for soft furnishings
Cloth House 47 and 98 Berwick Street, London.www.clothhouse.com
020 7437 5155Limited range of organic cotton and other fabrics, plus English wool and pure wool felt by the metre
Absolution Saveshttp://www.absolutionsaves.com/
Will print to commission on organic fabrics with non-toxic dyes
M is for Make www.misformake.co.uk
Retail Cloud 9 printed organic cotton made in the US.
Ardalanish Isle of Mull Weavers www.ardalanish.com
Organic wool tweed made in Scotland
British Made Eco www.britishmadeeco.co.uk
Organic and sustainable fabrics
Susie www.sukie.co.uk
Small range of organic cotton printed fabrics
K1 Yarns
www.k1yarns.co.uk
Limited range of organic cotton printed in Scotland
0131 226 7472
Denise Bird Woven Textiles
Ethical and organic textiles
http://www.denisebirdwoventextiles.com/
info@denisebirdwoventextiles.com
The African Fabric Shop
www.africanfabric.co.uk
Not officially fair-trade status but ethically-sourced fabrics
01484 850188
Myriad Online
www.myriadonline.co.uk
100% wool felt including natural-dyed and organic stuffing wool
Handmade Presents
www.handmadepresents.co.uk
Wool and organic wool felt including naturally-dyed
Twisted Thread
www.twistedthread.com
Organisers of Festival of Quilts and Knitting & Stitching Shows where a range of independent fabric suppliers can be found.
The Original Re-enactors Market
www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk/
Market for historical re-enactment. Suppliers of wool and linen fabrics from various sources.
Naturtuche
www.naturtuche.de
German supplier of historical fabrics including some naturally-dyed wool and hemp fabrics
Make Do & Mend
Jen over at the blog of the same name has a good list of resources including this list of suppliers of ethical fabrics, ribbons and lace. I will make that flouncy neglige yet! And pants. An organic make your own pants pack! Coolio!
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
I was so pleased with my Scrappy Bo-ho Tunic I decided to make some lounge pants. Actually I wanted to practise for my next big project, trousers! But baby steps…first pyjama bottoms. I had run out of scraps so I needed some new fabric. I bought some pretty Rose & Hubble print 100% percent cotton. They are so gorgeous I sometimes wear them out. At least I do so in China where it is quite acceptable to walk round in pyjamas. Really I mean it. Proper jim jams!
Sustainability Rating
Supporting local shops
Sewn with plastic-free cotton
Got the fabric from Leons in Chorlton, Manchester. This store has been around for ages. They sell everything from gingham to fluero lycra. It is independent, a great resource and of course a local employer. It is much valued by the community and I was most pleased for some of my sustainable clothing budget to go towards supporting this fantastic local business
OPENING HOURS:
Mon-Sat 9:30am – 5:30pm Late night Thursdays 8:00pm
For summer I want something light, cool and colourful so I made this tunic using fabric scraps left over from other projects and a silk skirt I was unsure of. This is the result. Three different fabrics used on the bodice with the silk skirt attached.
Thank heavens BoHo is still in. Hey! I said BoHo not hobo!
Can be worn on its own or with teeshirts (both long sleeved and short).
Cost nothing! Yay!
Weight
As part of my Fair Share Fabric Project I am monitoring how many fabrics I use in a year. Even though the skirt was recycled from a dress I have had for ages I am putting in a total weight.
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
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.
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.
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 mixpopular 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.
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.
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
The base material is cellulose that can be obtained from a range of sources including wood, paper, cotton fibre, or bamboo. It is then converted through a chemical process into a fibre.
Some it is claimed are biodegradable. Some are not.
Natural Fibres Cotton 25 million tons wool production is around 2.1 million tonnes. Silk 150 000 tonnes in 2006 Linen 147 000 tonnes of flax fibre 2007, Alpaca 6 500 tonnes Cashmere” after scouring and dehairing 6 500 tonnes Mohair is estimated at around 5 000 tonnes a year, down from a high of 25 000 tonnes in the 1990s, Angora is estimated at 2 500 to 3 000 tonnes 2009 figures only – google let me down!
Carbon footprint
A study done by the Stockholm Environment Institute on behalf of the BioRegional Development Group concludes that the energy used (and therefore the CO2 emitted) to create 1 ton of spun fiber is much higher for synthetics than for hemp or cotton: KG of CO2 emissions per ton of spun fiber:
If you live in the States you can buy these rather nice ones in glass and aluminium from Amazon.com 3.5 inches x .75 inches, outer shell is aluminum.
Want a halloween costume that doesn’t involve a lot of plastic?
I had run out of scraps so I needed some new fabric. I bought some pretty Rose & Hubble print 100% percent cotton. They are so gorgeous I sometimes wear them out. At least I do so in China where it is quite acceptable to walk round in pyjamas. Really I mean it. Proper jim jams!
