I promised a post about rayon, but I’ve decided to focus on bamboo which is a special type of rayon. After discussing the ins and outs of bamboo, I’ll list a couple of eco-friendly rayons at the end.
In the last few years, bamboo fabrics have become a trendy thing in apparel and home textiles. Fabric derived from bamboo is very soft, and absorbent. Since bamboo grows quickly and without pesticides, bamboo fabric has caught on in the environmentally green sector. There are further claims that bamboo is anti-bacterial and that it will decompose when disposed of. Read more…
A customer recently requested I make leaves to match the roses she was ordering. I had never done leaves before, but I figured it was time to try it. I’m pleased with the result since the leaves look like something off the rose bush in my backyard – only with fabric and thread instead of cellulose and chlorophyll.
Want to know how I made them? Here’s the tutorial, complete with twenty-seven 8×10 colored glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explainin’ what each one was. (OK, there are not that many photos and they are not 8×10 nor do they have circles and arrow, but I couldn’t resist the Arlo quote.)
Read more…
Upcyling textiles has become very popular these days. Grab some used clothing, rip it, cut it, sew it back together and voila! a new item is born. There are many books on the market that teach how to upcycle clothing from jeans to sweaters and everything in between. I’m a big fan of upcycling and I prefer to make my items from thrifted clothing.
But how do you label these products to comply with FTC textile laws? I just found something on their website which I believe answers this question. I found it here and the text appears below…
Products containing unknown fibers
If a textile product is made — in whole or in part — from scraps, clippings, rags, secondhand fibers or fabrics, or other textile waste materials of unknown and, for practical purposes, undeterminable fiber content, the disclosure may indicate that this is the case. For example:
Made of clippings of unknown fiber content
100% unknown fibers — rags
All undetermined fibers — textile by-products
100% miscellaneous pieces of undetermined fiber content
Secondhand materials — fiber content unknown
45% Rayon
30% Acetate
25% Unknown fiber content
75% Recycled Wool
25% Unknown Reclaimed Fibers
60% Cotton
40% Unknown fibers — scraps
If on the other hand, the fiber content is known or can be readily determined, the full content disclosure must be given.
This is just from the FTC and doesn’t include CPSC rules for children’s items but I don’t believe those require fiber content (correct me if I’m wrong?)
But a word of caution for anyone who believes you are off the hook…
Just because you don’t NEED to include fiber content on your labels doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Your customers WANT to know what your item is made of. I won’t wear synthetics like polyester or acrylic. I have a friend who is allergic to wool. So if you don’t tell us what fibers you used, you can lose potential customers. You can also fetch higher prices for high end fibers like silk or wool, so keep that in mind.
But maybe you don’t need to disclose all of the content in the sewn-in fabric label which are costly to produce – even the DIY fabric labels are a pain for upcyclers and I’ve experienced many frustrations myself in that area. Based on the FTC rules, you can probably print a batch of labels that state “made from 2nd hand garments” and then create a hang tag for the actual fiber content or disclose that info in your online description. It seems like a good compromise. I, for one, cringe at the thought of labeling those sweater coats people make by sewing 10 different sweaters together. Can you imagine calculating fiber content for that?
Hopefully that helps out some people selling upcycled textiles. I know I’ve had more than one person ask me about labeling upcycled items and I honestly didn’t know how to respond until I stumbled on the answer today while looking for something completely different. (rayon rules, actually)
Got any feedback on this or upcycling in general? Would you buy an upcycled item and what would you expect on the label as a consumer? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Are you selling your clothing, quilts, scarves and other textile items illegally?
The National Textile Association put out a reminder on FTC label requirements for country of origin, and I thought it would be useful to summarize it. Even if you think this doesn’t apply to you – you should know it anyway.
Read more…
Today I’ve decided to share a list of 11 different tutorials for making and crafting roses from various materials. Read on to see links and photos off all the lovely roses you can make… Read more…
I just thought I would mention this for anyone making their own DuhBe roses. Jo-Ann Store has the materials on sale this weekend only. Read more…
Is it too late to show off some holiday wrapping? Since I’m a perpetual procrastinator, it’s never too late. Besides, these ideas work all year.
Read more…
As stated before, I want to update the look of my blog with something original. I’ve designed websites before, but I’ve always relied on free graphics. This time I want something original. So I went looking for ideas to inspire me. And I unlocked the secret to graphic design that has eluded me for years. Read more…
A gazillion thanks to Craftzine for sharing a link to the website ‘This to That‘
This to That asks you what two materials you’re trying to attach, and then it recommends the best glue and alternatives. It also ranks the toxicity or the adhesives, gives price advice, and also tells you where to find the given adhesive.
That really helps me with my shoe sole dilemma, and backs up the notion that for best results I need to get some ultra toxic barge cement – which is not sold in craft stores, or hardware stores either. Time to raid hubby’s leather workshop, I know he has a can of it down there.
I don’t go all out with holiday decorating, but I just had to make these potion jars and bottles before Halloween gets here.
They are pretty simple to make yourself:
- Find glass jars and bottles
- print labels on plain paper or sticky labels
- antique the labels (optional)
- adhere to the glass bottles and jars
I found the big bottles on clearance at hobby lobby for cheap. (their newer styles are 50% off this week) The smaller clear bottle and jar were from my stash. Thrift stores may have glass items too.
I used this Dover graphics book that I bought months ago and finally was able to put to use on the labels.
660 Typographic Ornaments CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art)
You could also scour the net for graphics, or design your own. Or just make your labels with cool fonts from dafont.com and skip the graphics. Or use the border technique from scrapbooking where you put a printed paper behind your label to create a border. Get creative with your labels.
The potion names were from memory, or searching the web for “magic potion names.” I admit, I borrowed 2 from Harry Potter (Amortentia & Mandrake root) as well as Neil Gaimen’s Stardust (babylon candles). The “essence of a righteous man” was pulled from a Friends TV episode but I had to change the name they used to be more family friendly. You’ll notice the cork is gone and the essence has escaped. That’s a shame since that stuff is so rare to begin with.
I antiqued the paper with a damp paper towel dipped in instant coffee crystals – just rub it gently on the paper and don’t worry if a little ink smears as well.
Modpodge was used to glue the labels to the glass, then 2 more coats on top of the label to protect the surface.
For the babylon candles I cut a piece of kraft paper with decorative scissors, wrapped it around some old candles left over from my wedding, and stuck on printed mailing label after cutting them to shape.
These look really neat on a silver tray (thrift store!!) sitting on the dining table, shelf or other prominent spot for Halloween. Or in my case, I’ll probably have them sitting out all year. I’m kinda weird that way. I had fun taking photos of these, here’s more pictures:
