Fabrics

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A little while back, I found a great, simple tutorial on making fabric wall art. Ever the aspiring crafter (who has yet to actually make anything), I’ve been keeping my eye out for a great piece of fabric that I won’t mind having on the walls for a while. While I’m at it, I may go hunting for a thrift-store chair to reupholster in the same fabric or recover a couple of throw pillows, so it has to be something I really like — and it has to be sustainable.

I may have mentioned that I’ve been wanting to find an inexpensive, used piece of upholstered furniture to restore. Of course, if I’m going to do that, I want to do it in the greenest way that I can — zero-VOC paint, non-toxic finish, and organic or recycled fabrics, etc. The problem with the latter, of course, is that many organic fabrics are pretty pricey. I can’t see spending $90+ a yard on fabric to reupholster a $10 chair. So finding a more cost-effective option has been a bit of a challenge.

As much as I love Amenity’s bold nature inspired bedding and great pillows, I can’t believe I never realized they also sell their fabrics by the yard! I have considered buying my favorite Amenity duvet cover, then diassembling it to make my own custom, eco-friendly window treatments. Thank goodness I now know I won’t have do that.

Compared to many of the other designer-quality green fabrics on the market, they are a relative bargain at $65/yard. If you’re thinking “$65/yard is a bargain?! You’re kidding?!”, you’ve probably never bought (or considered buying) organic cotton at $90 or $125 per yard.

The marketplace for eco-friendly window treatments is still fairly small, and the ones that are available tend to be very expensive, sometimes costing more than $100 for one panel.  It may be OK to splurge like that once in a while, but for more practical, everyday eco-friendly curtains, a much more practical solution may be to simply make them yourself from eco-friendly fabrics. Those can get expensive too, so I was exstatic to find these gorgeous fabrics by Kirin & Co, thanks to the lovely ladies at Crafting a Green World and Tiny Decor.

Eco-friendly fabrics are at the heart of any green decor project. With softgoods accounting for a significant percentage of key elements in your rooms, including upholstery, window treatments, pillow covers and more, it is essential to use fabrics that are easy on the Earth. Namely, organic cotton, hemp, jute, bamboo and the like. For this reason, I am always exicted to find textile makers who focus on eco-friendly produts.

There has been one common thread (no pun intended) with all of the eco-friendly fabrics I have posted thus far: They have all been very expensive. Recognizing that there are decorators with budgets of all sizes who are trying to go green, I want to include fabrics in all price ranges.

These great prints from Near Sea Naturals are made of organic cotton. Conventional cotton production uses large amounts of pesticides, and those pesticides have a huge impact on the Earth. So create a slipcover or a new set of curtains that you can feel good about, and they can be super stylish, too. 

For many decorators, being eco-friendly means making everything by hand: window treatments, upholstery, bedding, etc. By their very nature, handmade products are easy on the Earth. But if you can go a step further and use eco-friendly materials for your projects, all the better.

These gorgeous fabrics from Live Textiles are all made of natural materials: organic cotton, organic linen, hemp and bamboo. The beautiful prints and solids are perfect for interior decor projects, including drapes, roman shades, pillows and light upholstery. The fabrics are grown and processed without pesticides, chlorine bleach or formaldehyde and printed with water-based inks. No chemical solvents are in their production, and no wastewater is produced.

I am officially on the hunt for eco-friendly fabrics that won’t break the bank. These are on the pricey side, but more affordable than others I have seen. These hemp and hemp blend prints from the GreenSage store are 4 oz. weights, which is suitable for lighter uses such as window or pillow coverings, tabletop and bedding. You wouldn’t necessarily want to use these for upholstery.

Finding eco-friendly fabrics is easy — unless of course you are looking for something with a little color and/or style. ModGreenPod must have realized there was a hole in the market, because their collection of beautiful patterned fabrics are as green as they get. The fabric shown above is their Grand Jubilee pattern, a bold damask available in a variety of colors. It is hand silk-screened using water-based, non-toxic inks and available in 100% organic cotton. The printed fabrics also are finished with a mechanical process that uses pressure and heat instead of chemicals. No harmful chemicals are used throughout production. Another plus — it is also available in a vinyl-free WALLPAPER (all colors except for Basil and Blueberry). I will, however, warn you in advance that it will not come cheap.