It’s getting easier to find eco-friendly furniture and housewares on sale, but I almost never find sustainable, home decor weight fabrics discounted in the same way. One Kings Lane made my day today! They are offering 6 different Mod Green Pod fabrics (including the one I bought to reupholster my cane chair) for a little more than 50% off! You can get 2 yards for $39, a nice break from the regular price of $80.

Why It’s Green:

• Mod Green Pod fabrics are made of 100% organic cotton
• Cotton grown, woven, and printed in the United States using non-toxic pigments

Price: $39/2 yards (regularly $39.75/yard)

How to Find It: The fabrics are part of One Kings Lane’s “Spring Fling” sale. If you’re not a member of the site, you’ll have to sign up to take advantage of the sale. (aff)

Ikat Dinnerware

My love affair with ikat patterns isn’t going away any time soon, and I almost swooned when I saw the price reduction on Viva Terra’s gorgeous Ikat Dinnerware set. It is on sale for a whopping 75% off, for individual sets of bowls, salad plates and dinner plates, and for the entire set of 12 pieces. We have been looking for a new dinnerware set, and I was this close to buying them. I stopped long enough to ask my husband what he thought, and I’m glad I did. He doesn’t like them. At all. I’ve been known to be a tyrant when it comes to decorating, and I’m sincerely trying to be more respectful of his opinions. He has veto power. So although my heart is in my stomach because I want these so bad, I won’t be taking the leap.

Hopefully though, someone else will be able to take advantage of this incredible deal!

Why It’s Green:

• Handmade by ceramic artisan
• As a company, Viva Terra is committed to sustainability. Virtually every product in their catalog is eco-friendly in some way.

Price: $85/for set of 12 pieces! (reduced from $349) (aff)

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There’s nothing like a sharp, graphic element to take your decorating to the next level. Chevron patterns — particularly large-scale ones — are perfect for this. Here are some of my favorite examples of eco-friendly products and projects featuring chevron patterns:

Bryn fabric AND East Village fabric by Rubie Green. Made of organic cotton. $90/yard. Bryn is shown above on curtains in Michelle Adams’ living room (image via Lonny Mag), and East Village on a vintage chair (image via Cote de Texas). I plan to recreate a similar design on my own white curtains using this tutorial from kfd designs.

Here Comes the Sun pillow by Etsy seller EarthCadets. Made of organic cotton canvas and vintage fabric and printed with eco-friendly inks. $24.

Grey and White Chevron Wood Tray by etsy seller afabulousfete. Handpainted. $50.

DIY Gold Chevron Paintings from Make Under My Life. I LOVE these, and they are so simple to make!

Chevron Note Cards from Made by Girl. Printed on 100% recycled, acid-free paper. $2.95/ea.

Madeline Weinrib Organic Blockprint Fabric. Available to the trade only by the yard or on pillows.

Chevron Balsam Fir Sachets by etsy seller SewnNatural. Handmade of a linen/cotton blend fabric. $26/set of 2 sachets.

Organic Cotton Chevron Print Tea Towel by etsy seller katherinejlee. Handmade of 100% organic cotton with non-toxic, water-based inks. $18.

Side steps fabric Patriciazapata on Spoonflower. Can be printed on organic cotton sateen or knit fabric. $27/yard.

Owl softie from Etsy seller HaleybyHand. Handmade and stuffed with environmentally conscious EcoFill (made from recycled plastic bottles), with a face made of wool felt and Eco Felt. Also available in pink. $35.

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The week has just started and already I’ve found 2 great deals for you!

Amenity is having a huge clearance sale on products that have been discontinued. You’ll find wall art, table linens, pillows and more marked down by up to 75%. Given the quality of their products, you really can’t beat the pricing. I assume the sale will end once everything is sold out, since these are all discontinued items.

Mod Green Pod is also offering their Wee Jubilee fabric in the licorice colorway (black & white) for 50% off. If you’ve ever wanted to try their fabrics but balked at the pricing, now is a good time to do it.

Why It’s Green:

• Mod Green Pod fabrics are printed in the U.S. on 100% organic cotton using non-toxic pigments
• Amenity’s sale textiles are printed on a hemp/organic cotton blend fabric and printed and sewn in Los Angeles with non-toxic, water-based dyes

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This happens to me several times a year, and I can usually feel it coming — after months on end of inspiration to write and create and make things happen, I’ll hit a rut during which any creativity at all feels like pulling teeth. I need something to bring me out of my funk, and this brand new fabric from Mod Green Pod is certainly a step in the right direction!

This 2011 Special Edition Anticipation fabric makes me want to make something. Curtains, pillows, recover a chair — anything! In fact, it is giving me the shot of inspiration I need to finally reupholster the $7 faux bamboo chair I found at a yard sale last year. I doubt I’ll recover it in this fabric, but just seeing it has restored in me the desire to make something happen. Given that it’s been sitting in my office space with the same blue vinyl upholstery for months, I’d say a makeover is long overdue.

Why It’s Green:

• Grown, woven, and printed in the United States on organic cotton canvas using non-toxic pigments.

Price: $80/yard

On another note, what do you do when you find yourself in a creative rut? How do you work your way out of it?

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Everyone needs a little misty-eyed nostalgia every now and then. A few smells trigger those feelings for me: Moth balls remind me of my aunt and grandmother, and the smell of Spanish thyme reminds me of my mother’s Puerto Rican-style cooking. And while I’ve been captivated by creative pursuits since I was little (including music and dance), I fully admit I was never surrounded by fabulous patterns or beautiful interiors when I was growing up. But if I had been, I imagine my childhood memories would look a lot like these fabrics from Oliver Henry Organics.

They feature cute florals and cute nature-inspired patterns and colors that remind me a lot of the packaging used by my favorite soapmaker, Nostalgia Organics (coincidentally). These fabrics seem perfect for smaller projects, like pillow covers, cloth napkins, drawer lining and even for framing as wall art. It is also very reasonably priced, though many of the patterns appear to be available only in fat quarters.

Still, this is another eco-friendly fabric designer to add to my arsenal, and I can always appreciate that.

Why It’s Green:

• Made by an independent designer
• Printed on GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton sateen

Price: $12/fat quarter; $37/yard

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I have become quite the collector of fabric — most of it organic, and some of it secondhand. I rarely know what I’m going to use it for. Only that I eventually will use it. My fabric stash thus far has come in really handy for making cloth napkins and handkerchiefs for my daughter to take to school, and I’m made my fair share of pillow covers. This fabric is a good candidate for the collection.

While I tend to avoid florals like the plague, I have taken a newfound interest in patterns like this one from Harts Fabric. As frilly as it is, the pattern manages to mix modern and traditional in a way that will open you up to endless combination possibilities. It would look great paired with solids in brown, blue, tan or creme, or even with a bold stripe in any of those colors.

I personally can’t imagine repeating it throughout a room, but it is a good starting point for a color palette. And I’ve learned from experience that outside of ModGreenPod, Daisy Janie and precious few other designers, good upholstery weight organic cotton fabric is hard to find.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of organic cotton

Price: $41.99/yard

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I’ve never been much of a fan of quilts, and I’ve never even remotely considered making one. But give me a free afternoon and you just might find me at the nearest quilting store looking for fabulous new fabrics to use in various home projects. I wouldn’t recommend quilting weight fabrics for heavy upholstery, but there’s no law against using them for curtains, pillows, art, etc. So when I discovered that…

1. Mod Green Pod makes organic quilting weight fabrics, and
2. That those fabrics are less than $9 a yard (at least at this retailer, compared to $39.75/yard for upholstery weight fabrics)

…I thought I was in heaven!

You can get some of MGP’s gorgeous patterns like Aspire, Bloom and Delight in bright new colorways. There are also a few new patterns that I hadn’t seen before, and I’m equally captivated by those! The fabrics are available in Spring, Summer and Garden collections, each with coordinating color palettes for easy quiltmaking. While I don’t plan on using them for this purpose, I can think of at least a dozen other ways I could use them around the house. And at this price for organic fabrics from a company that is committed to sustainability, you better believe I’ll be taking advantage of the deal!

Why It’s Green:

• Made of U.S.-grown organic cotton
• Printed with non-toxic, low-impact inks

Price: $8.25/yard

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Lately, I’ve been a little sewing and fabric obsessed. I’m not the best seamstress, but I’m capable of simple projects, like making pillows, curtains and cushion covers that are presentable. I had to do all of these in my daughter’s room, and I’ve been working on some other projects around the house that I will reveal soon. To fuel my newfound obsession, I’ve been hunting for more gorgeous, and affordable, eco-friendly fabrics. While I’m not above paying $60-90 a yard for a really special project or a pattern I can’t live without, that kind of pricing isn’t practical for most of my everyday needs. These quilting-weight fabrics from Cloud 9 are just $16.50/yard.

The whimsical patterns and soft colors of their Beyond the Sea collection (shown above) would be appropriate in kid-friendly and adult spaces, and I can already think of a couple ways I’d like to use them. And while their previous collection, My Happy Garden, does feature some sophisticated stripes, overall, it is probably best reserved for a nursery or other child’s space. Of course, there’s no rule against using toadstools and tiny polka dots in grown up spaces, so use them where you see fit

Why It’s Green:

• Made of organic cotton
• Use environmentally responsible, solvent-free inks and dyes for printing
• GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified

Price: $16.50/yard. Available from a variety of online and brick & mortar retailers.

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I have realized something in my for interior decor perfection: There is no such thing. I am not exaggerating when I say I have been searching for the perfect pillows for our sofa for months. I have an idea of what I want them to look like, but I’ve been unable to find pillows that fit my vision AND are green. So I started thinking I may just have to make them myself. That line of thinking led me to revisit the drop-dead gorgeous organic fabrics from Daisy Janie, designed by Jan DiCintio.

I found Daisy Janie a long, long time ago, and for some reason neglected to share them with you. Most of these patterns debuted last spring, so I guess I’m just in time for the changing of seasons this year. If this is your first time seeing these fabrics, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. I’m becoming quite the do-it-yourselfer when it comes to textiles and soft furnishings for our home, and I have to stop myself from stockpiling beautiful fabrics like these when I come across them.

If you’ve never wanted to pick up a needle and thread or use a sewing machine, these are just the fabrics to make you think about trying it. They make me want to pull out the staple gun (and my patience) and find a chair to reupholster. I couldn’t decide which pattern or colorway to feature because they are all so beautiful. So instead of trying to force feed you my opinion, I’ll just let you admire the entire collection in all it’s bold, colorful glory.

Why It’s Green:

• Printed on organic cotton canvas and organic cotton sateen. Certified organic by GOTS and the Texas Department of Agriculture
• Made in the U.S.

Price: Fat Quarters: $14-16; Yardage: $56-64/yard. Also sold in the Daisy Janie Etsy shop.

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Finding stylish organic fabric is becoming easier these days with the proliferation of companies like Mod Green Pod and others who all make beautiful prints that would make any home beautiful. Finding organic solids, however, is a slightly tougher task, particularly if you want any color other than “natural.” The ladies of Mod Green Pod clearly saw a gap in the market and started offering a wide range of solids not long ago.

They offer colors that are tough, if not impossible to find anywhere else, and for this I’m thankful. The new solids are: cherry, chocolate, earl grey, licorice, mushroom, natural, raspberry and water. And they do look just as tasty as they sound.

All I want is to find an organic solid in yellow, orange or green and I’ll be happy. Are you listening Mod Green Pod?

Why It’s Green:

• Made of 100% organic cotton canvas
• Grown and woven in the United States
• Uses non-toxic pigments
• Mod Green Pod is a member of the Organic Trade Association (OTA)

Price: $29.75/yard for solids

Bonus! Use coupon code “TOTELOVE25” and get 25% off all MGP organic cotton fabrics, vinyl-free wallpapers and tote bags. Exp. 11/15/09. I just used this code to order some of their gorgeous Aspire fabric. You’ll see what I’m using it for soon

UPDATE: I used the chocolate fabric to create an upholstered headboard for my daughter’s vibrant, eco-friendly bedroom. See how I did it, and how it looks in the finished room!

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A little more than a week ago, my mother and I pulled the sewing machine out of her closet, where it had been hiding literally for years. My daughter’s preschool had requested that the students bring in small pillows, rather than full-size bed pillows, this year to save storage space. So I needed to cut down some old pillow cases to fit the decorative pillow she’d be taking to school. That project took me a total of about 5 minutes (minus the sewing machine setup, which took a lot longer than that while we tried to remember everything). But those 5 minutes were long enough for me to catch the sewing bug. I now have an urge to create something — anything — from pretty pieces of fabric. And Betz White’s fabrics can be described as nothing less than gorgeous.

I found her beautiful organic prints via Tiny Decor, and I can’t get enough of them! I’m also loving her slogan: “Stitch beautifully…tread lightly.” Isn’t that perfect for a woman who makes organic cotton fabrics? And the story behind her line is inspiring. She couldn’t find a large fabric manufacturer who shared her commitment to print on organics, so she decided to produce the line herself. That’s the kind of eco-ingenuity that paints a positive picture of our future.

The fabrics are available exclusively through her Etsy store. My personal favorites are Sprig & Sprouts in blue and green and Wood Pile, which features colorful concentric circles that look very much like the ends of cut wood. Now if I can just decide what to make…

Any suggestions?

Why It’s Green:

• Printed in the U.S. on an organic cotton/hemp blend fabric
• Digital printing process uses water-based, non-toxic pigment dyes and minimizes waste and water consumption
• Heat and pressure used to finish the fabric instead of harsh chemicals
• Printed on demand to prevent fabric waste

Price: $18/fat quarter, $68/yard

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As a graphic designer, I revel in customization. When I create designs for myself, with no client to answer to, I love being able to have the final result exactly as I envisioned it. As an interior designer, I often wish I had the means to customize my projects in the same way. Thanks to Spoonflower, I can now print my own fabric designs on organic cotton fabric.

The Spoonflower service has been around for a while, but only recently did they start offering organic cotton as a printing option. Want to hear the best part? It costs less than $30/yard. With many companies offering organic cotton prints for $75/yard and up, this will be welcome news to anyone who has the means to create their own patterns. This makes sustainable textile design accessible to many, many people.

I’d personally love to print a bold black & white pattern. I created the one shown above for a project a few months back, but never wound up using it. I think it would make a great lampshade or pillow cover.

Why It’s Green:

• Printed on organic cotton
• Print-as-needed process saves waste
• Fabrics printed in North Carolina

Price: $27/yard for organic cotton

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Lately, I’ve been getting the itch to do a DIY project, big or small. Making pillows is easy enough, but I think I want to do something different, but equally as simple — like making a piece of wall art by stretching fabric over a frame. When I found these fabrics by Home Sweet on Etsy, that desire sparked up inside of me again. After all, prints as beautiful as these deserve to be put on display — works of art in themselves.

Jennifer Nelson designs and makes the fabrics at her Delaware home. They are block printed by hand with eco-friendly inks, and the bold, retro-leaning patterns are right up my alley. They are incredibly simple, yet still intricate and attention-grabbing enough to make a great home decor statement. If you’re not inclined to try your hand at crafting, you can purchase a variety of products already made with these fabrics, including gorgeous pillow covers and table linens. I think I’ll start with a few small swatches of fabric and work my way up from there. I’ll let you know what I come up with.

Why It’s Green:

• Patterns are block-printed onto hemp/organic cotton blend fabrics using water-based inks
• Handmade in the U.S.

Price: $9-70 for fabrics swatches of varying sizes. Approx. $70/yard

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As idealistic as I was when I started Green Your Decor, I always had a nagging question in the back of my head. Would I eventually run out of products and designers to write about? Would the trend toward greener living eventually fade into the past? Would everyone just go back to doing things the “conventional” way, chemicals and all?

It is product designers like Jenny Lee-Katz who give me renewed hope that the future — for me and everyone else — is indeed a greener one.

According to her site, Katz always had a love for textiles and design, but was appalled at the amount of waste created by the manufacturing process. She soon discovered that instead of the traditional dyeing process, textiles could printed digitally with eco-friendly pigment dyes that are printed directly onto the surface of the fabric, leaving almost no waste.

Jenny has taken care to make sure that every conceivable aspect of her products are eco-friendly and easy on the Earth. And on top of the great respect I have for this attitude toward the environment, her textiles are absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous. Her collection includes beautiful printed fabrics made of hemp, organic cotton and linen, and a variety of housewares utilizing these fabrics, including throw pillows and eco-friendly floor cloths, a great alternative to an area rug. Also in the works is a line of kid-friendly prints and matching products, along with a collection of beautifully designed handbags.

Is there anything Jenny Lee-Katz can’t do? That remains to be seen, but I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on her site.

Why It’s Green:

• Textiles printed with pigment inks on organic cotton canvas, hemp and linen
• Non-slip rug pads are plant-based
• Floor cloths finished with an ultra-low VOC, soy-based protective coating
• Bags finished with a water-based sealant

Pricing

• Fabrics: $90/yard
• Floor Cloths: $170-470
  
• Pillows/Pillow Covers: $126-160
  

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Since we moved, I’ve been spending a lot more time outdoors. It could be because the weather is nicer, but its also because I just enjoy the smell of cut grass, moist dirt and wind blowing through the hedges. Spending all this time outside has made me realize just how sparse our outdoor decor is. It’s sad, really,  considering how much I love decorating. I keep thinking if I could just add some pillows to our boring wicker love seat, it would make a huge difference. Finding outdoor pillows that are also eco-friendly has proven nearly impossible, so I decided to make my own. Eco-friendly outdoor fabric isn’t much easier to come by, but Mio’s great graphic Loop textile is a great option.

Their Loop By the Yard in the MoireDot pattern technically isn’t a fabric, but it can be cut, sewn, wrinkled, folded, pierced, hung or hemmed, just like you would with other textiles. It is made from Tyvek, which you may recognize as the same material used to make the flexible postal envelopes that are almost impossible to tear by hand. For years, it has been collected and recycled, and Mio ships Loop with a prepaid recycling envelope so you can send back the scraps for recycling.

Loop is waterproof, so I’m thinking the bold dot pattern would make some great outdoor pillows, not to mention indoor projects like placemats. I’m more than a little tired of stripes and florals for outdoor decor, so this would be a great departure from the norm. At $13 a yard, it is just within reach of my budget, and I’ll probably use existing pillows for the fill. Mio offers lots of ideas and patterns for items you can make with Loop, including a tent, bookcover, poncho and kite.

Why It’s Green:

• Recycled material
• Recyclable. The seller, Mio, ships Loop with an envelope for customers to return scraps for recycling.
• Closed-loop manufacturing

Price: $13/yard

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