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Eco Friendly Sewing projects

We're all becoming much more conscious about our impact on the planet and the environment and many of us are looking for ways to reduce that impact. At Patterntrace we use eco-friendly packaging, our paper products are all made in a local mill plus our Patterntrace Swedish Tracing Paper is compostable!  We've found several eco-friendly sewing projects which can help you make a difference.

Reusable kitchen roll

This is a really quick make which can help make a big difference. Find the tutorial over on the Sewing Bee Fabrics website. I made 10 of these last year, backing them with an old towel and use them all the time. Not only has it reduced my paper usage but it also saves money too as I now rarely buy kitchen roll.

Beeswax wraps


Beeswax wraps are rapidly becoming the popular alternative to cling film, reducing down our reliance on plastic. Plus you can use your favourite fabrics so it makes you smile when you open the fridge/your lunchbox. There's a tutorial on how to make them here.

Napkins


Another quick and easy make. Instead of using paper napkins why not make a selection of cloth ones? This tutorial from Crafty For Home tells you how.

Reusable snack bags
A great project for using up any offcuts of waterproof fabrics. These handy snack bags replace the need for plastic zip lock bags. The project can be found on the Closet Case Patterns blog.
Reusable Face pads
Like the reusable kitchen roll this project is another great one for using up an old towel. These face pads are ideal for makeup removal, or cleansing. Find the instructions here.
Reusable bowl covers
Another great way of avoiding cling film is to make these re-usable bowl covers. They are made from oilcloth which is a wipe clean waterproof fabric, which is also safe to go through the washing machine too. The tutorial can be found here.
Fold up tote
Avoid paying for plastic bags when you go shopping by sewing a few of these fold up totes to pop into your handbag. They fold up nice and neat for easy storage but are sturdy enough to carry plenty of shopping.

Dish sponges

Pop over to the A Rose in a Tinted World blog to learn how to make these zero waste dish scrubbers using your scraps. 

There we have it, several great eco-friendly projects, the question is which will you make first? 

By the way did you know that our Swedish Tracing Paper, Patterntrace is eco friendly too? It's compostable, so pop your off cuts into the compost bin rather than throwing them away.
Eco Friendly Sewing projects

General tips and points to remember…

  • The terms jersey, knitted and stretchy fabric can get used interchangeably, not just here but generally as you look around online you’ll see these terms being used to refer to similar things.
  • This fabric can be made from a variety of fibres such as cotton, viscose, modal, polyester, wool and bamboo. Usually they will also have a percentage of a stretchy fibre such as elastane or spandex.
  • The thickness or weight of them can be described in grams per square meter but as this number is hard to put into context and isn’t always available more subjective terms can be used to describe them such as light weight, medium weight etc
  • They can also be referred to with special more technical names such as ponte roma, double knit, single knit, sweatshirting and loop back. I’ll cover the most common ones below in more detail
  • I've tried to keep things are relevant as possible for the home dressmaker. These is lots of other more detailed and technical information out there but I hope this summery helps you understand more about this great fabric and how to sew it into your handmade wardrobe.

How to work out the amount and type of stretch

They stretch in different ways by different amounts. Some fabrics have a two way stretch and will stretch between the selvedges. Some have a 4 way stretch and will stretch lengthwise as well as between the selvedges. Use a swimsuit as a way to remember - it’s a 4 way stretch as it must stretch the length of your body as well as the width of your body.

The percentage of stretch refers to how much the fabric physically stretches, NOT the percentage of stretchy fibre (spandex or elastase) that is in them. Sewing patterns will typically as for a minimum percentage of stretch the fabric must have.

Why is percentage stretch important?

Sewing patterns designed for this type of fabric are typically designed with negative ease. This means that the garment you make will be smaller than your actual body measurement so that it stretches and fits around you. That’s why it's really important to use the right amount of stretch, otherwise you won’t be able to get the garment on/off or move in it!

How to use your Stretch Percentage Measurer

If you’re using a pattern which is designed for jersey fabrics then it will probably tell you the stretch percentage that the fabric you use needs to have. This is different from the stretch content, which is how much elastane or lycra is in the fabric.

Step One

Hold a 10cm section of your fabric, stretch it as far as it will comfortably stretch, without over stretching

Step Two

Every centimetre over 10 will correspond to 10% of stretching. So if your test piece stretches to 14cm, then the fabric has 40% stretch.