Red Thread Studio: Slow Cloth, New Cloth, Art Cloth

Circles of Cloth: More Virtual Textile Travel

I have travel on my mind . . . especially places near water. Here's a dream trip: The Textile Society of America is having its annual symposium in Hawaii in September this year, and the theme is textiles as cultural expression. This sounds like a fascinating event, probably well worth figuring out a way to go.

Other temptations: The Maiwa workshops, and the Organic Exchange conference in Portugal in October for the organic cotton industry.

And if nothing else -- though it's mostly been a homebound year so far, except in my mind, there is a chance that I could go to Brazil  in the fall to speak about sustainable textiles and apparel. I was lucky to go for the first time a few years ago to attend an organic and sustainable products conference there that's run by some wonderful people, and we stay in touch to this day. The conference that year was in Rio de Janeiro, a city of great wealth and beauty alongside great poverty; like most magical places, it's a little dangerous and very seductive.

At Bangles & Clay, a blog that's part of a nonprofit organization called Nest, there's a post about Coopa-Roca, a sewing cooperative in Rio founded by Maria-Teresa Leal (the English-language Web site for Coopa-Roca itself is here). Leal founded the cooperative as a way to utilize the sewing skills of women living in the profound poverty of one of Rio's worst favelas and create decent work opportunities for women raising families in violent slums. Now the clothes of Coopa-Roca are seen all over the world, and despite many challenges, it's been a success story in the midst of all-too-common despair in these neighborhoods.

There are stories like this in many places, and room and need for many more. Each one is different and unique, and each one comes down to a chance for people to celebrate their textile and craft heritage and skills, often at risk of being lost, and to have work and fair pay.

The Coopa-Roca women use recycled garments and fabrics and traditional knitting, crochet and patchwork techniques, including yo-yos -- fuxicos in Portuguese. I love seeing the resurgence of yo-yos -- like many children, learning to make a yo-yo was one of my first sewing lessons. And I love that it connects me to women and children worlds away through something as simple as a needle, thread and a circle of cloth.

Mental Gridlock

My next scheduled post on the Slow Cloth list is the topic of Beauty. I was all rarin' to go on it last week, and e-mailed someone with a very popular and charming blog about using one of her photos. Though she said yes, she was so curt and unappreciative about it that the photo's beauty was diminished for me, and I no longer want to use it. There are other beautiful images to choose from, but it derailed me, so here I am a week later. The topic of beauty is coming, and in the meantime, in the words of the walrus, let's talk of many things.

I've had a sense of mental gridlock with this blog lately. I want to write about so many things, but it seems now as if it should be two separate blogs -- one on sustainable and organic textiles, clothing, and companies (that would probably replace the dormant Organic Confidential), and a second for art, craft, culture, and the Slow Cloth concept. What do you think? That would mean two new blog names -- there actually is another Red Thread Studio, and in any case, I think that name is no longer quite right for the me of today, rather than the me of some years ago when I first heard the legend of the red thread.

On the green side of things: My report, The International Market for Sustainable Apparel, was published; you can read the press release here and the abstract and table of contents here. These reports sell to businesses for alarming amounts of money, but have no fear, the money goes to the publisher, not me (though I was paid to write it and grateful for it!). It's out of the price range for individuals, but if you have specific questions I am more than happy to answer them and recommend other resources that are accessible. In any case, I hope it may help in my search for the right work.

Sadly, one of the most innovative and risk-taking sustainable apparel companies folded this week, unable to secure enough financing. NAU was trying to achieve very high levels of aesthetic beauty, high performance, and sustainable materials and production, all packaged in a Slow Fashion design philosophy, but they may not have been flashy enough for today's standards. There is a long way to go in this market, despite the indisputable successes and media attention of 2007.

And then the NY Times had a silly article about Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line, in which nothing sells for more than $8.98, but of course they claim there are no sweatshops involved because the factories are monitored. By whom? According to whose standards? How often? I think the reporter failed to do the job on this story, as he keeps asking how clothes can be made at this price but never really answers the question. And it's a good question. I'm not sure it's possible without some exploitation of resources and/or people.

On the art and craft side, I found the True Stitches blog, another kindred spirit. I especially loved her post about the level of critique on craft blogs and the unspoken rule that you can't ever say you don't like something. I'm so glad someone spoke up about this. I'd much rather have someone respond honestly to my work than just tell me it's great all the time. As I said in my comment to this post, aren't we smart enough and tough enough for real dialogue? I'm a marshmallow underneath my curmudgeonly exterior, but as long as it's not a personal attack, I'm fine with people not liking everything I do and with collaborative process and conversation.

Finally, thanks to Judy Martin, who linked to me on her wonderful Judy's Journal blog (she has more than one, actually, with very intriguing and inspiring work), and welcome to new readers coming here through Judy. I love connecting to all these Canadians, as I am Canadian-born, though raised in the U.S.,  and just may end up back there or somewhere else if the election doesn't bring some new hope to this country. And off topic, I know (or maybe it's not,  but that's another post) but don't even get me started on more news this week about horrific acts of violence and abuse toward women and children. Surely we can do better.

Tomorrow -- back to art and fabric and beauty. Thank you for coming by, and for your patience with me with this long post, and the time between posts. I'd like to be posting daily, with more pictures, and I'm working on it.

Word Theft (and Recovery)

* This post has been edited, since the situation's been rectified. In short, I stumbled across unattributed use of some of my work from this blog on a major site.

So, just a reminder -- all of my work is copyright-protected. I'm thrilled and grateful to be quoted as long as there is proper attribution, and if possible there should be a link back to the original post. I am very easy to contact if you have questions about this. My intellectual and creative property is my livelihood, and using it without attribution amounts to stealing from me, even if that's not the intention. I always assume that there is great honesty and trust in the textile, craft and sustainability community, and I believe that's true, but you know what they say -- you still have to tie up the horses.

Sustainable Textile Resources and 5 Things I've Learned

I'm going to take a break from market research on sustainable apparel to write about . . . sustainable apparel, from the textile art-design-craft-authenticity point of view. I've been reading about this market for three months now, and there are some very innovative and committed designers, entrepreneurs, artists and crafters; there are also some who just seem to want to jump on a trend. They're making exaggerated claims and counting on consumers not to scratch too deeply. This is pretty standard for an industry that's suddenly a runaway train, and a train people will pay more to be on, but until there are more consistent and clarified standards we all have to educate ourselves; Organic Clothing is a great blog if you want to dig into this.

Right now, there are just a few resources for those who want to buy organic or other sustainable fabrics by the yard in small quantities.  Yarn is a little easier; there are beautiful organic cotton and wool yarns in many colors, and I'll post about those separately. For fabric, here are some online retailers:

• NearSeaNaturals specializes in organic and sustainable fabrics and notions. This is a good place to buy Harmony Art organic cotton fabrics by the yard. It would be fun to do some beading or overdying or color printing on this one, or use as is:

• Rawganique, a clothing manufacturer, has European hemp fabrics by the yard
• Aurora Silk has beautiful wild, muga and peace silks (wherein the silkworm is not killed, and I'm confident Cheryl is very conscious about ethical treatment of human workers too).
• ModGreenPod has decorator-weight organic cotton prints -- bright and lively.
• Silk Road Fabrics in Austin has organic cotton chambray and flannel.
• Hart's Fabric, a fabulous store in Santa Cruz, has a selection of eco-friendly fabrics. Some of these are more eco-friendly than others; see below.
• Dharma Trading has some organic cottons and blends of soy, hemp, and bamboo that can be dyed, and organic cotton t-shirt blanks.
• Hancock's of Paducah has organic cotton sheeting in muslin and gingham checks.
• PurlSoho has O-Wool's truly gorgeous organic wool melton (be ready for sticker shock: $65/yd) and a few other selections.
• Equilter.com has organic sheeting, cotton fleece, and eco-felt. Note that their "organically dyed cottons" are not actually organic cotton; they are conventional cotton dyed with nontoxic dyes. Still a good step. They also offer organic cotton batting, as do many other quilting suppliers.

I'm happy to add to this list if you have other sources. Most of these are not inexpensive, and if you need something quickly or need particular colors, your choices are limited. This is going to change -- I'm sure of that. There is far too much interest and growing awareness of the need for reform in the textile industry. And that brings me to my list of Some Things I 've Learned about sustainable garment and textile production.

1. It Matters. The textile manufacturing industry, a $500 billion global behemoth, is highly polluting -- from enormous quantities of pesticides used on cotton to harmful treatments and dyes. It also has a track record of very poor social responsibility and ethical treatment of workers. We've outsourced it all to developing countries so we don't see the mess, but it's there. Our global culture can do better.
2. It's Not Just the Fiber. Growing or sourcing fiber responsibly, whether man-made or plant- or animals-based, is just the beginning. As mentioned above,the dyes, finishes, and treatments that turn the fiber into the glorious fabrics we love can be highly toxic. There are alternatives; we don't have to sacrifice color or texture. But the textile industry does have to invest resources into developing those alternatives and putting them into widespread  use.
3. Tell It Like It Is. What does "sustainable" mean, anyway? Not much. It's supposed to mean that all resources will be replenished, and there will be no net cost to the environment for future generations, but it's come to mean -- well, just about anything that is vaguely eco-ish, or even the palest shade of green. Thus we have a lot of claims being made and things being called sustainable that aren't, so much. To me the worst offender for exaggerated claims is bamboo. The process used to turn bamboo into fabric is similar to that of rayon, and quite chemical-intensive. Claims are made that no pesticides are ever used on bamboo; not true. And the claims that it is both antibacterial and biodegradable contradict each other. I haven't seen anything that convinces me that fabric made of bamboo is antibacterial. Soy- and corn-based fabrics are also flawed; they're made from genetically modified crops, leading to more pesticide use and decreasing biodiversity. Now, these are still better than some of the other choices available. Bamboo is a highly renewable crop that doesn't use pesticides in the way that cotton does. Soy and corn, even GMO, are probably better than petroleum-based synthetics (though petroleum is the base for the pesticides used on these crops). So nothing is simple; there are many shades of gray. This is why, for me, organic fibers, and especially the new GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) label for processed textiles, have the most meaning and credibility. Yet organic cotton (and much textile processing) uses a lot of water, so that's a consideration; there are always multiple factors at play.
4. We Buy Too Many Cheap Clothes. Planned obsolescence is at the heart of our current system of fashion. Styles, colors and trends change radically from month to month, and you can just go to Old Navy or Wal-Mart and buy something new and incredibly cheap. The Slow Fashion movement says: change it. Buy fewer clothes, and buy better-made clothes so they'll last longer. Choose colors that will go with what you already have. This kind of investment dressing or European-style approach to clothing has long been recommended by style experts, but it's up to us to put it into practice.
5. Take the Long View. The fashion and textile industry is not going to change overnight. But just as the industry has to start making incremental and meaningful changes, so can we. Replacing your wardrobe isn't the answer -- nothing is sustainable about that. But at the right time, just one purchase of an organic cotton or wool fabric or batting or yarn, or one item of clothing that is well-made from appropriate fibers with non-toxic processing and ethical labor practices, helps support change in the industry.

As the Silkworm Turns

Back in the last century, I met a very bright woman in Santa Cruz who was a study in contrasts -- Goth on the outside, crunchy on the inside. She wore black from head to toe every day and worked for an organic farming organization. But the thing I remember most about her was that she wouldn't wear silk because the process hurt the silkworms.

This was before inexpensive silk began to be so readily available here. Silk was still a luxury, and it was the first time I had heard anybody reject silk. Now, my friend's attitude seems less fringe and more aware. We tend to think of all natural fibers as environmentally friendly, but as with most things, there are layers upon layers of complexity. With virtually every natural fiber, there are social and environmental concerns that demand change. Likewise, some synthetic fibers can be designed in ways that do not pollute and make the best use of our resources and technologies. In between there's a lot of gray area.

I'm planning some silk bed throws that sent me on long visits to Aurora Silk, natural dye expert/artist  Cheryl Kolander's site for her fabrics, yarns and threads (and check out these amazing print blocks -- Cheryl designs these -- they are beautiful and loaded with spiritual significance). Aurora Silk is a source for Ahimsa and Peace silks, made without harm to the silkworms. You can read more about them on the site. On Cheryl's advice, for my project, I ordered the 3-ply reeled silk cord:

"This cord is incredibly strong and durable. The sheen of the reeled thread is fractured by the tight twist of the ply, resulting in a light play of sparkles."

Shibori artist and natural dyer Karren K. Brito has written "Is Silk Green?" in the newest Surface Design Association Newsletter. Her greater concern (and I agree) is the use of child labor and inhumane conditions in the silk industry.

I am still buying silk, but learning more every day about the greater costs to much of the fabric we buy. Yet I do believe that every person who engages in the creative act of making things with fiber or fabric in a conscious way is contributing to a better world. Changing the structure and dynamics of our resource base is a process that will take time, but knowledge is always the seed.

So. On to my project. I am still in gift-making mode, frog caddies and cosmetic bags, and haven't yet begun any art or the Take It Further challenge project for the month. But these silk throws are quite special and I've been wanting to try one for a long time; now I'm making one for Angela's wedding gift and one for my dear friend and karmic sister Lisa. I was inspired by the gorgeous throws at Hyena Productions that sell for many hundreds of dollars. They are silk velvet on one side, silk dupioni or taffeta on the other, lined with flannel (not batting, so I don't think quilting is necessary) and have a beaded fringe or other exotic trim on the borders. I was further inspired by the vintage Moroccan wedding quilts on MyMarrakesh, with their flat silver sequins, and Yoshiko Jinzenji's pillows fringed with silk cord and pearls in her Quilt Artistry book.  So I'm combining all these influences into what I hope will be something both modern and luxurious, with a sense of enchantment. As soon as my orders all arrive I'll post a photo of the fabrics.