What about eco-friendly fabric?

You may have read my last post about How to buy eco-friendly clothing, but what about eco-friendly fabric?

Perhaps you love sewing or you even have your own business selling textile products.  Making your own clothes is extremely rewarding plus it is a lot more sustainable.  Here are my tips for eco-friendly fabric.

1. Buy organic

When looking for new material, the best thing to look for is organic.  Organic material uses a lot less water in the production process plus the material will use dyes that use more natural chemicals. There is a Global Organic Textile Standard or GOTS for short. Generally organic material also means a higher price – but for good reason.  In fact, if the price of conventional cotton took into account the price of pollution, the price would rise by 500%!  Conventional material (rather than organic) also uses a lot harmful chemicals – not something you want close to your skin.

2. Choose natural fibres

Natural fibres (cotton, linen, wool) are more sustainable than man-made products (acrylic, polyester and nylon). They also feel nicer against you skin, breathe easier and last longer.

3. Buy recycled fibres

As technology gets better and better, fibres can be recycled and reused. This is particularly prevalent in heavier weight material like canvas.  The reason is that when fibres are recycled they get shorter and coarser. For example, the Spoonflower Eco-Canvas uses 45% recycled material.

4. Only buy what you need

When buying material, it’s easy to round up just to make sure you have enough. But once you’ve made a pattern a few times, you know exactly how much material you need.

If you’re getting fabric printed, they only print what you need to avoid waste.

5. Use all the scraps for something crafty

I know every dressmaker has a stash of un-used fabric that they are saving for a rainy day. So if it is older than 5 years it’s time to do something about it.

For fabric scraps there are lots of projects that you can do.  Everything from little fabric ornaments, to bags, to pillow cases, to patchwork, to rugs, to bunting, to bibs, to wreaths – you name it, google it, you will find a tutorial.

For something really simple, collect all your fabric scraps and once you have enough, use it for stuffing for a new cushion.

What are you eco-material tips?

Holly x

 

How to buy eco-friendly clothing

So as some of you may know I (being the real person behind the pseudonym Holly Dickson) have started completing my Masters part time.  I decided to do my Masters as way of continuing my old career while we’re here in Germany and am currently taking two classes a semester online through Curtin in Australia.  The Masters program is focused on sustainability, and while that generally means Sustainable Cities and Urban Planning, there is room for me to explore sustainability in other industries – like textiles!

As you can imagine, Holly was very excited.

Recently I’ve been working on an assignment on sustainability within the textile industry.  As many of you may remember, the Rana Plaza disaster (which killed over 1000 people in Bangladesh) was an instigator for change in the industry. People started wondering where their clothes came from and who made them.

Aside from the ethical concerns, it turns out that the fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of global emissions. I was quite shocked when I read that. It’s pretty high, isn’t it?

That’s due to all the water and resources used to make the materials, from the resources used in farming to the resources used to dye the material, to the transportation of clothing and then the end use.  Apparently half of that footprint is how we look after and eventually dispose of our clothes.

So the big question is, what can we do about it?

Here is some advice, based on what I’ve found:

1. By clothes that you are sure have been made ethically – meaning that the manufacturing arm of the process treats their workers fairly, makes sure their working environment is safe and doesn’t use child labour.  In Australia you can find brands registered by Ethical Clothing Australia or EcoFashion World or check how your favourite brands perform by looking at a recent score card prepared by Baptist World Aid.
2. Be fussy about the material of the clothing.  Cotton, linen, wool and viscose are better for the environment because they use less for raw material feedstock, emit less gases and decompose more quickly.  It’s always better to choose organic too.  It’s also better to buy 100% cotton or 100% wool rather than a blend because it’s easier to recycle the fibres at the end of the product’s life.
3. Support local designers and farmers.  By supporting local designers that use material made locally, you are reducing the transportation footprint of your clothes.  For countries like Australia, clothing made in Australia will be subject to our employment law which means satisfactory wages, safe working conditions and reasonable working hours.
4. Look for clothing that is durable and that you will love. A lot of the environmental impact is due to over-consumption, so if you find that an item of clothing is unwearable after 10 washes, then it’s probably not the best brand to choose in the future.  Your aim should be to get at least 5 years out of a piece of clothing.  If you look in your wardrobe, what clothes have you had for 5 years? What brand are they? What material is it made from? Why do you love them? When you’re buying new clothes, ask yourself – How many times will I wear this? Will I love this next year and in 5 years? Will it last?
5. Upcycle and reuse. Buy second hand clothes, upcycle clothes at the end of their life and donating clothes to be re-worn or reused (read some tips about donating clothes here).  From a crafty side, you can make lots of things from old clothes like making a rug from old t-shirts.
6. Love and care for your clothes. By loving your clothes, they will last longer.  High temperatures in the washer or dryer reduce the life of clothes. Only wash when dirty, use the eco-wash on your washing machine (cold-cool temperature), choose eco-detergent and limit the use of the dryer.  Sew on buttons, repair tears and mend seams, and if you don’t have those mending skills, take it to someone who does.

Here’s a list of eco-friendly and ethical brands which I’ve found from around the world: Zady, Accompany, American Apparel, People Tree, Mighty Good Undies, Audrey Blue and Etiko.  A LOT of outdoor brands are incredibly sustainable as well including Vaude and Patagonia. Of course an second hand or home made clothes are also eco-friendly.

What else? What have I missed? What enviro-friendly fashion tips do you have to share?

Holly xx

 

Creating a repeat pattern

The weather is getting a little better here in Germany. Spring has sprung! And what better way to celebrate then creating colourful watercolour patterns! As I become a little wiser about the art of textile design, I’m slowly mastering the process of creating a fabric repeat. So this is a little post to illustrate the process that I follow.  There is probably 1001 ways to do this, but here’s my method.

One of the methods I use to create a repeating pattern is a really simple exercise that I learnt from Lizzy House ( http://lizzyhouse.com/) on CreativeBug.  CreativeBug has video tutorials on everything artistic and this particular series was on How to Design Fabric (www.creativebug.com). I recommend watching the tutorial, but here’s a quick demonstration in pictures.  To do this at home you will need a piece of paper, a pair of scissors, a pencil and some sticky tape.

Step 1 – starting with a square, I number each corner and draw a little design

Step 2 – then I cut my square in half and then sticky tape it back together but with the numbers now down the centre middle

Step 3 – draw!

Step 4 – I cut my square in half one more time, this time horizontally, and then rejoin.

Step 5 – erase the numbers to make it easier.

Step 6 – finish my drawing!

I can use this now as a template either for an illustration, painting or graphic.  I find the actual pattern by tracing around and cutting the design to ensure that the edge of the paper doesn’t slice through one of my branches (or whatever it is that you’ve drawn).  See below to see the process for a watercolour leaf pattern.

My draft sketch

Cut up to make a pattern

Painted with watercolour

Edited into a continual pattern

There are many ways of creating a repeat.  Some repeats are more simple than others. You can simply repeat a pattern, mirror a pattern, offset and mirror a pattern… it all depends on your design and the best way to create a seamless repeating pattern.  Spoonflower have a great explanation of their repeat options on their website.

A basic repeat is replicating a tile continuously over and over again.

Basic repeat example from Spoonflower

Edited into a continual pattern

A drop repeat is ‘like the basic repeat, except the design is repeated with a half-step vertically as you move to the right’.

An example of a drop repeat from Spoonflower

A mirrored drop repeat – the original eucalyptus branch is mirrored and then offset down halfway

A half brick repeat is just like the bricks on a building.

Example of a half brick repeat from spoonflower

And a mirror repeat creates a mirror of the original tile.

An example of a mirrored repeat from spoonflower.

Rio Gilao square single

A mirrored repeat – from the portugal tiles

At the end of the process, the aim is to create a ’tile’ that when replicated (either basic, offset or mirrored), creates a continuous pattern.

Well I hope you enjoy that little tutorial – and it made a little bit of sense! For more of my designs and artwork – follow me on Facebook or Instagram.

Until next time,

Holly x

 

New watercolor art prints

Well after a bit of fiddling around I’ve finally uploaded some new watercolor art prints including the much loved watercolor figs and herbs plus the latest watercolor leaf patterns.  You can find all the new prints my Etsy page under the Art Print tab.  There is also some recent On Sale items.

I’ve been experimenting lately with repeat patterns, which means creating a continuous pattern suitable for material/fabric (as well as art prints).  It’s a slow process learning to master all the nooks and crannies of  Photoshop but I master something new day by day. The leaf patterns will soon be printed on fabric as well, perfect for cushions and other homewares. So stay posted but if you’d like a custom order with one of these designs then get in touch.

Speaking of Mastering, I’ll be starting my Masters in a weeks time too. Let’s hope I can still juggle Holly Dickson’s creative pursuits with the more serious side of my life. Luckily I love painting some I’m sure I’ll find time to squeeze it in around assignments and group work!

Ciao

Holly x

Mint leaves

Watercolour Textiles

The range of watercolour tea towels are now here!

After experimenting with a few different manufacturers, I decided to go with a manufacturer in the states called Spoonflower – one of the leaders in digitally printing of material.  Spoonflower allows you to upload a design and order a range of different materials from a basic cotton to cotton satin or the linen cotton blend I’ve chosen for the tea towels. For the seamstresses out there, Spoonflower also has a fantastic array of fabric designs from fabric designers big and small all around the world.

The material was delivered to my darling mum in Australia, who has carefully cut and hemmed each towel.  She will be selling them as part of Gecko Grove Fine Foods at markets around the Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba (or online for those further afield).  In the future, we hope to have cushion covers, table runners and maybe even napkins.

If you’re interested in ordering some towels (or some other products), then get in touch for a quote.

Barcelona Sunsets

Pena Palace

Ponte De Luis

Tavira Rio Gilao

Barcelona sunsets

Barcelona Surf

Tavira Rio Gilao

Care instructions

Wash before use. Warm machine wash with similar colours. Do not tumble dry. Iron on the reverse side.

 

Behind the scenes video: Watercolour tiles

Hi everyone,

One of the products that I really enjoy making is mixed media watercolour artwork.  When I was in Portugal earlier this year I was fascinated by the ceramic tiles that decorated the sides of buildings.  They ranged in colour and design and were a sign of wealth or of pride.  Here are a few of my favourite:

The roof of Pena Palace, near Lisbon

Some graffiti tiles in lieu of the real ones, Lisbon

Multi-colour – used in one of the prints, Porto

A lone tile on a wall in Porto

A beautiful preserved building down on the south coast, Tavira

These tiles inspired to make mixed media artwork using a design program to underlay watercolour within the design of the tile.  This process involves creating ‘compound shapes’ that, through a clipping mask, only show the watercolour wash within the shape boundary.  By adding multiple layers, you can create a colourful masterpiece.

Sound confusing?

I agree. So while working on the next tile in the series, I captured a video of the process on Photoshop.  This video is played at x8 of the speed of real life.  So it shows the creation process over about a 4.5 minute period (rather than the full one hour process!).  This ’tile’ is actually a textured pattern on the ceiling of Pena Palace (first image above).

And here’s the finished product.

3. A square rotational repeat – comprises of 4 smaller squares rotated 90 degrees.

Pena Palace rectangle

Until next time,

Holly

PS. Some of the finished artwork can be seen here – you can also find them on my Etsy shop.

A mirrored repeat – from the portugal tiles

Available online at http://www.etsy.com/shop/HJDickson

Ponte de Luis square single

A mirrored repeat – from the portugal tiles

Rio Gilao square single

Available online at http://www.etsy.com/shop/HJDickson

Hello there

Hi and welcome to the alpha stage of my website – a platform to share ideas and inspiration tied to Holly Dickson art.

You can read all about how Holly Dickson was created under the About tab of this website. I also have a link to the Etsy Shop and some information about the Graphic Design projects that I have worked on.  I’ve also included a detailed FAQ section for anyone who has questions about the design, product information, shipping timeframes and return policies.  Of course if something instead there that you think should be included, please use the Contact page to get in touch or you can send me an email at hollyjdickson@gmail.com.

Hopefully this website will grow as I expand the store and eventually become its own URL. But until then, enjoy the meanderings of my watercolour art and textiles.

Holly

A Friday afternoon

After a week or so of gloomy weather, Friday emerged as a glimmering sunny afternoon; the perfect opportunity to photograph all the new products.  After fiddling with the layout of all the props, I settled on a fairly simply setting with some gorgeous flowers that I bought from the markets that morning.  All photographs were retouched in Photoshop – just using the Levels function which just improves the brightness of the photograph.

Very happy with the result!