The Sustainable Quilter Bridget O'Flaherty

Sustainable Textile Art by Bridget O'Flaherty

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slow textiles

Why I Decided to Make Material from Scratch

Looking for Sustainable Options

natural tones of hand dyed cottons

I love that there are so many choices around fabrics available now and the industry has grown to be so creative and to showcase textiles in this way. But I also have a problem with it. The lack of local, sustainable options is becoming apparent to me. I’ve been working in the fibre arts industry for over 25 years. I began with my mother where we had a store and brought in top-of-the-line cotton fabrics for quilt making, all imported.

Fast forward and you can now buy cotton, jersey, fleece, designer prints, indie prints, minkie, knits, canvas, hemp and more almost anywhere on the internet, local quilt stores and large fabric supply stores. There are even organic cotton options from producers like Cloud 9 and Birch Fabrics.

The Bad News

The carbon footprint of textiles is large.  According to a 2009 article on Ecotextiles blog:  ‘the U.S. textile industry was the 5th largest contributor to CO2 emissions in the United States (after primary metals, nonmetallic mineral products, petroleum and chemicals).  In the developing world, where the textile industry represents a larger percentage of GDP and mills are often antiquated, the CO2 emissions are greater.’

cotton plant

The majority of textiles for the quilting industry available in North America (definitely Canada) are imported. Cotton fabrics come from Pakistan, India, China, Turkey. There is USA cotton available, but it is often exported for manufacturing and imported back in for distribution. The same is true for cotton thread.

Water scarcity and quality have impacted cotton production globally with climate change disasters increasing. According to an article in The Guardian, in 2010, flooding in Pakistan (the 4th largest producer of cotton) had a dramatic effect on cotton production and pricing when over 1/5th of the country was under water.

The Good News

The industry is working to adopt sustainable practices and groups like BCI(Better Cotton Initiative)  are gaining ground. Accountability and verification in standards like a Better Cotton Standard System, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and other certifications are also growing in popularity and making headway for a more sustainable industry.

This is a good thing but still does not address the lack of domestic options here in Canada. I looked into hemp, organic cotton, bamboo, lyocell. There is a Canadian supplier Simplifi Fabrics who carries these and more stores are carrying organic lines. They are all good alternatives, it’s exciting that there is an environmental consciousness and I am thrilled to see some alternatives becoming norms in the industry.  But it is still imported and requires lots of water use and long transport and handling.  For me in Canada, there are still no local, viable domestic options.  I wanted to find something local and sustainable.

A Bright Idea?

Stephen McRae in a field with his sheepI have a neighbour who raises sheep. I decided to take a walk across the road and talk to Stephen McRae from Blairich Farms.  His mission is to encourage a healthy environment for his animals to grow, to leave it better than when he arrived.

We got to talking about the fleece he has annually after he shears his flock. Right now he pays to have his sheep shorn( as a necessity for the good health of the sheep) and the fleece is usually sent to the Canada Wool Growers located in Carleton Place, Ontario. The fleece does not fetch the top price as a spinning wool since his sheep are primarily for meat and it is almost not worth the work it takes to drive it there.

Being curious, I liked the idea of using this resource in my art. So we struck a deal. I helped with shearing and did a test of cleaning and felting before diving into the production of processing the fleece for my intended purposes.

It is important to note here that I am not a knitter, spinner, weaver, nor have I ever felted…

Shearing

I arrived to help. He had a seasoned shearer there and a few experienced helpers, so I was just there to learn. They took off the first fleece and tossed it on the table. We then gathered around and “skirted” the fleece, removing the really gross parts. They asked me what I was looking for… I now had washed and felted one fleece, so I was more experience than they, but still had no idea of what to look for as “good” felting fleece. So we just got rid of the poopy bits( I think that is the technical term) and rolled them up. I then got my chance at tossing a fleece. I’m not nearly the expert that Titia – the helper was, but I had fun trying and got better after 20 fleeces.

Washing

I needed to set up a system for washing the fleece. In the end, I was very ambitious and took all 42 fleece. I am fortunate that I am in the country and on a well.  I set up washing sinks and drying racks in my backyard and got to work. It’s messing, smelly and wet, but I love every minute of it. It’s not for the faint of heart.  The dirty water is flushed out into the trees beyond this setup, it is nutrient and the water eventually finds it’s way back into the water table. It takes about 1 hour per fleece to clean them properly and about 24 hours of drying time. I’m still working my way through the processing, but hope to have them done by the end of the summer – hopefully, the heat isn’t too hard on them!

Table, sink and racks for processing fleece

Felting from Scratch

So I had the raw fleece, it was clean and now I had to figure out how to make a fabric I could use in my art. I knew I was not a spinner/weaver – that is a whole other line I want to try someday though! So I looked into felting, I am industrious and really committed, I am figuring it out. I talked with a friend who is an amazing felt artist Zoe Lianga and she offered a few tips and of course, I looked to YouTube. I also am totally into just diving in and figuring out what works, what doesn’t and adapting.

The first thing I needed to do before I could felt it was to card it. I looked at the process and decided I needed a little mechanical advantage over hand carders. I put a call out to my fibre friends to see if anyone had a drum carder, I was in luck! I got my hands on an antique, it’s funky, but I love it! How many hands have used this?

felted pieces in a basket

Figuring out the Basics

I was really happy with how the wet felting went. It is not likely to be a fabric that would be good as a wearable as there is still a lot of vegetable matter in it, but for my purposes it is perfect. I created some small felted pieces that seemed perfect for what I wanted. Check out the videos I made of my experimenting with this process I really wanted a fabric that I can embroider on. That was the next test. I did some trials with different stabilizer options and landed on a system that I’m really happy with![hr]

great blue heron in thread painting on felt and pine board

Local and Sustainable, It’s a Start

This may not be a true answer for everyone, but I feel like I am doing my small part to be the change I want to see. I’m not sure where else this will lead, but I am looking forward to the journey. I am really happy with the results so far. It is local, natural and sustainable.

To take classes with me, check out my online workshops

To see more videos, subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Fibreshed and How to Bring the 100-mile Diet to Fibre Arts

Earlier this month, I learned a new word: fibreshed.

It happened when I took some time for professional development and attended a live webinar on Natural Dyeing in the Fibre Art industry.  It was not a word I was familiar with previously. Now I am fully on board and ready to work for the cause. There was a panel discussion on the state of the industry with experts from around all over North America. This was hosted by Craft Ontario  and the experts have been working in the textile and natural dye industry for many years. So, Fibreshed…it’s essentially sourcing your project or product materials and services from within a geographic region with ecological systems at the core.

It’s kind of like considering the 100-mile diet for fibre.

Raw Wool in bags from fibreshed

The chain of custody of the sweater is a great example. Wool from sheep, spun a local mill, woven, turned into cloth, clothing is made, used and then recycled or composted all within close proximity of each other forming a cradle to cradle system.  The Upper Canada Fibreshed is working towards connecting the sources of the product in this geographic region. Wouldn’t it be great if we could track our origins of all of our needlecrafts?

It is so important to have these discussions, and how the fibre arts world needs to embrace sustainability more. The toxicity of current dye practices and the ecological impact is at the forefront of importance of many textile companies. It really fuelled my passion to pursue this as a core principle in my work.

Sheep in a fibreshed

The ways I integrate eco-art into my work

Every decision I make now in my work is framed around the question ‘can I add a sustainable element to this and what does that look like?’. My goal is to create sustainable fibre art that raises awareness of and evokes an intimate connection to the natural world, using materials from sustainable sources. I want to bring that narrative into all of the work that I do.

I source materials with these criteria in mind:

  • Organic
  • Certified
  • Natural fibre
  • Locally produced
  • Does it have recycled content
  • Location
  • Processing

I’m not always able to find these answers immediately on websites and sometimes have to contact the distributor directly. Sometime they have the answers, sometimes I never hear back.

Dyes and fibres sourced in a fibreshed

Finding notions and supplies is a little more challenging. I have had some luck with an organic cotton thread company from the US Fibreactive Organics. Their pallette is restricted but there are options to dye it yourself. I recently came across a brand of Guttermann Thread that is very exciting and I plan to bring it into my work this year. The Sew-all Thread 100 m rPET  is a 100% recycled content polyester thread. I’ll be writing a blog in the coming months on the testing of this thread. I am very hopeful as it has a range of 52 colours and combined with the organics should offer a good selection for the work I do.

Finally, I’ll be tracking sustainable supplies as I find them and will be updating my Supplier List quarterly. Get this straight to your inbox, join my Fibre Tribe and get the Monthly Thread Talks.

Do you have any recommendations for sustainable fibre suppliers?

Let me know! Send me your connections and links to someone who is already doing sustainable supplies.[button link=”www.threadpaintedart.com/contact” bg_color=”#8c9165″]Contact[/button]

Fibre Therapy and Mindfulness

 

Just a few weeks ago,

I had a friend come by my place and ask me to help her make her first quilt. She’s a nurse and has a fairly stressful job at times, so she wanted something that she could do to help her relax on off days.
She was a complete newbie, had never really even looked at quilt books, magazines or stepped foot in a quilt store. It was pretty exciting to help out someone like this, but I also realized that I had to be careful to let her be the one to decide the path she wanted to take.
There are so many options, applique, hand, machine, modern, traditional, etc., not mention the art side of textiles! So we talked about what she liked and what she imagined she would work on. She wanted to use the machine and my first thought was: great a quick quilt. Let’s pick a couple of fabrics from my stash, a pattern and we can crank this sucker out in a day.
But she had a different need in mind. She asked if she could come and look through my stash to find fabrics, and we settled on a fairly simple 25 patch block set with lattice. She wanted blue and white. After spending 3 hours playing with my fabric (I have a large stash of small pieces I inherited from my mother that I will never use – but that’s another story!) she ended up selecting more than 60 fabrics. “I just can’t give any of them up, I have a relationship with all of them now.”[hr]

It made me pause and realize how important this process is

We have tools that make things faster and easier. We even have pre-cut fabric, jellyrolls, and patterns to suit, kits that are ready to assemble and machines that sew without us with the touch of a button.
What is this doing for our connection to the craft? Historically, women have gravitated to textiles for practical reasons, but have also contributed to an art and expression that has been woven deeply into our cultures. I believe it’s why we still reach for needlecrafts and textiles. In quilting, there was often a story to the fabrics used – old clothes, a quilting bee, creating a legacy handed down through generations.
Today we are finding new ways to explore these crafts, but I think we need to pause.

Being Mindful with the Craft

Mindful Fibre Art, Slow Craft, Slow Makers and Slow Textiles: these terms all represent a movement – a cultural narrative that really resonates with me.
This movement gives permission to take the time, celebrate details and revel in techniques that give you the opportunity to focus and relax while connecting your hands and mind to the moment. I have written about the concept of a fibreshed or the 100 Mile Fibre diet in another post.
There is an environmental component, recognition of where the materials come from, what the ecological impact is of these and making conscious choices along the way. There is also a social context, connecting with and creating a community around the traditional crafts. Now don’t get me wrong. I am all for technology, I am, after all a free motion machine embroiderer and quilter.
But it’s about slowing down and enjoying the process, appreciating the steps and having a connection with each and every part of what it takes to make these beautiful works of art. Part of the mindful textile movement is to create space to consider the rhythm of the process, slowing down, making conscious decisions to enjoy each fabric, each colour, each thread, each stitch. I think we can adopt the concept even with machine work, it’s more about being mindful, giving ourselves permission to appreciate the process and honour the tradition of the craft.

It feeds the soul, its fibre therapy and I need it.

Apparently, so did my friend.

Does anyone else need a little fibre therapy? I love to go into a fabric store just to look at the bolts of fabric all lined up in colour gradients, or take out some fabric and iron it – just to smell it…when I’ve had a rough day, it totally takes the edge off.