Many things we use every day, like water bottles and cardboard boxes, can be recycled, which makes sense for us and the planet. So, is there such a thing as sewing that is good for the environment? Yes, there is! Green embroidery. It wasn’t the colour but the idea.
Did you know that the textile industry is a big part of both the movement to clean up pollution and the movement to stop it? Let’s talk about how the embroidery we do affects the world and what we can do to help.
What’s the Green Movement all about?
The green movement has been going on for a long time in the United States. It tries to find ways to protect the environment.
What makes the environment dirty?
The most important source of pollution from textiles is… CLOTHES! Used clothes that no longer fit. Because cheap clothes are so easy to get, the problem has gotten much worse. When we get tired of that shirt, we throw it away. Pants torn? Don’t keep them. People’s views on old clothes have changed a lot in the last 100 years. Back then, most people had “work clothes” and “church clothes.” They didn’t have 30 or more shirts, so their closets were small or didn’t exist at all. People took better care of their clothes and made quilts, rugs, patches, and other things out of them.
Who is causing the pollution?
As was said above, we are the biggest polluters, and the textile industry that makes clothes is second. If you are wearing a polyester blend shirt right now, it was made from petroleum products, and the amount of pollution that shirt caused is mind-boggling. In the same way, chemical dyes and treatments are often put into the environment because it costs too much to get rid of them and because of rules in the country where they are made. Would it surprise you to learn that 10 percent of the pollution in the world comes from the fashion industry?
What is being done?
There is a growing trend in the fashion industry to choose fabrics that are better for the environment and to find out how the textiles designers use are made. Many countries in Europe and the United States are working together to find out more about “fashion pollution.” More natural “green fabrics” like bamboo, hemp, cotton, and silk are being used in the fashion industry, and these fabrics are also being recommended.
What materials for machine embroidery are good for the environment?
So, let’s talk about embroidery again and what we’re using. It’s not easy or cheap for everyone to take a stand. Materials can be harder to find and cost more, but you’re doing your part. You would have to give up some things, but we can’t do without some things. So here are some things to think about:
Fabrics
Linen is a fabric made from flax, which is a plant. Linen can be grown on rough land that isn’t good for growing food, so the land can be used. It is hardy and doesn’t need chemicals to grow or process.
Cotton is a natural plant fibre that is used to make clothes, furniture, and other textiles like rayon and synthetics. It lasts long, lets air through, and can be used in many ways.
Rayon– Is a man-made fabric made from cellulose (wood fiber). Most of the time, bamboo is used to make viscose rayon. But the chemicals, like carbon disulphide, that are needed to turn it into fabric are dangerous for the people who work with it.
Polyester–Thought this wouldn’t be here, did you? RECYCLED polyester makes a big difference in reducing pollution, but it is still made from oil products.
Silk is made from silkworms. There are different levels of production, but it takes a lot of work, and many people don’t like the idea of “raising” silkworms to make it.
Wool–Wool comes from sheep and goats, which aren’t hurt when the fibre is taken from them, but many people don’t like the process.
Threads
Most of these fibres can be used to make embroidery digitizing thread, but only in certain ways. Polyester is the most common and usually best choice, but some of the biggest thread companies sell recycled polyester thread. Check out their sites to see what they have to offer.
Backings
Did you know that even though many stabilisers feel like plastic, they are not? Many are made from cellulose (wood fibre), chemical starch, or cotton, and they don’t hurt the environment. Companies all over the world are now making “fabric-like” stabilisers from shredded old clothes. As was said above, many of the stores you already shop at sell stabilisers, backing, and toppers that are good for the environment. Check the site information for more.
Help save the environment by reusing the fabric you already have.
One of the oldest and most simple ways to help is to recycle fabric. Reusing pieces of fabric is as old as clothing itself, and it’s easy to do. Before you throw away that shirt or pair of pants, ask yourself if you can use the fabric in any way.
Who doesn’t want to save money and the environment at the same time? We have a lot of ideas for how you can reuse the fabric scraps you have left over.
You might have just made a mistake and ruined your clothing. Instead of adding them to the large amount of textile waste, why not use embroidery to fix and improve your clothes?
Ideas for eco-friendly machine embroidery
Now that we have a lot of information, what can we do with it? Let’s talk about some ways to start. You can use things you already own or use scraps of fabric and other things from your stash. These things will also help you cut down on how much trash you throw away.
- • Tote bags
- • Lunch bags
- • Reusable diapers
- • Wet towels
- • Why not come up with your own mottos and slogans to encourage people to be kind to the environment? Say it with pride if you’re green!
What You Need to Know About Green Embroidery
We’ve talked about many things about green embroidery, but here are a few more things you might want to think about before you decide to use it. Most of us don’t care much about these, but you should still be aware.
Electricity: To be green, you have to plan ahead. Turn off your machine when you’re not using it. Cut as much as possible!
Take care of your embroidery machine. One that works hard will break down faster and, in some cases, use more electricity. Keep it clean, and if it has more than one needle, follow the directions on how to oil and care for it.
Cost: A lot of things cost money. Being green doesn’t come for free, though. Many of the green materials mentioned can be more expensive, but as more embroiderers start to use them and demand goes up, prices will come down.
Machine Embroidery and Being Eco-Friendly
So now we know more about the green movement, the materials we use, and how we can help take care of our amazing planet. Here are a few things to think about.
Where do you get the things you use? If you want to use green materials, do your homework before you buy. You can also go to a thrift store near you to find materials that have already been used.
What are the things you use made of? Make sure to ask questions!
Can you recycle? Don’t throw away something that can be used to make something else.
