Eco Fashion Friday Feature Organic Cotton is All the Rage in Band Tees

A couple weeks ago a bloggy friend of mine sent me the link to a sale going on in the tee shirt shop** of one of GLR’s favorite eco-conscious musicians, Jason Mraz. Back on October 10th, all tees in the shop were to be listed at $10; it was called the 10-10-10 sale. I decided to give a look as it had been a while since I had purchased a tee, least of all from this guy’s cool shop and what I found had me really excited!

This tee is made from 100% organic cotton, as are many in the online shop, but best of all it showed off Jason’s strong commitment to a healthy environment through the wind turbine and mountain graphic; something I would wear proudly about town. I placed my order right away.

When it arrived I was excited to try it out but as with all clothing I buy, it was washed first. The tag indicates “This EarthPositive shirt was manufactured solely using renewable green energy from wind and solar power.” Sweet!!

Flipping the tag over for washing instructions however I was slightly confused as it suggests to “save the climate wash cool - line dry”. It did not indicate that it should not go in a dryer, just that it was a suggestion for a more Earth friendly alternative. Since line drying is not possible in my apartment building, I opted to set the dryer on the lowest setting.

When the shirt came out I was definitely disappointed. It appears that the fabric pieces were not cut on the correct line of the weave and the side seams had turned about an inch and a half toward the front / back of the shirt (a semi bias cut). The neck and shoulder placement maintained alright and the graphic remained intact (I also always turn graphic tees inside out) but I was wholly disappointed by the shrinkage. Luckily I had snapped the photo prior to washing and I was happy to have only spent $10 on this tee (although shipping was almost as expensive at just under $8).

I will continue to wear this shirt but sadly it would never have fit as comfortably as it should have due to the fabric twisting incorrectly because of the cut, it is just more noticeable now after going through a low dryer. In the future, I will likely reserve my band tee purchases for after the show and will always remember to check the fabric weave for any signs of ill construction prior to purchasing!

** Please note all tees are temporarily sold out.

Home Improvement Projects from Reused and Upcycled Materials

Over the past couple months, Matt and I have been completing a few minor home improvement updates, upgrades and modernizations to our rental apartment. One of the most important upgrades we have made has been the mattress topper that we replaced.

Since I am not only a Greenie but a novice seamstress as well, it only seemed right to do something functional with the old one. After all, just because it had outlived its useful life on top of the bed, did not mean it could not be turned into a wonderfully functional addition to a couple areas around our home.

All I had to do was cut it up!

This bench seat came from my grandparent’s home. It was originally designed as a phone table due to the attached shelf. We placed it in a small nook in our mudroom and hung my Van Gogh “Starry Night” print above it but it just didn’t feel homey; I knew there was unlimited potential for this space.

We decided on a beach theme since both of us are beach lovers so I wanted a fabric for the cushion that would help draw attention away from the somewhat yucky vinyl floor. With a perfect sized scrap left over from a prior project, I set out to create the seat cushion.

After taking a basic measurement of the seat opening, I cut the foam to match. I then cut each fabric piece at ½ inch larger than the foam on all sides and stitched all but a three inch opening on one of the seams. The seams were pressed open and turned right side out, foam was inserted and using an inside stitch the opening was closed.

The vase was acquired at a discounted irregulars shop and the grasses are faux so they will last for ages. The sand came from a garden supply center and the blown glass starfish was a birthday gift this past June. Matt and I had taken a ride to a favorite beach spot and collected a whole slew of rocks. I also snapped a few photos of the ocean while we were there and one was pretty enough to frame.

Voila!**

We plan to acquire more rocks to fill in the rest of the corner behind the vase, as well as the strip of missing flooring at the far back wall and I will likely stain the bench to match the frame color.

It is true that almost all of these items are newly purchased and only the components of the cushion were reclaimed, but every time we walk in the back door now it is like we are in our own little beach sanctuary. It is calming and relaxing and that is the main thing we were going for. We both love it and know it is a design that will last through the years in our home; and it was all inspired by creating a cushion out of reclaimed materials from the hand me down bench.

Luckily however, I will find about 100 other uses for the foam pad…

The first of these projects will be as cushioning for 5 chairs around the house -- my sewing chair (being recovered) and our 4 kitchen chairs (which will be covered for the first time and using a painted drop cloth for the fabric. I will report on that one soon!)

What outdated materials have you breathed new life into?

**Please note our house is completely out of level and plumb so unfortunately everything is a little crooked.

Eco Fashion Friday Halloween Costume Creation

In our continuing theme of creating as eco friendly a Halloween as possible this year, I promised to share some of my own tricks and treats when designing and building my very own costume.

Last week I shared a video for Fashion by David Bowie indicating that the decade it was released was a hint for what I was going to be this year. This week I will be sharing where I picked up the goods for my costume, photos of de and re construction of one of the items and a video of my pictures detailing how I put one of the pieces together in well under twenty minutes!

The photo above shows most of the pieces I will be using to create my costume. From left to right, top to bottom row:

1. Women’s XL sweater -- Salvation Army; will use scrap to make a pillow
2. Lace bottom leggings -- purchased retail, will reuse for workout after Halloween
3. Men’s 2XL neck -- Garment District (second hand shop in Boston); will use neck scrap as winter wind headband
4. Women’s S cotton ribbed tank -- Salvation Army; will use often after Halloween
5. Ruffle Large maternity shirt -- will use as a dress over leggings; Garment District (not to be used in Halloween costume after all, found a skirt that will work better and will also be reused as an everyday item after Halloween)
6. Bangle bracelets -- retail, Garment District, will reuse as fun jewelry
7. Hobo purse -- Garment District; will get a lot of use after Halloween!

First and foremost I must stress that I washed everything before working with any of it. With that said today I am going to share a quick video detailing how I turned #3 into a really cool slouch shirt.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In the video I suggest using a zig-zag stitch to close up the neck opening if needed. Here is a little explanation -- turn the garment inside out, take the ruler and place one end at the neck center point while the other rests on the shoulder seam. Mark with chalk line and pin together. Zig-zag stitch along this line then cut off the excess fabric above the stitch. This will keep the slouching shape but close the neck opening if it is too wide.

Next week I will share a pictorial on creating costume accessories from #1 as well as the final finished outfit! Have you guessed what my costume is going to be yet?

Eco Fashion Friday Featured Video from Threadbanger

If you have been reading Green Leaf for a while it is no secret I have fallen in love with Threadbanger. They have provided me with tons of inspiration to make simple yet adorable clothing out of recycled, upcycled and unconventional materials. This video is no exception to that rule!

In this video they share the secrets for creating a shirred dress. For those not in the sewing know, shirring is created with that elasticized thread and can frequently be found on the top of dresses (like the photo above taken from the video) or tops for the gals.

Now I have two dresses that must be created as soon as possible! I know just the fabric this one will be created from too, it will drape great and be a perfect little black summer dress!

Get creative with this if you sew -- make it longer, create a halter with wider straps, make spaghetti straps for both shoulders, criss-cross the straps in the back -- the opportunities are endless which means by using the same base pattern, we ladies could create an entire summer wardrobe of super cute dresses. I’m in!

Eco Fashion Friday Featured Designer Jennifer Locke Designs

Last week when I briefly touched on the children’s tee shirts it occurred to me that we have yet to feature a fashion designer who creates eco fashions for kids. So when I came across Jennifer Locke Designs adorable bloomers for little girls it seemed only right to give her shop some love!


Jenn, as she refers to herself in her shop announcement, uses all vintage fabrics when she is creating these little bloomers. Upcycling at its finest! The photo above is of a pair created from a former sun suit. Her price is right in line with other shops that create this type of clothing but for a handmade children’s item the price is amazing -- most of her pieces are either $15 or $18. She ships internationally as well and the cost is very reasonable.

Most of the bloomers are available in sizes ranging from newborn up to 4T and she will even create custom orders utilizing client selected patterns or embellishments. JLD also will accommodate wholesale orders and her winter stock (recycled sweater mittens) has been featured in galleries. Her feedback is 100% positive after being in business for two years.

With a great eye on protecting the bottoms of little girls everywhere as well as the planet I am granting a Three and a Half Leaf Rating to Jennifer Locke Designs!

Keep up the amazing work, from one Jenn to another!
♥love♥

Just a Quick Flyby to Share the Ten Dollar Dress

Good morning faithful GLR readers! This morning I have taken myself down the street to use the available wireless connection so I can bring you a little something fun.

But first a quick update on your fearless writer here…

Our move went fantastic and we were extremely methodical to ensure as few trips as possible between the two places. With the help of some amazing friends and family we were able to pack, move, and already have almost the entire house set up on this end. I can not begin to express my gratitude for all of your help, thanks SO MUCH!

Some of our favorite humorous stitchers, Threadbanger, are back with great videos. This one simply blew me away -- a $10 wedding dress!



The beautiful thing about this dress (from the perspective of a sewing maniac like myself) is that it could not be more adaptable!

Rather than a plain white tee, how about going for red, green, black, or any other color that men’s shirts are sold in? The top section panels are such a cool idea and could be done in a contrasting color as a fashion statement.

Instead of a vintage brooch why not make your own out of the scraps of that contrasting color? Choose an interesting shape and stack a whole bunch of them on top of each other, then stitch a pin to the back and a button to the front.

Shorten the item, add a halter strap (if you are a bit more experienced sewer) -- the opportunities for modification of this awesome concept are endless!

Over here at Green Leaf Reviewer, as well as Threadbanger, we love to get emails and videos of viewers/readers creating funky and functional eco-friendly fashion pieces. If you modify this or make it as it is let us both know, I would love to check it out and maybe even feature your creation for Eco-fashion Friday!