sample craft from Sewing Green
Sewing Green
Natural Produce Bag
25 Projects Made
by Betz White
with Repurposed
They are there, waiting for you, even
&
Organic Materials
in the most eco-friendly organic gro-
by Betz White
cery stores: the single-use, plastic
Materials
produce bag (cue the soundtrack
(Makes 4 bags)
By its nature, do-it-yourself sew-
from Jaws). Considering the time I
ing is environmentally friendly. In
spend carefully selecting the fresh-
1 1/8 yards of 60”-wide organic cotton
Sewing Green, Betz White takes
est organic fruits and vegetables,
mesh, leno, gauze, or similar very
stitching to an even higher level
it seems a bit contradictory to then
lightweight, loosely woven cotton
of sustainability, presenting 25
tuck them away in non-earth-friendly
4 yards of 1/2”-wide natural-color
projects made from “repurposed”
bags. What's an eco-conscious
twill tape
thrift-store and back-of-the-closet
food shopper to do? Whip up a
Matching thread
finds and organic fabrics.
few of these lightweight produce
Fabric shears
White’s whimsical yet practical de-
bags in organic cotton, and carry
Safety pin
signs include an apron constructed
them along in the Denim Shopper (
Disappearing-ink fabric marker
from men’s dress shirts (and a
instructions on page 194 in Sewing
Fabric paint in olive, crimson,
wallet from the shirts’ cuffs!), a soft
Green). They're a reusable, stylish,
and amber
blanket pieced from secondhand
and biodegradable alternative to
Foam paintbrush, 1” wide
cashmere sweaters, and even a
plastic, and they're perfect for bag-
Brayer or rolling pin
tote bag refashioned from used
ging fruits, veggies, and even bulk
Paper towels
Tyvek envelopes. Along the way,
food items such as nuts or cereal.
Waxed paper
White dispenses tips on everything
To brighten up any routine shopping
Newspaper
from how to deconstruct old gar-
trip, add simple design elements
Assortment of sturdy, pliable leaves
ments for reuse in new creations
from nature by making a few colorful
in different shapes and sizes
to how to wrap gifts with resusable
leaf prints on your bags.
fabric scraps instead of paper.
Inspiring profiles about well-known
leaders in the eco-stitching move-
1. Prepare Fabric
Using a small amount of paint
ment are sprinkled throughout, and
Machine-wash and-dry
and a foam brush, apply paint to
a complete resources section helps
the fabric, then iron it smooth.
the underside of a leaf. Place the
crafters make eco-smart choices.
leaf, paint side down, on top of the
With Sewing Green, today’s sew-
2. Cut Rectangles
scrap fabric. Cover the leaf with a
ers will be fashioning handmade
Using a ruler and a disappearing-
piece of paper towel, then a piece
heirlooms and sustaining traditions
ink fabric marker, measure and
of waxed paper. Firmly press the
for generations to come.
mark two 14" x 18" rectangles of
leaf design into the fabric by roll-
fabric for each bag. You will be
ing over the waxed paper with a
able to cut out two rows of four
brayer or rolling pin. Remove the
rectangles across the width of the
waxed paper, paper towel, and
60"-wide fabric, yielding eight rect-
leaf. Continue this process on your
angles (and four bags) total (see
prepared rectangles, as desired.
diagram above).
Betz White is a renowned felter and
After you have printed the fabric
green crafter whose work is sold
3. Print Leaf Design
for each bag, let the paint dry com-
online and in boutiques around the
Lay newspaper on your work sur-
pletely, which requires at least a
world. Her work has been featured
face, and place a piece of scrap
few hours. Then place the painted
on Martha Stewart’s TV show and
fabric (with either side facing up)
side of the fabric face down on a
in numerous magazines. Her first
on top of the newspaper. Note: It
piece of white scrap paper. Cover
book, Warm Fuzzies, was pub-
is important to practice printing on
your work with a scrap of fabric,
lished in 2007. She lives in North
scrap fabric before printing on the
and iron it on a low setting to heat-
Potomac, MD.
cut rectangles to ensure that you
set the paint and make the fabric
www.melaniefalickbooks.com/
are producing the desired results.
washable and colorfast.
sewing-green Betz White’s Blog:
http://blog.betzwhite.com
organicshoppermag.com 39
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