Creating with Natural Fibers

My new 'empty nest / get crafty' phase started off with this pink pair of boots I had to have. Then I took them home and realized that I had absolutely nothing to wear with them!

So began my quest. Perhaps I would actually buy something from another brand to wear with these boots? I mean really, my whole closet is my Diane Kennedy clothes and Cherry Velvet dresses. So other than underwear and socks I don’t really buy other brands at all.

Searching out there, I found a heck of a lot of polyester and brands that didn’t even really tell you what they were making their clothes out of. I found one Canadian brand that said their clothing was 'ethically sourced', but then they still didn’t tell you what it was made of. Anyway I did a bit of digging and yes they were polyester too.

So decided that I needed to make things to match my new boots. Because I overwhelmingly prefer natural fibers, I’ve been anti-polyester my whole life. Then a vision of a pink mohair scarf came to mind and my local yarn store had the perfect matching shade. Then I found a whole bunch of scrap cotton fabric left over from some past production and started to sew. (What happened there will be in my next blog post) 

As a designer, it’s a challenge to use only natural fabrics. There is an overwhelming assortment of fabrics that are polyester. So if you’re ever wondering why I don’t use more prints it’s because they’re very limited in bamboo. To create fun, interesting and different garments using natural and friendly fabrics is not as easy as you think.

But good news, this crafty phase of mine has sparked a bunch of ideas for spring, using more prints and brighter colours.

Now I'm crocheting a sweater from 5 different shades of pink...

I'll share more photos of my completed projects and outfits on my Facebook and Instagram pages. I'd love it if you would follow me there. Plus I always appreciate a like and a comment on my posts, it really helps small brands like mine get the word out.