Store | Cart/Checkout | Search | About Us | Why Organic? | Pricing/Discounts | Ordering/Shipping | Returns
* Fabrics
   * Knits
   * Woven
   * Swatches
* Notions
* Yarns, etc.
* Merchandise
* Instruction & Ideas
* Kits & Samplers
* Pre-Cut & Clearance

Quick Search:

- F.A.Q.
- Our Blog
- Newsletter
- Links
- Projects

« August 2006 | Main | October 2006 »

September 19, 2006

Vote for us, and more...

Co-Op America's opened voting for their People's Choice Award for "your favorite green businesses." Hopefully we're among them, but even if we aren't we do encourage you to vote -- it's very helpful as a consumer to hear about businesses that people strongly recommend. Vote here; the winner will be announced at the San Francisco Green Festival on November 10.

Did you know that the "action sports apparel industry" is switching to natural and organic fabrics? Hey, I read it on the Internet; it must be true! And it's not just Patagonia (who we love) who is using organic cotton and hemp any more -- even Quiksilver has organic cotton Ts! Nike and Levis are increasing the amount of organic cotton they use in their products, too. It's always encouraging to see more of a demand for sustainable fibers -- the hope now is that there will be enough available! (" "We are looking at a minimum of 30% growth with existing brands and retailers," said Calahan Klein, "and we have indications that conventional cotton farmers are likely to convert to organic, with brands now actively looking at supporting new yarn development."")

Mother Earth News had another article about eating locally that's interesting; check it out here.

If you have $35 to spare and are interested in the politics or farming, you might want to consider subscribing to Farm Policy, a "daily news summary covering key farm bill and agricultural trade developments."

September 06, 2006

Mid-week reading: How far does your food travel?

The Green Guide has an article in their Sept/Oct issue entitled "Local or Organic? I'll take both." It's good reading, talking about the challenges of finding local, organic food, the expected impact of Walmart's entrance into the organic market, and what you yourself can do. They link to an article in the Honolulu Weekly about eating only organic, local foods in Hawaii -- much more difficult than I would have thought!

Here's an article from the Philadelphia City Paper also talking about eating locally: There's No Plate Like Home. It intersperses the writer's own experience with a lot of information, interviews, etc. I really enjoyed the piece.

FoodRoutes.org encourages people to "Buy Fresh. Buy Local." There's information for each state on farms, farmer's markets, etc, to help you connect with local producers. EatWild.com does something very similar for grassfed meat, eggs, and dairy -- and if you're an omnivore and haven't tried grassfed meat yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. Very, very, very tasty. We have some lamb kabob meat from Shepherd's Lamb marinating in our refrigerator right now, and I'm looking forward to dinner.

(Speaking of grass-fed meats, though, it looks like the authenticity of the term is at risk; read this for more information and suggested action.)

I struggle with eating locally; with two small kids who love bananas year-round it can be difficult to eat locally and in-season. But we do the best we can. Dinner tonight is the abovementioned lamb, eggplant, and zucchini kabobs; the main ingredients are all local, of course, but the marinade is only partially so (it calls for olive oil and lime juice, neither of which come from around here). We'll have local salad, but the salad dressing's from a processing plant somewhere. Local bread, with local honey. Fresh Colorado peaches for dessert -- not "within 100 miles" local, but pretty close regardless. But it's an ongoing struggle. We feed our chickens local, organic grain, and once they start laying (within a month or so) we'll have local organic eggs. (Well, we already buy local organic eggs -- but these will be even MORE local. :) We get all our meat direct from local farmers, but haven't yet found a source for affordable dairy. Cheese, milk, and butter are mostly "from Rocky Mountain pastures", but that's not the same as knowing the farmer. All our vegetables and much of our fruit are from the farmer's market -- but then there are things like bananas, plums, lemons, limes, oranges, all of which we like to eat occasionally and none of which grow nearby. Like I said, it's an ongoing effort, but I do think it's good to be mindful of what we're eating and where it comes from. We are continually trying to eat more locally and have more connection to the people who produce the food we eat.

Oh, and it's green chile season, so the whole town smells of roasting chiles. Yum! Here's an article from Ann Arbor talking about green chile; if you've been in New Mexico in September, you'll identify with the author's experience.

September 01, 2006

September is National Sewing Month

NSM_Sept_150.jpg
September is National Sewing Month, and this year's theme is "Sewing ... express your creative spirit." Sewing.org has project ideas, sewing guidelines, sewing lessons, and many other things that are worth reading. The site isn't mostly (or even partially, or maybe even at all) aimed at people who want to sew naturally, but I still found a lot to learn. Check it out!

(You may appreciate the ideas for first-time projects, here, some suggestions for charitable sewing, the oh-so-stereotypical sewing for men section (including a "sturdy tool wrap" for his wrench collection), and the other suggestions, patterns, and advice.)

Happy sewing!

Store | Cart/Checkout | Search | About Us | Why Organic? | Pricing/Discounts | Ordering/Shipping | Returns