From laminated folders with color coded indexes and ringed binders showcasing an array of prints and designs, to simple brown boxes filled with raw remnants and sandwich bags to the brim with the same, how we organize our cherished swatches is about as creative and individually determined as the fabrics themselves. But one thing seems to be universal across the board…trust and believe all fabric lovers have a method to the madness just the same.
Image by: georgiapeachez
Since I was a teen I dreamed of having my own creative space. Somewhere I could go and relax without worrying about making a mess in the dining room, which, by the way, killed my creativity! I wanted the ability of making things to my heart’s content and then just leave it sit if I wanted to. It’s no fun feeling guilty for my creative overflow of fabric scraps, yarn and thread. When I got married and moved in to my turn-of-the-century farmhouse I claimed one of the upstairs rooms as my crafting haven.
For many of us, the idea of ‘going green’ and playing a vital part in helping to save Mother Earth from resource depletion and over consumption, is more than just a passing fancy. J&O Fabric store is doing our part by bringing in more and more organic fabrics. As each day ushers in new devastating information pertaining to the effects of global warming, pollution in our air and waters, cancers in our food supply, and the long term effects of genetically modified textile crops such as our beloved cotton, more and more of us are raising our awareness to the fragile balance and co-dependency of man and nature, and are taking steps both big and small to ensure our survival and that of future generations. One such step that we can take as seamstresses, tailors, crafters, and designers, is to make our sewing environments more eco-friendly. With the running of our machines and the burning of the midnight oil (lights) to get our projects done sometimes, the amount of energy we use in the course of a day, a week, a month, adds up. When considering that the leading cause of our eco-system breakdown is still the burning of coal to generate electricity, we owe it to Mother Nature to do our part, one change at a time.
