March is National Craft Month, and as someone who indulges in many different crafts I for one will be celebrating with some serious crafting time this month. Whilst crafting can be time intensive it can also be eco-unfriendly so I though today we’d look at some ways to green up our crafting so we can reduce our global crafty footprint. It all basically comes down to the old eco-friendly adage of “reduce, reuse and recycle” but lets look into it further.
Crafts such as knitting and crocheting can be pretty expensive with the cost of tools, and wool but how about instead reusing and upcycling? Instead of buying new look for sweaters in thrift stores that could be unraveled into balls of yarn and knitted into new garments. If you must buy new then choose organic wools or yarns made from recycled materials. Some yarns are available that are made from recycled soda bottles etc. Give them a new lease of life as a new sweater or blanket!
Getting busy with a sewing machine can be a great skill, whether you are making home furnishings, clothing or quilts and it needed cost an arm and a leg – or the Earth! Quilting is a huge pastime all over the world and a GREAT use for scraps of material. Whether it’s offcuts from another sewing project or bits and pieces of outgrown clothing quilts really can tell a story along with keeping us nice and warm. Sewing your own clothes is also another great craft and you don’t even have to buy new fabric check out freecycle and craigslist for sheets and curtains or oversize clothing that can be altered to fit.
Paper crafting is a hobby enjoyed worldwide and whether you make handmade greeting cards or scrapbook you don’t have to set aside your eco-friendly ways when indulging in these crafts. There are more and more paper manufacturers offering scrapbook paper printed on recycled paper. Stamping is another paper craft that can be equipment intensive, but again with the introduction of acrylic stamps and blocks we no longer rely on wood mounted blocks for stamping.
Crafting doesn’t have to cost a fortune and the Earth, we can reduce, reuse and recycle whilst creating our pieces of art.
