Celebrate Earth Day
With Earth Day just around the corner, what better way to show your support for going green than by sewing? Today, more than ever, there are many green options available for a fabric enthusiast.

Whether you want to go green by choosing green fabric, deconstructing and reconstructing, or making your own tote, you'll be able to use the following information to show your support of Earth Day.

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Types of Green Fabric
Renewable fabric is made from sustainable materials, which include bamboo, hemp, pine and soy.

Recycled fibers are made from recycled plastic bottles and other PET (polyethylene terephthalate) containers. The fibers can be made into fleece and felt and are known for their superior strength and minimal weight.

Organic fibers are made from certified organic crops (the soil must be chemical and pesticide free for more than three years), the most common of which is organic cotton.

Be sure to check with your local fabric store for these types of fabrics or visit Sierratradingpost.com for more information.

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Deconstruction Reconstruction
If you haven't tried your hand at deconstruction reconstruction, you're missing out on a lot of fun! Deconstruction reconstruction sewing is when you rip a finished item apart, alter the shape of the cut pieces and sew the pieces back together into something new. Plus, it is eco-friendly because it keeps fabric out of the landfill.

I love doing this type of sewing because I can find the necessary material by raiding my (or sometimes my husband's) closet. You can use old jeans, sweatshirts or tailored wool jackets to create something new. Or, rummage through your linen closet looking for mismatched or stained sets of napkins, pillowcases or bed sheets.

Here are two creative ideas for projects to help you make the most of the deconstruction reconstruction process.

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Wool Projects
In general, there are no special sewing needs when working with wool aside from using cotton thread and a sharp size 11 or 90 needle. Remove the lining from the jacket, and hand- or machine-baste the pockets closed for later use. Instead of ripping the seams apart, often I will carefully cut the garment apart along the seam and then edge-finish the piece with my serger or by using a zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.

I’ve made two reconstructed projects from wool jackets – wine bottle covers from the sleeves and a purse from the front jacket pocket pieces. Purses are quick to sew because you can focus the pattern around the original jacket pockets. Typically, I'll line my projects with coordinating organic cotton quilt fabric in keeping with the eco-friendly feel of the project.

For an interesting twist when reconstructing 100 percent wool jackets, try creating boiled wool. I use the back of the jacket because more fabric is available (especially from my husband's jackets).

Use the following steps to create boiled wool. Be sure to use 100 percent wool fabric for your first attempt. Though most wool blends will shrink, some do so better than others.

You can also create boiled wool from knitted wool sweaters, too.

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Sweatshirt Projects
I love remaking sweatshirts into jackets and tanks. Using a sweatshirt as a base, it's easy to turn a simple-to-sew creation into a work of art. When working with a sweatshirt, be sure to use a ball-point needle. The ball point will gently slip between the stitches of the knit fabric and will not pierce or tear the fabric thread. I match the thread type to the fiber content of the knit, so I use cotton thread on cotton or wool knits and a poly/cotton blend thread on other fibers.

Be sure to stabilize the sweatshirt or knit before cutting. A sweatshirt is relatively easy to stabilize. Simply use painter's tape on both sides of the desired cut line. You can also use Wash-A-Way Wonder Tape or YLI Wash-A-Way Thread to stabilize the sweatshirt prior to cutting. As before, place the tape on each side of the cut or zigzag with the YLI Wash-A-Way Thread in the needle and bobbin.

I hope you have as much fun with these projects as I did.

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Reader Tips

Harriet Jorgensen says:

Thanks so much for your great newsletter. Also, when sewing on oilcloth, leather or vinyl, I have found that small binder clips from the office supply store work great. They hold your seam together and leave no holes.

Sheri Wiedersphohn says:

You failed to mention the best pins of all: the u-shaped double point. My cousin bought a pack and let me have five pins (they are expensive!). They are wonderful, especially for quilting. I find they make matching seams almost painless. I had never even heard of these pins before, but I would highly recommend them.

Do you have a comment about sewing that you want to get off your chest? Do you like to try out new techniques from books and magazines? Or, perhaps you've taken an interesting class from a great teacher. Let me know by clicking here, so I can pass it on to our other readers.

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Ragtag Denim
As you can tell by now, I love to deconstruct and reconstruct. Following is one of my designs from my book Designer Denim, available from Clotilde.com. Rip, sew and enjoy.

Ragtag Denim Design by Julie Johnson Use your serger, fat quarters and denim to make a reversible tote. Finished Size 14 1/2 x 12 inches Materials Denim jeans 2 fat quarters coordinating fabric or 21 (5 x 5-inch) quilt-fabric charms 1/3 yard 60-inch-wide lightweight quilt batting Purse handles Serger* Basic sewing supplies and equipment *Assembled stacks may be zigzag stitched together and then straight stitched to form the bag. Cutting From jeans: Cut 21 (5 x 5-inch) squares. Cut four belt loops from jeans, or cut four 1 x 5-inch strips. From one fat quarter: Cut 10 (5 x 5-inch) squares. From second fat quarter: Cut 11 (5 x 5-inch) squares. From batting: Cut 21 (4 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch) squares. Instructions Note: Set serger to a wide 4-thread overlock. 1. Arrange fat-quarter squares alternately, wrong sides up, in rows three squares wide by seven squares long. 2. Place a batting square in the center of each fat-quarter square. Top each with a denim square, right side up, to complete the stack. 3. Working row by row, serge stacks by placing right sides of fat quarters together. Press serged seams in opposite directions by row. Note: Use rotary cutter to trim rows even if needed. 4. With right sides of fat quarters facing, butt the pressed serged seams of rows together, and pin to secure. Serge, removing pins prior to stitching. 5. With fat-quarter sides together, fold bag in half matching seams on each side. Pin. Serge sides together removing pins prior to stitching. Straight stitch close to serging to reinforce serged seam. 6. Box bag bottom by pulling the lower side seam corner and matching the serged seams together. Straight stitch along serged side seams. Trim corner and straight stitch to finish edge (Figure 1). 7. Serge top layers of the bag together. Fold fat-quarter side over denim by 1 3/4 inches. Pin, then double topstitch in place. 8. Using the middle 5-inch-square as a guide, straight-stitch or zigzag one belt loop end near the top edge of the bag. Slip loop over purse handle; sew the opposite end below the sewn loop on the opposite side of the bag. Option: If using the 1 x 5 inch strips, fold strips in half lengthwise, press and fold raw edges to center, making a 1/4 x 5-inch strip. Turn raw edge under by 1/2 inch on each end. Attach as for belt loop. Copyright © August 2008 Designer Denim. All Rights Reserved. Click here for a printer-friendly version.

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