Info, news & debate
Sewing
The return of local, natural fabrics and low-impact clothing
A recent surge in small ethical brands marks a new wave of a textile economy with a lower impact on the earth. Below are ten places you can find UK-made low impact goods.
Craft in a crisis: helping heritage crafts come back from the brink
With a host of already endangered heritage crafts at even greater risk as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, what does the future hold and how can we play a part in helping heritage crafts survive and even thrive? Sophie Paterson explores.
Repair & maintain: how to keep your beloved clothes in your life for longer
Keen to repair your clothes? You’re not alone! We hear from Anca at Ethical.net about a growing movement challenging fast fashion.
The linen journey: locally-grown flax to yarn
In a spin-off from The Wool Journey series of blog posts, The Natural Fibre Company shares The Linen Journey, in which Sonja Bargielowska explores flax’s journey from field to yarn.
Reduce, reuse… repair? The repair renaissance building skills and communities
With UK media decrying a recent YouGov survey revealing a whopping 69% of 18-24 year olds in the UK don’t know how to bleed a radiator and 54% would be flummoxed replacing a fuse, what hope is there for a repair renaissance amidst the current tide of throwaway consumerism?
Join our new online community Living Low Impact
We’re excited to introduce our new Facebook group Living Low Impact – and you’re invited!
My plastic-free life: an interview with Kate Armstrong
You may remember from our post in May that the month of June marks The Marine Conservation Society’s Plastic Challenge. But what is it actually like to give up plastic? We spoke to campaigner Kate Armstrong of plasticisrubbish.com about her decade-long journey towards and campaign for a plastic-free existence.
What we’re losing: the joy and satisfaction of crafting things by hand
The video below shows various stages of the production and finish of a 1-metre tall puppet by Jan Zalud. Jan makes all sorts of things – crafted by hand from wood.
New Lowimpact.org publication: a knitting and textiles tour of Scotland by folding bicycle
Lowimpact.org has a new publication, about a 57-year-old (sorry Janet) woman’s decision to leave her home in Ayrshire and take a grand tour of Scotland on a Brompton folding bicycle, visiting and giving workshops for textile groups along the way.
How can we get our clothes from sustainable and non-corporate sources?
This is an interview with Jessica Smulders-Cohen of Greater London Fibreshed, who are trying to build a network of small-scale clothes manufacturers using natural materials produced in the UK.
Our partner Janet’s upcoming knitting, spinning, sewing & craft tour of Scotland by folding bicycle
Knit 1 Bike 1 – a journey, a book and an exhibition: Janet Renouf-Miller of Create With Fibre sets off on 29th June 2015, on a Brompton folding bicycle to cycle 850 miles round Scotland, giving free talks and workshops in exchange for accommodation.
Craft skills are too important to lose
How many people do you know these days whose work involves traditional craft skills? For every craftsperson in the UK, there must be a couple of thousand working in telesales.
Craftivism: new year’s revolution!
New Year Revolutions! Revolution = A turning, change (dictionary definition). It’s the start of a new year again, many of us will have made resolutions, usually to give something up – like smoking.