Debbie Shore, best-selling author and host of the Half Yard Sewing Club is back with a brand new book, Sew Eco-Friendly, this time with 25 reusable projects to sew, helping us all to reduce waste and live more sustainably! We caught up with Debbie to find out a bit more about the book, her best eco-friendly tips and her plans for the rest of the year.
How are you Debbie and how are you coping?
I’m very well thank you, keeping busy!
Congratulations on the release of your new book, Sew Eco-Friendly! Can you tell us a bit about the book and what inspired you to write it?
I think we’d all like to try and help the planet but many of us don’t know where to start, so I’ve put together some ideas to hopefully inspire. If we start with looking at single use items like carrier bags and wipes and replace them with washable, re-useable items, a small effort really could make a difference!
To make the projects inside the book sustainable, what range of materials did you use?
Bamboo makes an incredibly soft fabric, I’ve used towelling for my pads and wipes, and it is one of the most sustainable plants as it is a grass, it can re-grow after being cut down without re-planting. Recycled plastic bottles can be made into fabrics such as denim, the thread I used is also made from recycled bottles. Linen, hessian and cork are also good fabric to work with. But if you can re-purpose items of clothing into any of the projects that is good too!
How did you select the projects that you wanted to include the book and what are your favourite projects from the book?
I thought about the everyday things we throw away, baby wipes, tumble drier sheets, plastic bags, and what could be used to replace them. One of my favourite projects is the Hemp Tote Bag, I dyed it with natural dye from pear leaves and turmeric, it was fun to see what colour it would turn out to be!
Do you have any beginner-friendly tips and advice for sustainable sewing?
Make one item and you’ll make a difference. Don’t think you have to change your way of life completely, that could be a bit daunting! And do a bit of research, where does that fabric actually come from? What happens to it when you throw it away?
What are you currently working on at the moment?
I’m just finishing my next book which I’m co-writing with my daughter, who is passionate about upcycling. This one will be full of ideas as to what to do with old clothes, you’ll never throw anything away again!
Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?
My Half Yard Sewing Club is keeping me really busy, with two new projects every month, then there are two more books in the pipeline but I’ll tell you about those later!
Sew Eco-Friendly is available now from Search Press, RRP £10.99.
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