How can we be more eco/environmentally friendly with our crafting

[KatyMac]

Felt is not a slick replacement for craft foam

& I am sure a hot glue gun is an eco nightmare! Plastic

Buttons - no fab plastic designs

zips can go metal but aren't as user freindly I've found

I upcycle cloth/clothing all the time

What else can'/should I do and what do you guys do?

I think re-using is the easiest way - eg I have the world's biggest collection of second hand buttons 😂

. I don't think it's possible at present to eliminate all plastic.

I get a lot of fabric from charity shops rather than buy new. It’s amazing how many other people’s unfinished projects are there.

I live in charity shops!!

Now in addition of looking for cloth, I will harvest nice buttons!!

Reduce what I buy new
Reuse what people discard
Recycle into something beautiful - this weekend's haul - £11.25 for 3 shirts plus some scrap cloth, old lace and pretty buttons!

Anyone e;se want to chat about this?

I keep wool/yarn cut offs to use with stuffing. I also cut unwanted t shirts/pants into T-shirt yarn to crochet into other things.

That's great - I just upcycled another dress for a mending table project I'm involved in

They do a clothing swop/mending table once a month

I'm a charity shop volunteer and we get SO much crafty stuff donated. If you can't see buttons on the shelves ask - they've probably got boxes of them in the back. Same with knitting needles, we have literally hundreds and one of the older volunteers says it's very therapeutic sorting them into pairs.

We get a lot of fabric but it's mostly heavy suit fabric (who buys fabric to make a gent's suit these days ) or upholstery. Lots of it perfect for the back of a cushion or something though. We also get a lot of trimmings - cards of ric rac, ribbon, tassels. Sells very well. Just on Monday I priced a bag of cross stitch kits, large kits which would have sold for £20 to £25 new. All went out at a fiver.

My personal eco thing is that I'm not buying 100% acrylic yarn ever again. It just sheds SO many microfibres and it's really just plastic. I'm not throwing away what I have as that's wasteful, but i'm not buying any more.

I'm spending a lot of crafty time repairing stuff at the moment. Love #mindfulmending on Instagram. Have been doing fancy darning of all my jumpers with holes in, chopping legs off leggings my children have worn the knees through and am a bit obsessed with making cleaning cloths from old clothes with my overlocker.

I'm trying my best to be more eco, and I do a lot of crafting, so I'm following this thread with interest!

I've been collecting a lot of old clothes to reuse or transform in some way or other. I used to collect buttons, and I must start doing that again! I need to get into mending, especially my children's clothes (DS's jeans!) - has anyone got any recommendations on mending books?

I've been hoarding fabric and am planning on doing lots of my own clothes making ( #slowfashion) going forwards, as well as more charity shop shopping etc when I can. I'm also not going to buy 100% acrylic yarn anymore, though I have got a stash to use up. A relative has just taken up spinning and I'm wondering if I can enlist them to spin some eco fibres for me - bamboo or nettle or similar!

I wish our charity shop had crafting bits!!

Do you have a scrapstore near you? www.wastebook.org/scrapsto.htm

Bloody hell! it's less than a mile from my house!

I used the Nofolk one before but it was mainly aimed at schools

Now I have moved and apparently it's open to the public - next week I'll go on a hunt for it!

Happy scrap foraging!

Those scrap stores are a fabulous idea - scandalous there are none in Scotland!

Everyone who has ever worked in an office knows how much stationery and stuff is thrown away which could be used. DH's employer went through rebranding a few years ago, we're still using the old a4 paper in our printer at home and the kids have drawn countless things on it.

I pledge to not buy any more plastic glitter ☺

Glitter is the work of the devil.

I hate glitter, really, really hate it!

Biodegradeable glitter apparently exists.....

Ah, see, I really love glitter..... apart from the environmental impact, of course

Sadly it looks like we're miles from a scrap store.. They look great!
Has anyone bought the Mending Matters book? Wondering how useful it would be, or should I just keep browsing Instagram for mending ideas?

Did you make it to the scrap store @KatyMac and did you find any treasures??

My eco crafting this week has been felting. Not something I've really done in the past but picked up a basic kit with lots of different fibres from the charity shop about a year ago and it's been languishing in the drawer since. Had a lovely, messy day yesterday with the kids making felt bowls. Quite pleased with the way mine has turned out, just need to add some stitched detail and a few wee beads.

Sounds lovely, pictures?

I found it - bought 4m of upholstery fabric for £2 and they told me not to buy anymore because it was expensive and they would be having a sale on Friday - going to make a bag for my yoga mat (& maybe one for my teacher)

I lined a denim jacket with material from an old dress and I am upcycling 2 evening dresses from a charity shop into ballroom and Latin dresses for DD for a charity strictly! Finished some beading (using beads from old necklaces plus some new ones) on the Latin at 1:30 this morning

Picture attached of felted bowl - first time I've ever made something like that and I think it's come out ok.

50p for a metre of upholstery fabric is brilliant!!

That is lovely - really beautiful colours - I've only ever felted for a brooch

I'm halfway through making a bag from a skirt and a belt but DH won't let me do the eyelets as it's too late to hammer so now I have to learn to braid/plait with 6 strands

Or maybe I just knot it?