Material and manufacturing
Guiding me when choosing materials for my crafts is ...
... that it is as natural a material as possible . The materials I prefer I use when I create are: wool, linen / linen, wood, cotton, hemp and bamboo. For some things I use natural materials that I find in the forests around my home. Sometimes I need to glue and then I prefer to use a natural and environmentally friendly glue. When I sew, I use organic cotton sewing thread, although I sometimes have to take old fashioned polyester thread due to the color shade or the fact that it is more durable.
... to try to buy materials that come from or are produced in Sweden . It's important to me that support the Swedish sheep farmers and spinners. Some materials are practically impossible to get from Sweden, for example (organic) flax, linen or hemp.
... that they are environmentally, and preferably socially, right produced . When I choose materials that have not been produced in Sweden so I choose as far as possible what is organic, GOTS-labeled or OEKO-TEX-labeled. Read more about the different labels
In some cases, however, I make exceptions. If I have a yarn that I like, and not find something good replacement yarn, or if the shade of a yarn is spotless. For example, I use a thick and lovely wool yarn from the Danish company Hjertegarn. This yarn is very good for just felted works.
I always print out what material I use and then you as a customer can take a stand on it.
... that if I have the opportunity to reuse materials for a new craft, I will gladly do so. The use of residual or by-products from industrial production is also encouraged.
My material guide
Here is a compilation of the materials, and manufacturers, that I mainly use for my crafts. I buy most of the material at the usual customer price.
Onion is a Danish yarn company that invests in yarns made from natural fibers.
I use Onions Organic Cotton (100% organic cotton) and
Hemp + Cotton + Modal. Both are made in Italy.
The the latter yarn consists of 34% hemp, 41% cotton and 25% modal. Modal is extracted from beech wood and belongs to the same family as viscose. Chemicals are used in production though the company that produces modal considered to have stricter environmental requirements and controls.
Ullcentrum has a small-scale production on Öland and their yarn spun from 100% Swedish wool from Öland and the southeast Sweden.
Their business strives to be environmentally friendly and organic, as far as possible, and their focus is on the natural materials wool and linen.
I use Ullcentrums 3-thread wool yarn, Lovikka yarn, velcro and Linea linen (3 threads linen and 1 thread cotton).
Dale Pure Eco wool
This yarn consists of 70% organic sheep wool and 30% alpaca wool. The yarn is GOTS-certified. It is manufactured by the Norwegian company Dale yarn and is manufactured in Italy.
BC yarn is a Danish company that focuses on organic and GOTS-certified yarns.
I use BC yarn Semilla grosso and Semilla flame . Both are made of 100% organic wool. The origin of the wool, on the other hand, is unknown.
Filtmakeriet is a small company that runs a wool spinning mill in Kilafors. They have a small-scale and sustainable production of e.g. yarn. They work close to the raw material throughout the preparation process from the choice of raw material to finished product. The wool in their products is untreated and retains all its natural properties. I think their yarn is absolutely fantastic and it is a real pleasure to work with their material.
On a carefully way they give a detailed description of all their yarns so it is easy to see what the yarn is made of, which sheep have been used. I like that!
I use Filtmakeriets Classic wool yarn, Matt wool yarn, Alice and
Needle blanket for felting.
Imagine Wool was created by a couple who live in Sweden. Their yarns are made of merino wool and is certified with GOTS "Organic" which means that their yarns contain at least 95% certified organic fibers. Labeling also means that social responsibility is taken throughout the production chain (fair trade).
The wool in Imagine Wools yarn comes from Patagonia in Argentina. The land used for the sheep is taken care of in a sustainable way so that no forest is cut down. The wool is sent to Portugal where it is spun and dyed, all according to GOTS organic standard.
The labels on the ball of yarn are made from recycled paper.
All theirs yarn is untreated to retain the natural properties of the wool.
I use Imagine Organic Wools Soft merino .
REKO cotton
REKO cotton is produced from Järbo yarn and unfortunately they have taken it from their range. However, I have a pretty good stock that will last a long time, I hope.
REKO cotton is made from 100% recycled cotton, which in a way is better from an environmental point of view than organic cotton. Cotton production is extremely resource-intensive, so recycling used cotton is incredibly environmentally smart.
Kalinka is a 100% linen yarn that is 4-threaded. Karin Öberg is the name of the woman behind this yarn and the production of her fantastic linen yarn takes place in Forsa by the company
Holma Helsingland.
Natural wool
Natural wool is a 100% wool yarn from the Danish company Hjertegarn. The wool comes from South America.
This was one of my first yarns and it is one wonderfully thick and soft yarn. Great for felting.
The disadvantage is that it is neither wool that comes from Denmark nor that it is organic. I try to find a good replacement yarn so that I can slowly but surely phase out my use of Natural wool. This means that some of my products will change color.
My embroidery thread
When I embroider I use slightly different yarns from different companies, so it is difficult to give a detailed description. But the yarns I use are either 100% cotton yarn, a blend of cotton and bamboo or a blend of tencel and bamboo. Some are OEKO-TEX certified.
If I look in my embroidery basket I find yarn from these companies:
The sisters Grene, Black Sheep, Viking of Norway, Järbo yarns, Go Hand Made and Heart yarn.
Of this Dutch companies, who recently moved to London, I buy GOTS-certified organic linen fabric. At the moment, there are three fabrics I bought. The fabric I use for coffee filters is unbleached and the other two are semi-bleached (according to GOTS standard).
Linnehem is a Swedish company in Lysekil. From them I buy linen fabric. The fabrics in their basic range are untreated and OEKO-tex certified, which means that no hazardous substances are used in the manufacturing process.
Second hand and leftover yarn
When I weave, for example, I use almost exclusively yarn that I have bought second hand. I buy a few single yarns from a shop. An example is Drops Nord giving the perfect shade of heaven. And I use natural wool tree leaves.
Unfortunately, it is impossible for me to know who made the yarns that I buy second hand as they usually lack a label. This also means that I do not know if they contain e.g. polyester thread or other synthetic material. I feel and hug and choose those who feel close to nature.
I also buy linen fabric second hand, which I then dye naturally way.
The second hand shops that I shop in the most are in Västerås and is the Bread and the Fishermen and the City Mission's second hand .
In addition to shopping second hand, I have received fabric and thread from my mother who had a textile shop.
Different markings
GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and is the world's leading certification for textiles. It guarantees that the entire production chain lives up to the ecological requirements set. Everything from the raw material being treated correctly, to the production taking place in a sustainable way, both socially and for the environment.
The yarns with the GOTS certification "organic" means that they contain at least 95% certified organic fiber.
A product with the certification "made with organic" must contain at least 70% certified organic fiber.
