Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials [Paperback]

Betz White (Author), John Gruen (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

By its nature, do-it-yourself sewing is environmentally friendly. In Sewing Green, Betz White takes stitching to an even higher level of sustainability, presenting 25 projects made from "repurposed" thrift-store and back-of-the-closet finds and organic fabrics.

 

White’s whimsical yet practical designs include an apron constructed from men’s dress shirts (and a wallet from the shirts’ cuffs!), a soft blanket pieced from secondhand cashmere sweaters, and even a tote bag refashioned from used Tyvek envelopes. Along the way, White dispenses tips on everything from how to deconstruct old garments for reuse in new creations to how to wrap gifts with resusable fabric scraps instead of paper.

 

Inspiring profiles about well-known leaders in the eco-stitching movement are sprinkled throughout, and a complete resources section helps crafters make eco-smart choices. With Sewing Green, today’s sewers will be fashioning handmade heirlooms and sustaining traditions for generations to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Betz White is a renowned felter and green crafter whose work is sold online and in boutiques around the world. Her work has been featured on Martha Stewart’s TV show and in numerous magazines. Her first book, Warm Fuzzies, was published in 2007. She lives in North Potomac, MD.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584797584
• ISBN-13: 978-1584797586
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betz White is a designer, author and "green" crafter who combines her whimsical color and design sense with a love for repurposing. In 2005, Betz left her former career as a children's wear designer to pursue a new love: creating one-of-a-kind items from second hand materials. Her line of home and fashion accessories is sold online and in boutiques around the world and has been featured on Martha Stewart's television show, in CRAFT, Country Living, and Adorn magazines, and on numerous craft podcasts. Her first sewing book, Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects, was published in Fall 2007. Her second book, Sewing Green (Stewart Tabori and Chang) offers 25 inventive projects made from recycled and organic materials, released Spring 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different from the rest of your craft books, June 4, 2009

By 

Kimberly F. Fraser (Chapel Hill, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Betz White workshop recently where I picked up a copy of Sewing Green. My craft and sewing bookshelf is quite full, I assure you, but Betz' newest book is unlike any of the titles I already have and is a welcome addition. There are a number of projects I've bookmarked to make--the little girl's pillowcase dress (actually in progress on my sewing table right now!), the felted cashmere throw blanket (I've begun scoring and felting thrift shop cashmere sweaters and don't know why I didn't think to use them before!), and the baby quilt and coordinating "washies" and stuffed dog projects (for a friend's baby due in the fall). I found the project instructions and accompanying photos very clear, and think they would be very easy even for the beginning sewer. I also appreciate the very thorough explanations of how to treat recycled and vintage materials before beginning your projects. But one of my very favorite things about this book is the collection of essays sprinkled throughout the chapters on "eco-innovators." This makes the book perfect for my evening habit of perusing sewing books on the sofa while my husband watches the news. How many craft books out there provide both plenty of inspiration and good reading? Only this one, on my shelf! I recommend Sewing Green highly to anyone interested in finding new sewing inspiration from old materials!

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another beautiful book from Betz White, March 31, 2009

By 

S. R. macdonald (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials (Paperback)

This book Feels good in my hands, feeds my hungrylittlecrafty-eyes, and is also nice to READ. Betz dicussses fabrics and thrift stores. The projects are: aprons mades from men's shirts (cute!), coasters from wool, (cute and different than other things I have seen), vintage napkins and rings from ruined old tablecloths,lounge pants from old cute sheets, pillows, an adorable draft-buster that looks like a branch, sweater-slippers, a wallet made from a shirt-cuff,a reversible wrap skirt,lunch tote, reusable sandwich wraps,more bags, a pillowcase skirt and MORE! I haven't sewn anything from this book yet, but have "walked" through a couple of the projects and the instructions seem solid. The patterns need to be enlarged, so I need to go to my copy center to get that done.
This is a beautiful book that inspires me each time I look at it--I just like having it near! If you like to sew, you will probably find a few projects, at least, that you will want to make right away!

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I expected, December 16, 2009

By 

Katz "Bonnie" (Chaska, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials (Paperback)

I beleive strongly in re-purposing old clothes and items - and so this book really appealed to me in the store. As I looked through the projects, many of them were so simple that you really don't need a pattern (like tote bag) and others like the kids toys and apron from a shirt were cute, but probably nothing I wanted to make. I did try the bottle carrier - thinking I could modify the pattern for a wine bottle. I found the directions very confusing and after trying several times, I still don't have it right. I put it aside to finish after the holidays when I have more time. But I am disappointed in the lack of clear instructions. I wouldn't buy this book again.