Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (30 page)

8.
Sew on your button. If you don’t have this device on your machine, sew on your Velcro.

DYEING TO LIVE

The dye used to make your clothes the beautiful rich color that you love is almost always incredibly toxic to the environment. If you buy eco-friendly clothes, the maker may use a low-impact dye, which is certainly a step in the right direction. However, it’s not a perfect solution. Dye still has to be disposed of and it pollutes our precious water.

Don’t despair, though! You can dye your clothes at home in a way that’s totally nontoxic and great fun. This is how our ancestors and also indigenous people used to dye their clothes, so you get to revive an ancient tradition, too.

You will be using natural dyes from plants—many of which you can find at your local farmer’s market. The beauty of these natural dyes is that you can create the most vibrant colors, each tone reflecting the dazzling color palette that is found in the natural world. Here are some of the plants, berries, and spices that can create the beautiful shades you may be looking for.

• Orange: turmeric, pomegranates
  
• Brown: tea, acorns, walnut shells, suman leaves
  
• Pink: strawberries, cherries, raspberries, plums
  
• Blue or purple: elderberries, purple grapes, blueberries, blackberries, dogwood (the fruit), red maple (the inner bark)
  
• Red: beets, rosehips
  
• Green: artichokes, spinach, nettles, grass, peach leaves
  
• Yellow: saffron, onion skins, marigolds, celery leaves, daffodils, paprika, yellow beets, sunflowers
  

FIXATIVES

To stop the dye from running out of your clothes, you need a fixative, which will “fix” the dye into the fabric, no matter how much you wash it. The two fixatives you’ll use for your natural dyes are salt and vinegar.

Salt and vinegar are known as “cold fixatives.” You will use salt for dyes made from fruits (except nuts) and berries and vinegar for flowers and other plants.

HOW TO

1.
Pick out the garment you want to dye. The fabrics that will work best are 100% cotton, silk, or wool. Pick a small garment to begin with.

2.
Prepare the dye bath by chopping up your ingredients and adding equal parts cold water (for example, 4 cups strawberries and 4 cups cold water) to a large pot. Be sure to make enough dye and fixative to cover the garment in the pot.

3.
Simmer for 1 hour, then strain through a piece of cheesecloth into a metal bowl. Pour strained dye back into the pot ready for dyeing.

4.
Place the appropriate fixative (salt or vinegar) in another large pot on your stove and add the fabric to it.

5.
Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.

6.
Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear.

7.
Add the wet fabric to the dye bath and simmer until desired shade is obtained. Be mindful that the fabric will look darker when it’s wet than when it’s dry.

8.
Rinse the fabric in cold water until the water runs clear.

Make sure you wash the dyed garment separately or with dark colors, using cold water.

I had a bunch of white tank tops that had seen better days. Instead of chopping them up for rags, I experimented with various fruit dyes. I now have three
gorgeous “eco-tanks” in berry pink, pale purple, and gold. It’s one of the most satisfying projects I’ve ever done. There was something wonderfully therapeutic and almost poetic about standing at my stove, dreamily stirring a huge pot of berries to create a shade that only nature could produce.

Keeping What You Love Forever

A huge part of living green for me is making sure I take really good care of the things I love. Too much dry-cleaning or a bad washing method can destroy a beautiful sweater forever. I try to purchase items such as purses, shoes, sweaters, socks, and scarves with the intention of wearing them for years. I try to stick to classic styles and pay extra for quality. A few years ago, I broke into a sweat when swiping my credit card for a pair of very expensive Italian hand-made boots. They were worth every single penny because they were clearly made to last for years, and they looked even better as they aged. Because I paid so much, I’ve treasured them—always stuffing in boot trees and making sure they’re properly polished before I go out in the rain. On other occasions, I’ve bought two or three pairs of cheap boots or shoes in a season, and the following year they all ended up in the landfill.

I’ve learned that there are a few simple steps I can take and a few items I can make that will help me to be able to enjoy the clothes and accessories that I love for longer.

Beautiful Boot Trees

These easy-to-make boot trees are perfect for keeping your boots in good shape. By making your own, you won’t be using up more of the planet’s valuable resources in the form of plastic or wood. You might even be able to make them out of old T-shirts.

The measurements given will work for an average boot. However, if the trunk of your boot is especially skinny or wide, you may have to adjust the measurements a little. As you are using cotton jersey, you want the tree to be a little larger than the boot, so that when squeezed in, it stands firm.

HOW TO

1.
Turn your T-shirt inside out and lay it out on a flat surface. Use a marker to mark out the measurements of a 16x6-inch rectangle.