Bamboo, hemp, soy and organically grown cotton can produce high quality, sustainable fabrics gentle on the environment. Fabric made from these natural materials seem exotic now, and can be expensive. Finding other than retail fabric store sources for unusual yet good quality fabric choices can be a challenge. A sewer might consider fabric reclaimed from no longer needed clothing, vintage clothing, soft furnishings and even passed-down and hoarded stashes as a non-traditional source of fabric treasures.

Some other sources of unusual fabric a sewer might consider is Ikat fabric (woven fabric in which the threads are tied for dyeing before weaving), natural dye African fabrics like Kuba Cloth and Mud Cloth, Rayon and Cotton Batiks (designs are of a form of resist dyeing) and so many others.

Contemporary, unusual fabrics can be made from unlikely natural or recycled sources: from the soybean plant, from ground up plastics known as PET (recycled water bottles) or other polymers.

Here's the latest article from the Sewing site at BellaOnline.com.

The Versatile Sari
Among the world´s most beautiful of traditional clothing is the colorful sari worn by women in some areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The sari fabric can be equisite, a work of art, and a great way to acquire one of a kind fabric of extraordinary quality.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art57576.asp

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