Great message I wish everyone would take to heart! I came to the realization a while back that I own enough clothing to last me the next ten years (if I take myself out of the exhausting and pointless cycle of keeping up with trends). I have decided to only replace what wears out and try my hardest to only buy replacement clothes that are secondhand and linen, wool, or cotton. So far I have only needed to buy three pairs of wool socks and one pair of pants in about two years.
I'm often criticized for shopping at thrift stores but 95 percent of the adult clothing in this household is thrifted and about 75 percent of my daughter's clothing. My daughter's outgrown clothing is either passed on to friends or donated to a local thrift shop. Actually while browsing immediately after donating last time, I spied a coat that looked exactly like the one I had just donated and quickly realized it was . Made me so happy to see those clothes put out so quickly and even happier to see some of them put into shopping baskets and purchased the same day. The adult clothing in this household is usually worn until it falls apart. My favorite jeans Have been patched three times and I will continue to patch as long as possible. T-shirts often become rags or are made into strips for tying tomatoes (and those cotton ones can be composted at the end of their life). Jeans that I find uncomfortable end up refashioned into quilts that keep us warm through the winter. I also salvage zippers and buttons to use in crafting projects. This is the way we choose to live and while we may not be in fashion, our $5 outfits look just as good as other's $50 outfits.
Absolutely! I often wear the most raggedy, multiple-times-mended stuff off screen because I am "saving" the better clothes for when I am filming, lol. There is so much clothing (and other stuff!) in the world already. Seeing if I can find it second-hand first has served me well all my adult life! ❤️
"How expensive it is to be poor" - so very true, and something I think more people need to realise. As for wearing clothes over and over - I'm autistic and the thought of having too many clothing choices can send me into meltdown, so I've been doing this for a while for my own mental health
It is really expensive to be poor, when you can’t make long-term decisions because the funds are just not there. And same, having clothes you know fit just makes things easier.
having worked at a place that re-purposed fabrics from garments that got donated to a charity shop (the ones that were deemed not good enough to just re-sell right away), we often had more material to work with than we could actually process. Having to remove zippers, buttons, and other notions from garments, cutting down the garments into new pieces to make things, and also having to throw stuff out that were too broken/damaged to be uses took a lot of time. One of the things we were constantly asked to make more off was rag rugs. Particularly denim ones (this is where 99% of all the jeans that had any type of hole in them went.). We also made oven mitts and similar things, which sadly required us to use new materials too since we had to add the heat protective layers inside the layers of repurposed fabrics, and for these all fabrics had to be tested so they weren't synthetic/plastic and would melt before we worked on them. So yes, while it's great that people donate things... we don't have the time or enough people working to repurpose everything. Also, don't donate stuff that are barely just threads keeping together, that will get thrown out because we can't re-sell it or repurpose material.
Your videos as so delightfully watchable while thorough and detailed! From one PhD historical fibre enthusiast to another, thank you so much for the work you put into these!
Don´t I know about it. I study clothing technology and product development, and the statistics we have as references when doing stuying in the ecology and treatment subjects are gahstly. There is so much fakery and greenwhashing, it´s easier to list the ones who actually do something legintimate than those who basically lie and scam. One interesting note is, that fast faschion in really nothing new. We actually see the very concerpt´s during the 19th century. Fashion made from inferior materials, very cheaply and not made to last at all. Nicole Rudolph`s video on shattered silk is a very nice example of fast fashion during the 19th century.
As always I find your information precise, accurate and depressing, but everyone needs to learn about these things. My family re- or up-cycle by given not longer wearable cloth, with 62 I still grow, to smaller family members, or using them in new to sew clothing.
@@KristineVike I listen to a podcast called History for Weirdos, and some of the episodes are lightheartedly weird like the British cheese riot, and some are depressing like mental institutions of the early 1900s. That's just the way it is
As a weaver, I've been watching the new ways coming out of Sweden and Finland for making rayon out of cotton with less toxic processing chemicals (though I don't know enough not to remain skeptical). At least on the surface level, it seems to solve the shorter-fiber problem, it can itself be recycled by the same process, and it could alleviate the deforestation issues associated with traditional rayon production. (Edit: The company I'm thinking of is called Renewcell, but there are a host of others.)
I am always a bit wary of all these new methods. Like you, I don’t know enough about any specific one to comment, beyond always finding challenges whenever I deepdive into any of them. I saw a method for turning old milk into fiber, and it begged the question, why is so much precious milk going bad in the first place? I can understand occasional logistical issues (bad weather in Norway often makes it impossible for the milk truck to reach rural dairy farmers in time), but at such a scale and predictability to justify a whole other production line? It makes me sad.
Rayon is pretty cool as a whole (though I'm not fond of people talking about bamboo yarn as if it's not essentially rayon), but I've found that it doesn't tend to be as strong as ordinary cellulose fibers. This makes me sad, because my knit rayon shirts are the most comfortable things I own, but they pill so very quickly. But insofar as rayon is rayon, being able to use old clothes for new rayon definitely sounds better than rayon straight from wood pulp
Hell, if we actually did something about the regulations about hemp in so many countries, we could massively reduce the need for all this wood. Itßs still stupid to not outright use the hemp fibres, but well, modern society...
I am lucky to live in a municipality that has extensive textile recycling. I worked at the office of the recycling sorting facility for a while. The municipality is around 200.000 people and we got about 15 of 1000 liter containers a week at the facility. So much clothes! And much of it new or in excellent condition. It is so easy to feel that it is ok, when you give it to recycling. And in round numbers I would say that 5% went to their own thrift store and 50% was sold at their warehouse sales. The rest was too poor quaility or ripped, moldy, or stained. It would go to the next facility, where they sorted into clothes fit to be used as clothes (that is what is sold in large bales wholesale), and that which gets recycled as fibre. BUT while it is good that this recycling takes place, the very best thing would be if people bought *less* clothes to begin with and kept them.
Kristine, I have just discovered your channel and I am so grateful to find a kindred textile soul. It is distressingly real, this overwhelming flood of fast, cheap textiles that cannot easily be recycled; the horrid, immediate repercussions on poorer folks; and the environmental cost, not only with regards to plastics and landfills but to farmland and water used to create cotton for throw-away clothes, and chemical dyes that do not easily break down. Every mend and remake is a step in the right direction! (Also, I very much like your shawl.)
A very nice summary of what is going on in the textile world and what we can do to make it better. Thanks! I would love a little tutorial video of that sewing kit or perhaps even a compilation of sorts of what you can make out of scraps :)
And again such a good video from you! Thank you! I wish you would not keep it so short. I could listen to you for hours to learn. Some of this I was already familiar with, but I didn't realize how bad the percentages were.... And I love your shawl, I think the color is so pretty on you.
Again, you have hit the nail on the head! I appreciate that you speak in layman's terms. Since your last "little talk"I've been more aware of labels and I Google what materials I don't understand! I'm appalled at what's in our clothing and as I also crochet a lot of my clothes I'm having a difficult time here in the US finding pure organic yarns that I can afford. I also am a follower of Shannon Makes and watched the patch work robe video just last night! 👍
Oh, wow! How amazing that you are taking such steps! And I agree. Even in Norway there are only two spinneries (spinners? Businesses that spin yarn 😅) who spin in Norway with Norwegian wool. It is sad when we have so much unused wool too.
You are a delight. Clearly you love the subject matter and you don’t succumb to any sort of pressure to appease the masses or create click or like bait. So informative. So relaxing to watch. ❤❤❤ Keep it up. And thank you!!
Thank you kindly Kristine for such an in-depth deconstruction of an industry that is rather destructive. Most are using the trending verbage within the textile industry and we know it being just another form of sales. Who what where and when! Thank you immensely.
@@KristineVike yes . Rebecca Burgess of Fibershed made a you tube film entitled my 200 mile wardrobe . Generationally we have raised sheep, grown linen and purchased cotton. I have the same garments since a young girl and rugs that are easily 200 years old. For me to purchase any “fiber” is challenging. Polyester and Nylon with other synthetics were never in our homes. Consuming less and sourcing from field to hand is the origin , but the masses are driving the markets to produce eventual waste. The drive to have something is not anything I relate to.
:) the rag and bone man was still travelling around the village where my family is from in the 1950s. On the farm, I wear out my clothes, patch them, then wear them out beyond repair. From there, they get down cycled into lambing cloths (to swaddle lambs and other needs during lambing season). And then downgraded to cleaning rags and finally, composted (if possible - although the thread from commercial garments don't compost well.
How I've ended up with a 6+ year clothes buying ban. I'd meant to do it for one year, but this kind of thing is what keeps me going (plus great sock hand me downs!)
Thank you for a very informative video! They've just opened a facility for recycling fabric in my hometown in Finland. I'm not entirely sure of the methods and correct vocabulary but I do know that some independent yarn spinners have started spinning local wool and recycled cotton into a yarn. I think that is promising, usually the knitters are great judges of the quality of fibres. One would hope that visibility would force recycling entities to up their game a bit, but that does require constant and powerful pressure from the grassroots level.
So heart broken to hear about all this, yet they are so true and important. Thanks for sharing! ❤I always wonder about the recycled polyester clothings, and nike even had shoes of that kind, very unconfortable when try on 😂 On one hand as u mentioned, it can only be done once, not to mention many not practical and probably not easy on skin. I also notice that fast fashion often use historical detail to charm customer in either insufficient way so that people want more, or in inappropriate way so that it look weird. 😡😡 I might be biased due to being a historical style lover, like many of us❤, yet I do think old styles r not only more flattery but also more likely to be fully functional
I often get tired of preachy doom-and-gloom videos on UA-cam. This video was neither, purely informative. I started buying neutral and durable clothing years ago (giving up on fashion trends) but this has given me several ideas on how I can up my game in the long run. Thank you!
@@KristineVike Hello again Kristine! I was thinking of your videos today and I was wondering, perhaps someday you could make a "practical recommendations" video as an accompaniment to this one? I would love to hear your methods/advice on being more sustainable all in one video. For example, which fabrics you buy, to darn socks, etc. Just a thought!
I wear only cotton next to my skin, all year-round. Denim and corduroy in the winter. I went to Saks Off-Fifth, the outlet of Saks, last week to find shorts, and all the women's shorts were polyester. I ended up with a pair of men's cotton shorts.
Great video even if the subject is so sad and complex you did a great job in presenting not only the grim truth but also steps that can be made by each of us! Thank you! As a beginner knitter I have reclaimed yarn from old sweaters and I think I will continue this year with more enthusiasm so that I don't contribute to the landfills
May I also recommend Vincent Briggs’ channel, where he makes very different and absolutely sublime patchwork dressing gown? I think you’d really appreciate his work in general. I’m a knitter from vintage pattern, and try to knit primarily with secondhand yarn. I’m also an avid mender of knitted garments, and wearer of vintage clothes. The irony is that I’m a theatrical scenic artist by trade, which absolutely trashes clothing. So I’ve got a small paint-covered wardrobe that I wear until it falls to pieces, and a closet full of antique clothes that get a remarkable amount of wear on the weekends. Oh, and then there are the specialty garments for activities like beekeeping. I finally ordered a second pair of gloves, because my ten year old gloves were starting to get holes in the fingers.
I love your channel! Thank you for these kinds of videos. I really especially appreciated the PFAS video you did. These topics are very important. Thank you for what you are doing. I love all your videos even though I rarely comment. Just wanted to say hello and thanks! Lovely to make your acquaintance! - Jennifer from Maine, USA
When I donate my clothes Inalso go inside and browse for my wardrobe. I havent bought anything but socks and underwear new for so long, that I can't stomach the retail prices of new garments. Now, I make my own garments from scratch or reclaimed materials. Whether startimf with fleece or yarn or fabric, I get what I want at a price I can meet.
Many may times in one of my spiels about how fast fashion is so destructive and we all need to try to be more sustainable, and being faced with the "but its too expensive to buy sustainably, I can't afford those fancy linen dresses and stuff!" and I say, actually the easiest way to be more sustainable doesn't cost you anything, it even saves you money. Buy less, and only pwn clothing items you will love and wear for ten or more years." the looks I get!
LOL! oh, Kristine, you are a GEM. This presentation is excellent on so many levels as you present a big picture of textile recycling, while also alluding to many other aspects within the big picture of what we have been told is recycling. Finally, you give us, as mere individuals, power through your suggestions of practical ideas for the individual in order to be a part of the solution. And your sense of humor warms my heart and gives me inspiration as well as a big belly laugh!🥰
and, on a side note.... regarding your humorous but oh so true comment of how expensive it is to be poor.... There was a little known American comedian(maybe 60 years ago or more) who imitated a crazy professor giving a lecture; and he would pound on the podium and yell: "It's the poor people that made this country rich"! Everyone would laugh at the inconsistency but also recognizing the obvious truth of it.
I'm catching this on the last day of june while I finish the hem of a patchwork skirt I'm making from a pair of summer pants that came out of the wash with a torn croch seam... I'm one of those folks who buy used garemnts from thrift stores and part them out for fabric to make new clothes from... You can call me old fashioned, just don't call me late for dinner... if you please.
Haha, oh, that fated torn crotch seam might just be the death of me. It must be the repair I do most often, perhaps second only to darning socks. But yes, very much worth thd effort!
one time at Ting og Tøy i have found a work jacket in perfect conditions (i would say used one or two times). it only needed new velcro in the wrists, and voilà. but often i find xl shirts that i can i resize to fit my shape
I love browing around in second hand shop. But I have to admit, struggling to find things I liked in sizes that fit me are a big reason why I started trying to make my own clothes!
A very interesting video. I’ve been enjoying your content a lot recently, having only just discovered your channel. I really like your balance of information, instructional, experimentation and historical research. You’re an absolutely unique creator on UA-cam and I hope your channel gets the attention it deserves.
Wonderful video Kristine. Unfortunately my very thin but pretty scarf is full of holes and I know no one and no place that would use it eg for stuffing. But your video is great. How can I share it on Facebook?
Depending on your device, there should be a “share” button or arrow somewhere under the video, and when you click it you’ll get the option to copy the link. On a desktop computer you can copy and paste the URL on the top of your browser.
It is called a Sonntag. It’s a kind of shawl that wraps around and keeps your hands free. A generous friend made it for me, but the pattern is available online: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocheted-sonntag
I'm saving all the scraps and threads from my sewing projects to use as stuffing for stuffed animals, which I will then sell at my local farmer's market. Much better than a landfill, hopefully. XD
And I still don't understand disdain for synthetic fabrics. They are still excellent choice for making very durable and working outer or functional layers of clothing, if done properly
microplastics for one. when you wash synthetic (specifically plastics, like microfiber sheets), tiny plastic fibers shed off during the process and... end up in the ocean! Also the fabric processing can use quite a lot of toxic chemicals that are not at all often disposed of in an eco friendly manner (though that can be said for just about any fabric). When the item is no longer wearable, then what? It's in a landfill for a million years. It's not just owning the item, it's the entire production process and then the life and death of the item. There are pretty good alternatives to synthetic fabrics for hardy outdoor wear though (it's only a little frustrating to wax cotton items yourself haha), like merino wool under layers (the best working fabric from my experience). I get what you're saying, I've done a lot of hiking, backpacking, and walk a few miles daily whatever the weather, synthetics usually perform better (and linen is NOT cooling, it makes a body heat tornado in your "cooling loose layer", I live in a f*ckin desert now, I would know lol).
to your comment on hearing the squeak of the needle through plastic? I refuse to buy any plastics or synthetics.there are more of us out here doing " looking after our planet " as a way of life and we don't try to become famous because of it.
Gday. I just found your wonderful channel & this, my first video I have watched of yours is simply gratifying to behold 🙂I could not agree with you more & then some, everybody is responsible & to ask "all" the questions & to hold those accountable. Thanku 'sew' very much for sharing. Ana 🪡✂🧵🙂
Great message I wish everyone would take to heart! I came to the realization a while back that I own enough clothing to last me the next ten years (if I take myself out of the exhausting and pointless cycle of keeping up with trends). I have decided to only replace what wears out and try my hardest to only buy replacement clothes that are secondhand and linen, wool, or cotton. So far I have only needed to buy three pairs of wool socks and one pair of pants in about two years.
It’s amazing how little we need when we pause and take a step back. I prefer natural fibers and second-hand when I can find it.
I'm often criticized for shopping at thrift stores but 95 percent of the adult clothing in this household is thrifted and about 75 percent of my daughter's clothing. My daughter's outgrown clothing is either passed on to friends or donated to a local thrift shop. Actually while browsing immediately after donating last time, I spied a coat that looked exactly like the one I had just donated and quickly realized it was . Made me so happy to see those clothes put out so quickly and even happier to see some of them put into shopping baskets and purchased the same day.
The adult clothing in this household is usually worn until it falls apart. My favorite jeans Have been patched three times and I will continue to patch as long as possible. T-shirts often become rags or are made into strips for tying tomatoes (and those cotton ones can be composted at the end of their life). Jeans that I find uncomfortable end up refashioned into quilts that keep us warm through the winter. I also salvage zippers and buttons to use in crafting projects.
This is the way we choose to live and while we may not be in fashion, our $5 outfits look just as good as other's $50 outfits.
Absolutely! I often wear the most raggedy, multiple-times-mended stuff off screen because I am "saving" the better clothes for when I am filming, lol.
There is so much clothing (and other stuff!) in the world already. Seeing if I can find it second-hand first has served me well all my adult life! ❤️
"How expensive it is to be poor" - so very true, and something I think more people need to realise.
As for wearing clothes over and over - I'm autistic and the thought of having too many clothing choices can send me into meltdown, so I've been doing this for a while for my own mental health
It is really expensive to be poor, when you can’t make long-term decisions because the funds are just not there.
And same, having clothes you know fit just makes things easier.
having worked at a place that re-purposed fabrics from garments that got donated to a charity shop (the ones that were deemed not good enough to just re-sell right away), we often had more material to work with than we could actually process. Having to remove zippers, buttons, and other notions from garments, cutting down the garments into new pieces to make things, and also having to throw stuff out that were too broken/damaged to be uses took a lot of time.
One of the things we were constantly asked to make more off was rag rugs. Particularly denim ones (this is where 99% of all the jeans that had any type of hole in them went.). We also made oven mitts and similar things, which sadly required us to use new materials too since we had to add the heat protective layers inside the layers of repurposed fabrics, and for these all fabrics had to be tested so they weren't synthetic/plastic and would melt before we worked on them.
So yes, while it's great that people donate things... we don't have the time or enough people working to repurpose everything. Also, don't donate stuff that are barely just threads keeping together, that will get thrown out because we can't re-sell it or repurpose material.
That sounds like a really interesting, but also frustrating place to work! And so much yes. A charity shop is not a textile trash bin. 😬
Your videos as so delightfully watchable while thorough and detailed! From one PhD historical fibre enthusiast to another, thank you so much for the work you put into these!
I am so happy you enjoy them! I try to spread a little bit of awareness when I can.
Don´t I know about it. I study clothing technology and product development, and the statistics we have as references when doing stuying in the ecology and treatment subjects are gahstly. There is so much fakery and greenwhashing, it´s easier to list the ones who actually do something legintimate than those who basically lie and scam. One interesting note is, that fast faschion in really nothing new. We actually see the very concerpt´s during the 19th century. Fashion made from inferior materials, very cheaply and not made to last at all. Nicole Rudolph`s video on shattered silk is a very nice example of fast fashion during the 19th century.
As always I find your information precise, accurate and depressing, but everyone needs to learn about these things. My family re- or up-cycle by given not longer wearable cloth, with 62 I still grow, to smaller family members, or using them in new to sew clothing.
I apologize about the depressing part, it sadly can’t be helped. So happy to meet other upcyclers and reusers though!
@@KristineVike I listen to a podcast called History for Weirdos, and some of the episodes are lightheartedly weird like the British cheese riot, and some are depressing like mental institutions of the early 1900s. That's just the way it is
As a weaver, I've been watching the new ways coming out of Sweden and Finland for making rayon out of cotton with less toxic processing chemicals (though I don't know enough not to remain skeptical). At least on the surface level, it seems to solve the shorter-fiber problem, it can itself be recycled by the same process, and it could alleviate the deforestation issues associated with traditional rayon production. (Edit: The company I'm thinking of is called Renewcell, but there are a host of others.)
I am always a bit wary of all these new methods. Like you, I don’t know enough about any specific one to comment, beyond always finding challenges whenever I deepdive into any of them.
I saw a method for turning old milk into fiber, and it begged the question, why is so much precious milk going bad in the first place? I can understand occasional logistical issues (bad weather in Norway often makes it impossible for the milk truck to reach rural dairy farmers in time), but at such a scale and predictability to justify a whole other production line? It makes me sad.
Rayon is pretty cool as a whole (though I'm not fond of people talking about bamboo yarn as if it's not essentially rayon), but I've found that it doesn't tend to be as strong as ordinary cellulose fibers. This makes me sad, because my knit rayon shirts are the most comfortable things I own, but they pill so very quickly. But insofar as rayon is rayon, being able to use old clothes for new rayon definitely sounds better than rayon straight from wood pulp
Hell, if we actually did something about the regulations about hemp in so many countries, we could massively reduce the need for all this wood. Itßs still stupid to not outright use the hemp fibres, but well, modern society...
I am lucky to live in a municipality that has extensive textile recycling. I worked at the office of the recycling sorting facility for a while.
The municipality is around 200.000 people and we got about 15 of 1000 liter containers a week at the facility. So much clothes! And much of it new or in excellent condition. It is so easy to feel that it is ok, when you give it to recycling.
And in round numbers I would say that 5% went to their own thrift store and 50% was sold at their warehouse sales.
The rest was too poor quaility or ripped, moldy, or stained.
It would go to the next facility, where they sorted into clothes fit to be used as clothes (that is what is sold in large bales wholesale), and that which gets recycled as fibre.
BUT while it is good that this recycling takes place, the very best thing would be if people bought *less* clothes to begin with and kept them.
Kristine, I have just discovered your channel and I am so grateful to find a kindred textile soul. It is distressingly real, this overwhelming flood of fast, cheap textiles that cannot easily be recycled; the horrid, immediate repercussions on poorer folks; and the environmental cost, not only with regards to plastics and landfills but to farmland and water used to create cotton for throw-away clothes, and chemical dyes that do not easily break down. Every mend and remake is a step in the right direction! (Also, I very much like your shawl.)
It is a very glorious shawl! A close friend made it and gifted it to me. 🥰
A very nice summary of what is going on in the textile world and what we can do to make it better. Thanks! I would love a little tutorial video of that sewing kit or perhaps even a compilation of sorts of what you can make out of scraps :)
I am always thinking of things to do with scraps! Will think about the tiny tutorial, who doesn’t want an excuse to make another?! 😊
Vote +1 for scrap projects ideas❤ (my cats owns probably too many knit mice and I have too many cleaning cloth already 😂
ua-cam.com/users/shortsXhyz2g8ybRg?feature=share 🙂
And again such a good video from you! Thank you! I wish you would not keep it so short. I could listen to you for hours to learn. Some of this I was already familiar with, but I didn't realize how bad the percentages were.... And I love your shawl, I think the color is so pretty on you.
The percentages are quite horrific, yes. 😬 and also thank you, a good friend made and gifted me that shawl and I love it dearly (and use it often).
Again, you have hit the nail on the head! I appreciate that you speak in layman's terms. Since your last "little talk"I've been more aware of labels and I Google what materials I don't understand! I'm appalled at what's in our clothing and as I also crochet a lot of my clothes I'm having a difficult time here in the US finding pure organic yarns that I can afford. I also am a follower of Shannon Makes and watched the patch work robe video just last night! 👍
Oh, wow! How amazing that you are taking such steps!
And I agree. Even in Norway there are only two spinneries (spinners? Businesses that spin yarn 😅) who spin in Norway with Norwegian wool. It is sad when we have so much unused wool too.
You are a delight. Clearly you love the subject matter and you don’t succumb to any sort of pressure to appease the masses or create click or like bait. So informative. So relaxing to watch. ❤❤❤ Keep it up. And thank you!!
Thank you kindly Kristine for such an in-depth deconstruction of an industry that is rather destructive. Most are using the trending verbage within the textile industry and we know it being just another form of sales. Who what where and when! Thank you immensely.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! It is such a big topic to handle!
@@KristineVike yes . Rebecca Burgess of Fibershed made a you tube film entitled my 200 mile wardrobe . Generationally we have raised sheep, grown linen and purchased cotton. I have the same garments since a young girl and rugs that are easily 200 years old. For me to purchase any “fiber” is challenging. Polyester and Nylon with other synthetics were never in our homes. Consuming less and sourcing from field to hand is the origin , but the masses are driving the markets to produce eventual waste. The drive to have something is not anything I relate to.
:) the rag and bone man was still travelling around the village where my family is from in the 1950s.
On the farm, I wear out my clothes, patch them, then wear them out beyond repair. From there, they get down cycled into lambing cloths (to swaddle lambs and other needs during lambing season). And then downgraded to cleaning rags and finally, composted (if possible - although the thread from commercial garments don't compost well.
That is so cool. Both the rag and bone man and the composting, which I know works in theory, but I’ve not actually tried it myself vet.
How I've ended up with a 6+ year clothes buying ban. I'd meant to do it for one year, but this kind of thing is what keeps me going (plus great sock hand me downs!)
It is so staggering, the volume and dimension of it all!
My boyfriend volunteers a lot and gets a free t-shirt with each event. He hasn't had to buy a new t-shirt in years!
Thank you for a very informative video! They've just opened a facility for recycling fabric in my hometown in Finland. I'm not entirely sure of the methods and correct vocabulary but I do know that some independent yarn spinners have started spinning local wool and recycled cotton into a yarn. I think that is promising, usually the knitters are great judges of the quality of fibres. One would hope that visibility would force recycling entities to up their game a bit, but that does require constant and powerful pressure from the grassroots level.
How exciting! And yes, knitters no doubt know quality yarn, so here’s to hoping the new facility and others do most excellent work!
So heart broken to hear about all this, yet they are so true and important. Thanks for sharing! ❤I always wonder about the recycled polyester clothings, and nike even had shoes of that kind, very unconfortable when try on 😂 On one hand as u mentioned, it can only be done once, not to mention many not practical and probably not easy on skin. I also notice that fast fashion often use historical detail to charm customer in either insufficient way so that people want more, or in inappropriate way so that it look weird. 😡😡 I might be biased due to being a historical style lover, like many of us❤, yet I do think old styles r not only more flattery but also more likely to be fully functional
Thank you for watching! ❤️
Not holding back on the social issues either, that's how we love to hear it 🔥🔥🔥🔥
They are so integral to systemic issues!
I often get tired of preachy doom-and-gloom videos on UA-cam. This video was neither, purely informative. I started buying neutral and durable clothing years ago (giving up on fashion trends) but this has given me several ideas on how I can up my game in the long run.
Thank you!
I am glad you found it useful! Preferring the neutral and durable here to. And much as people talk about fashion, no one seems to mind.
@@KristineVike Hello again Kristine! I was thinking of your videos today and I was wondering, perhaps someday you could make a "practical recommendations" video as an accompaniment to this one? I would love to hear your methods/advice on being more sustainable all in one video. For example, which fabrics you buy, to darn socks, etc. Just a thought!
I wear only cotton next to my skin, all year-round. Denim and corduroy in the winter. I went to Saks Off-Fifth, the outlet of Saks, last week to find shorts, and all the women's shorts were polyester. I ended up with a pair of men's cotton shorts.
In Bangladesh we have started cotton recycling from pre consumer waste or waste fabrics of the garments factory
Great video even if the subject is so sad and complex you did a great job in presenting not only the grim truth but also steps that can be made by each of us! Thank you! As a beginner knitter I have reclaimed yarn from old sweaters and I think I will continue this year with more enthusiasm so that I don't contribute to the landfills
May I also recommend Vincent Briggs’ channel, where he makes very different and absolutely sublime patchwork dressing gown? I think you’d really appreciate his work in general.
I’m a knitter from vintage pattern, and try to knit primarily with secondhand yarn. I’m also an avid mender of knitted garments, and wearer of vintage clothes. The irony is that I’m a theatrical scenic artist by trade, which absolutely trashes clothing. So I’ve got a small paint-covered wardrobe that I wear until it falls to pieces, and a closet full of antique clothes that get a remarkable amount of wear on the weekends. Oh, and then there are the specialty garments for activities like beekeeping. I finally ordered a second pair of gloves, because my ten year old gloves were starting to get holes in the fingers.
I love your channel! Thank you for these kinds of videos. I really especially appreciated the PFAS video you did. These topics are very important. Thank you for what you are doing. I love all your videos even though I rarely comment. Just wanted to say hello and thanks! Lovely to make your acquaintance! - Jennifer from Maine, USA
When I donate my clothes Inalso go inside and browse for my wardrobe. I havent bought anything but socks and underwear new for so long, that I can't stomach the retail prices of new garments. Now, I make my own garments from scratch or reclaimed materials. Whether startimf with fleece or yarn or fabric, I get what I want at a price I can meet.
Many may times in one of my spiels about how fast fashion is so destructive and we all need to try to be more sustainable, and being faced with the "but its too expensive to buy sustainably, I can't afford those fancy linen dresses and stuff!" and I say, actually the easiest way to be more sustainable doesn't cost you anything, it even saves you money. Buy less, and only pwn clothing items you will love and wear for ten or more years." the looks I get!
LOL! oh, Kristine, you are a GEM. This presentation is excellent on so many levels as you present a big picture of textile recycling, while also alluding to many other aspects within the big picture of what we have been told is recycling.
Finally, you give us, as mere individuals, power through your suggestions of practical ideas for the individual in order to be a part of the solution.
And your sense of humor warms my heart and gives me inspiration as well as a big belly laugh!🥰
and, on a side note....
regarding your humorous but oh so true comment of how expensive it is to be poor....
There was a little known American comedian(maybe 60 years ago or more) who imitated a crazy professor giving a lecture; and he would pound on the podium and yell: "It's the poor people that made this country rich"! Everyone would laugh at the inconsistency but also recognizing the obvious truth of it.
I'm catching this on the last day of june while I finish the hem of a patchwork skirt I'm making from a pair of summer pants that came out of the wash with a torn croch seam... I'm one of those folks who buy used garemnts from thrift stores and part them out for fabric to make new clothes from... You can call me old fashioned, just don't call me late for dinner... if you please.
Haha, oh, that fated torn crotch seam might just be the death of me. It must be the repair I do most often, perhaps second only to darning socks. But yes, very much worth thd effort!
one time at Ting og Tøy i have found a work jacket in perfect conditions (i would say used one or two times). it only needed new velcro in the wrists, and voilà. but often i find xl shirts that i can i resize to fit my shape
I love browing around in second hand shop. But I have to admit, struggling to find things I liked in sizes that fit me are a big reason why I started trying to make my own clothes!
i think i should learn to make pants for the same reason. i never find pants that can fit my thick legs :(
thank you so much for addressing this important topic!
Thank you for watching it. 😊
A very interesting video. I’ve been enjoying your content a lot recently, having only just discovered your channel. I really like your balance of information, instructional, experimentation and historical research. You’re an absolutely unique creator on UA-cam and I hope your channel gets the attention it deserves.
I am glad to hear you found it interesting!
Dear Kristine, you mentioned Shannon... I agree with you❤ and highly recommend Vincent Briggs, too!!! Greatings from Germany
They are a delight! Their work is so good! ❤️
Wonderful video Kristine. Unfortunately my very thin but pretty scarf is full of holes and I know no one and no place that would use it eg for stuffing. But your video is great.
How can I share it on Facebook?
Depending on your device, there should be a “share” button or arrow somewhere under the video, and when you click it you’ll get the option to copy the link. On a desktop computer you can copy and paste the URL on the top of your browser.
Admiring your quasi short sweater, what is it called, and do you have a video to make one?
It is called a Sonntag. It’s a kind of shawl that wraps around and keeps your hands free. A generous friend made it for me, but the pattern is available online:
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocheted-sonntag
I'm just saying hi! Have a lovely weekend!
A very important video packed with information and solutions.
Thank you!
Thank you for watching!
Amen sister!
Love this video. Thanks for sharing ❣️ it's an important message.
Thank you for watching!
I'm saving all the scraps and threads from my sewing projects to use as stuffing for stuffed animals, which I will then sell at my local farmer's market. Much better than a landfill, hopefully. XD
That is such a cute and excellent use of the scraps that are too small to be used for anything else! 😊
And I still don't understand disdain for synthetic fabrics. They are still excellent choice for making very durable and working outer or functional layers of clothing, if done properly
microplastics for one. when you wash synthetic (specifically plastics, like microfiber sheets), tiny plastic fibers shed off during the process and... end up in the ocean! Also the fabric processing can use quite a lot of toxic chemicals that are not at all often disposed of in an eco friendly manner (though that can be said for just about any fabric). When the item is no longer wearable, then what? It's in a landfill for a million years. It's not just owning the item, it's the entire production process and then the life and death of the item.
There are pretty good alternatives to synthetic fabrics for hardy outdoor wear though (it's only a little frustrating to wax cotton items yourself haha), like merino wool under layers (the best working fabric from my experience). I get what you're saying, I've done a lot of hiking, backpacking, and walk a few miles daily whatever the weather, synthetics usually perform better (and linen is NOT cooling, it makes a body heat tornado in your "cooling loose layer", I live in a f*ckin desert now, I would know lol).
Your mini, pocket hussif is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Do you have a tutorial???
I don't really focus on making tutorials, but I tried making a tiny one for that one:
ua-cam.com/users/shortsXhyz2g8ybRg
What an excellent and informative video! I could listen to you all day!✌❤🇨🇦
You are so kind. 🥰
Bravo!
to your comment on hearing the squeak of the needle through plastic? I refuse to buy any plastics or synthetics.there are more of us out here doing " looking after our planet " as a way of life and we don't try to become famous because of it.
Thanks
Thank you very much! ❤️
Gday. I just found your wonderful channel & this, my first video I have watched of yours is simply gratifying to behold 🙂I could not agree with you more & then some, everybody is responsible & to ask "all" the questions & to hold those accountable. Thanku 'sew' very much for sharing. Ana 🪡✂🧵🙂