Sustainability – La Tierra

Source: https://www.sharlenebohr.com/my-technique
What is eco-printing?
similar concept to pressing leaves and flowers, but the process is different
the process is more complicated, involves more steps, requires more time and precise technique to accomplish
colour: makes use of pigments found naturally in various parts of plants to dye fabric
pattern: makes use of the shapes of various
common parts of the plant used are the leaves and flowers
procedure: arrange your choice of leaves and flowers on the fabric, then roll them up around a stick and secure it tightly, and steam or boil it to complete the eco-printing
the procedure shares resemblance to tie-dying
the technique of eco-printing can be used in combination with traditional natural dye methods – for dyeing the background
the outcome is a unique piece of fabric
it is handmade from start to end
highly customisable and can be personalised to the wearer
the plant dyed fabric is safe to wash and launder using pH neutral soaps

Source: https://www.mochni.com/eco-prints-learn-the-process-of-all-natural-eco-printing/
Eco Prints: Learn The Process Of All Natural Eco-Printing
natural dyes do not harm our planet like toxic dyes do
natural dyeing is a slow process
every eco print is special and impossible to repeat
process: 1. Choose desired leaves and flowers, 2. Choose your fabric, 3. Position the pieces how and where you like it, and bundle it up, 3. Options for the natural dyeing: Cook it either by steaming or boiling, leaving it soaked in water and out in the sun, or burying it in soil, 4. Unwrap, hang and leave it out to dry completely before rinsing.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?
You could be in the dark. About what, you may ask. About what you wear on your bare skin every day without a second thought.
The toxic chemicals used to dye and colour your clothes have far-reaching impact beyond your imagination. The damage that these toxins do to the environment and our one-and-only planet, Mother Earth, at large is perhaps difficult for you and me – one of the billions of humans on Earth – to fully comprehend. More importantly and closer to home however, is the cumulative harm that these toxins do to your body and health. If left alone, the health risks may potentially threaten one’s standard of living in the near future, if not already. It is no scare tactic. Consider this our well-meaning reminder to you to treat your skin better and kinder with eco-printed clothes.
Eco-what?
Eco-printed clothes, that is, clothes made with eco-printing.
You: Huh? What’s that? Is that trending on TikTok now?
Eco-printing is an au naturel way to dye fabrics with the gifts of nature – leaves and flowers of plants. That sounds too good to be true, you could be thinking. Still, think again.
Do you remember going on school excursions to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and collecting a myriad of leaves and flowers of many colours, shapes and sizes to bring home after? And, later got help from Mom and Dad to book press your stash of that day, in hopes of preserving them for your kids to see in future? Eco-printing works much in a similar way. You first select the leaves and flowers you like, and next arrange them how and where you like them on your desired fabric. Then, the fabric is rolled up around a stick and secured tightly, before steaming or boiling the bundle, during which time the fabric will be dyed with the natural pigments and patterns of the plant leaves and flowers used.

Last but not least, the bundle is unwrapped, hung and left to dry completely before a simple rinse, and you now have your very own, one-of-a-kind fabric. Because the entire process of eco-printing is DIY from start to end, every eco-print is special and impossible to repeat. It is unique. Special. Different. Exclusively yours and not shared by any other.
Sounds like your cup of tea, or coffee, and want to give eco-printing a try? Here at La Tierra, we conduct dyeing workshops from time to time. If this interests you, be sure to check out our Instagram account where we post and notify our followers when we have workshops planned. In a typical hands-on workshop, you can expect to get your hands dirty and engage in heaps of DIY work. Also, you will get to take your very own handiwork home with you at the end of the session.

Stay tuned to our website and all our social media accounts for the latest news and updates happening with us at La Tierra.

https://latierrasg.com/category/journals/
What is the synonym for ‘sustainable’.? Above is given a quick set of meanings.
Before synthetic dyes, did we realise that it was only natural dyes that were being used globally?
What about the old century paintings? How were colours or pigments used. Delving deep, realisations occurred that everything used from pigment on paintings to even lipsticks and clothing, it was all natural dyes.
How fascinating to know that and how little stress nature must have taken on itself when pigments were produced from nature and used in a biodegradable form, less carbon footprint and less toxic, not just to environment but to us humans as well.
Natural dyes were easily accessible and available then. We then paid more to buy synthetic and toxic dyes, killing the use of naturally available resources and finally creating a scarcity for the same to be easily available. A plethora of synthetic stuff created a market condition that people forgot the use of natural dyes and fibres. We are all at some point realising how harmful these synthetic fibres and dyes can be. Now when we turn back to nature, we also see that these natural dyes and fibres are not so readily available, and not as organic how it used to be. Another topic to discuss would be how misused the term ‘organic’ is.
There is such a hype about marketing organic products these days.
Never too late, let’s get together to form a tribe to use clothing made naturally using natural dyes.
Hoping that this would some day be possible and a stepping stone to ‘Sustainable living’.
Stay well 💕

Tag: Sustainability

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Natural dyes and Sustainability?