Discover the velvet fabric trend for you and your home.

Velvet fabric is a woven tufted fabric that can either be made from synthetic or natural fibers. The tufted woven quality of velvet is what makes it distinctive. Not only is velvet unbelievable soft, but its textural qualities add dynamism to the finished product. Running your hand over any velvet fabric can change the direction of the pile, which creates a deepening or lightening effect.

In addition to being a super elegant choice, velvet is also a great fabric choice for cooler weather. And not only can a velvet throw or velvet blazer really help take the chill out of the air, it also adds a bit of luxury to any outfit or living space.

Discover velvet fabric for you and your home this season with these handmade velvet finds.

Velvet Fabric Finds for You and Your Space

1. Velvet Armchair

Romantic velvet and modern styling are a match made in heaven with this handmade mid-century armchair. This is a statement piece to add to your space.

2. Velvet Kimono

Add some stylish warmth with one of this season’s most popular accessories–the kimono jacket. This one has bonus pockets. Wear this around the house or as an easy sweater when the days get cooler.

3. Velvet Sofa

Not only is this velvet sofa completely unique, but it is also made using vintage French grain sacks. The sofa can be customized with the colors and fabrics of your choosing.

4. Velvet Pillows

And why not add velvet pillows to your sofa or bedroom for some added coziness this season? We love these simple, yet completely elegant, modern tie-dye velvet pillows.

5. Velvet Slippers

Keep your feet extra warm and cozy with these beautiful linen and velvet ballet house slippers. Kick your shoes off when you get home from work and slip into these snuggly slippers.

6. Velvet and Tweed Quilt

There’s nothing much better than snuggling up under a quilt on cooler nights and why not one backed with super soft velvet?

7. Velvet Basket

This basket is perfect for to hold plants, toys, bathroom accessories, and more.

8. Velvet Backpack

Your favorite fall accessory should be this velvet backpack. It’s just what you need for hauling your lunch and stuff back and forth to work, but it isn’t totally boring.

9. Velvet Rug

Love the color and texture of this handmade velvet and felt rug. It looks different from every angle because of the play of light and dark.

Related on EcoSalon

5 Luxurious Velvet Looks You’ll Want to Wear All Season Long: Friday Finds
15 Deceptively Simple DIY Fall Decorations Using Autumn’s Bounty
5 Wool-Free Winter Hats to Get You Ready for the Cold

The post 9 Sumptuous Velvet Fabric Finds for You and Your Home appeared first on EcoSalon.

Made from the fibrous stems of the lotus flower, this exclusive, waterproof material is created entirely by hand through a completely sustainable process. 

Lotus flowers are the symbol of divine purity in many Asian cultures, appearing in the hands of the sacred Buddha. The lotus flower has played a major part in Asian folklore, and is a particularly important icon in the homes of many weavers. The material created from the stems of the lotus flower is described as a cross between silk and linen, and was historically used to make robes for high-ranking Buddhist monks. This unique and soft material is breathable, wrinkle-free, naturally stain-resistant, and waterproof due to its aquatic origin.

The main harvest of lotus flowers for weaving occurs by the giant lake of Kamping Poy near Battambang, Camobdia. Lotus flowers have been farmed on this lake for several generations, mostly for the extraction and sale of the seeds or seedheads of the flower. The area surrounding the lake is the only one place in the world currently host to lotus fabric weaving. Recognized as an old Burmese tradition, lotus fabric weaving was brought to village of Kyaing-kan in 2009 by Awen Delavel, a French designer and founder of eco-fashion label Samatoa.  He has been working with local women in order to provide them with the skills to produce the fabric and create a local economy that they can rely and make wages on.

The pink and white flowers of the aquatic perennial spread through thousands of bodies of water in Cambodia, and are harvested during the rainy season from June to November. The stems of the lotus flowers are gathered by younger women in the mornings, who then use a shallow knife to bunch, cut and snap  5-6 stems at once, revealing 20-30 fine white filaments of fiber. These filaments are drawn out of the stem, hung to dry and then rolled into a single thread 100-yards in length. A meticulous and time-consuming process, around 25 thread makers are required to keep one weaver busy.

Weaving the fabric occurs through established craft cooperatives that take on weavers according to seasonal need. Although a weaver’s wages are low, partaking in an activity that is regarded as meritorious makes it an attractive option for many women. The lotus fiber threads are woven on a traditional Thai or Burmese frame loom which produces a narrow cloth at 24 inches wide.

The fabric is woven in 100-yard batches, and it takes about a month and a half to complete one batch. Its estimated that around 32,000 lotus stems are required to make just 1.09 yards of fabric and 120,000 stems are required for one outfit, making the textile extremely exclusive. After weaving, the fabric is dyed with natural dyes and every part of the precious material is utilized in some way. Leftover scraps of yarn are twisted into the wicks of pagoda lamps, and remnant pieces of fabric are made into sequin-studded robes for mini-Buddha statues.

Currently sold through Samatoa’s website, lotus flower fabric is available in light red, green, yellow, chocolate, orange and light purple colors. Samatoa is recognized as an eco-friendly textile mill and design house, as it is providing Cambodian women with highly regarded textile crafting skills. Founder Awen Delavel has also set up The Lotus Center in Battambang, which provides a venue for the experimentation of research on lotus fibers and sub products. Although garments made from lotus fabric are not readily available on the current market, Italian company Loro Piana does plan to sell scarves and blazers made from the material at around $6,000 a piece. Although exclusive and obviously expensive – could lotus flower fibers provide an alternative to waterproof synthetics?

Images: cleong, Samatoa

The post Fiber Watch: Lustrous Lotus Flower Fabric appeared first on EcoSalon.

The stalk of a banana plant contains fibrous strands that can be processed into anything from paper to kimono-grade silk.

Fabric from bananas, from the stalk of a banana plant to be more precise, has been utilized by cultures in Japan and Southeast Asia since the 13^th century. The fiber from the stalk of banana plants is incredibly durable and is actually a waste product of the bananas grown for the food industry. Spun into silk yarns, woven into fabrics for interior decoration and even used as paper and packaging materials, the fibrous stalks of this large, fruit-bearing plant offer numerous possibilities as a natural and sustainable textile and fiber material.

Originating from the tropical areas of Southeast Asia and first cultivated in the area we now know as Papua New Guinea, bananas have grown to become an essential part of life for several cultures. Many of us are dependant on bananas as a daily source of creamy, sweet and vegan nutrition, even in Western countries where bananas rarely grow. But who would have thought that you could wear and decorate your house with parts of the banana plant?

Much like the fibrous stalks of other fast-growing flora, the banana plant contains long and strong fibers in its sturdy stems. The outermost layers of the stalk contain the coarsest fibers, while the inner layers contain fine fibers that can be spun into luxurious fabrics such as silks. After a banana harvest, the cut stalks are stripped of their fibers by a decortication method, whereby the stalks are crushed by a roller and then the fibers are scraped by machines that have sharp, revolving wheels on them. Stripping can also be done by hand, which involves removing narrow strips of the stalk with a serrated knife. A banana fiber separator machine has been developed in India, which takes the agricultural waste of local banana harvests and efficiently and quickly extracts strands of the fiber.

Fiber extraction is followed by boiling the strips in an alkaline solution to soften and separate them. After boiling and washing the strips, the skins and fibers are separated from one another, after which the fibers are joined through a tedious and time consuming method to create long, continuous threads. The threads are then ready for spinning, during which they must be kept wet in order to prevent snapping or breaking. Dyeing and weaving the yarns are the final parts of the process, producing a high quality material that can be used for various applications. The fineness of the fiber determines the thickness of the yarn, as finer yarn is used for clothing, medium grade yarn is used for table cloths, curtains and cushion covers, while thicker, coarser yarn is used for basket weaving, floor mats and bags.

Processed banana fiber resembles bamboo and ramie fiber, but the high grade fiber is actually much finer and easier to spin. Despite its fineness, this high grade banana fiber is extremely durable, and has a natural luster that gives it a satin-like appearance. Spun banana yarn and woven banana textiles are very moisture-absorbent and since their processing does not involve chemicals, they are completely biodegradable.

Since the Japanese have been processing banana fibers for nearly 800 years, they have perfected the art of creating banana cloth. The finest fibers of the banana stalk are reserved for kimono dresses and kamishimo, a formal garment worn by the samurai. Nepalese artisans have also been creating beautiful and lavish rugs out of banana fibers, as their moisture-wicking properties make them the ideal floor coverings for tropical climates. Alongside these traditional uses, banana fibers are also used for interior purposes such as cushion covers, curtains, tablecloths, bags and even paper and journals. The International Institute for Environment and Development has even launched a program to educate women in Rwanda in making low cost and environmentally friendly sanitary pads out of banana fiber.

The time and skill required to efficiently make strong and evenly spun yarns can take a lifetime to learn, however, the process of banana fiber production is nonetheless a sustainable one. Banana plants do not require pesticides or fertilizers when grown in the tropics, and are often cultivated by small farmers who own their land. The fibers are spun, dyed and woven by small artisan communities that continue to pass down their trades to younger generations, keeping age-old traditions alive. These communities often thrive as a whole on the work they accomplish, sharing the benefits equally among one another.

Products made from banana fabric are difficult to find unless visiting a country where the material is currently produced, such as the Philippines, Japan, Nepal, India or Kenya. Some items such as bags, coasters, pillows and clutches can be found online at Fair Trade marketplaces like Handcrafting Justice, Harkiss Designs and Nkuku Fairtrade. For the craftier type, beautifully dyed banana silk yarns can be found from Frabjous Fibers. These skeins are handspun by women in Nepal, and kettle dyed or hand painted into an array of  brilliant colors. THIS Co., a fabric distributor that has worked with the likes of Comme des Garcons, offers woven, semi-sheer banana fabric at $47 per yard.

Images: SQUAREROOT, THIS Co., kamsky, Nkuku Fairtrade, Frabjous Fibers

The post Fiber Watch: Fabric from Bananas? appeared first on EcoSalon.