Welcome to The Haberdasher Bee
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Shopping sustainably doesn't need to be difficult if you can alter a few habits
Designing zero waste patterns can be a little tricky depending on whether you're designing for home sewists or for mass production
A sign for a local craft fair
Keeping your wardrobe manageable is hard. Making clothes can easily mean it gets out of control and you have more garments than you actually wear
We should all be aiming to to sew more sustainably where we can
There's many different ways of marking notches - this is how I try to do mine
Sustainability is something we should all be working towards
I started my dyes off on a warm, sunny day in my backgarden before bringing them inside and leaving them on the kitchen windowsill for 4 days. L-R: Rose petals, Quebracho rojo extract, Dyer's chamomile flowerheads
Pattern cutting is a skill I've wanted to learn for a while
Different natural dyes will produce different colours depending on the type of fibre you're trying to dye
There are lots of different types of scissors you can use in sewing, each with their own dedicated purpose
My husband kindly modelled the Workwear jumper that I made for my dad for Christmas
If the yarn in your stash isn't eco-friendly, don't throw it away
Karen Adams, founder of Kaia Clothing
Always check the clothing label to see what your clothes are made of
Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion in that you buy quality clothes once every so often, rather than cheap clothes regularly
You can shop for sustainable clothes on the high street, if you know where to look. Charity shops and preloved stores are a great example of this
There are times where you might choose to use superwash wool, or perhaps choose to swap for another washable alternative
Everyone should have access to sustainable clothing, regardless of their size. Your wardrobe shouldn't cost the Earth!
Offcut projects are a great way to make clothes from fabrics leftover from other makes
Crafting without plastic is becoming easier as more businesses are committed to being more sustainable
Most people think of sheep when they think of wool, but they aren't the only wool-producing animals
Sourcing truly sustainable alternatives to animal leather is getting easier every year
Piñatex, made from pineapple leaves, is probably the most well known plant-based leather
A closer view of my finished leaf
Here you can see just how much my jumper has shrunk - it used to be the same length as the long sleeve tshirt I'm wearing underneath
A selection of the sewing patterns I own - each designer has a different way of listing the techniques and stitches used in the pattern
Here's little collection of embroidery supplies I've gathered for embroidering onto my Dawn jeans - I'm yet to get the floss for embroidering onto the Sapphire sweater
The charts key from the back of Inside Crochet Magazine. These symbols are fairly standard for charts, though some designers use their own methods to create charts
My mother in law made these BB-8 and Jawa amigurumi figures from Star Wars last year as part of her Christmas gifts for me and my husband
Shopping with little businesses doesn't have to be any more difficult than shopping at big chains - and you can get some wonderfully individual items that you won't find anywhere else too!
My reusable advent calendar - I made this last year but altered the pockets this year so they're a better size
One of our coasters and placemats made by my mother in law from offcuts of fabric from the kitchen blind
Leftover bits of yarn and mini skeins or balls can quickly fill up your stash, but they're perfect for making tiny hats for Innocent's Big Knit
On the left is a universal 75/11 needle, the middle is a jeans 100/16 and the right is a leather 90/14. You can see the jeans needle has a larger, wider eye than the universal and the leather needle has more of a chisel shape to its point.
Swapping plastic safety eyes and polyester toy stuffing is an easy way to make toys and amigurumi more sustainably
Lots of people get intimidated by sewing zipper flies on jeans, but they're not as hard as they look
A 'sprocket' style pincushion I made for my mum. The name apparently comes from its resemblance to a wheel.
A selection of my sewing tools, including hand needles, pins, point turner, seam ripper, tailors chalk and tape measure
Wool is a good natural fibre to knit, crochet and weave with, though you can also sew knits too
My new sewing machine!
This lady led our natural dyeing demonstration at the Centro Cultural Parwa - here she's demonstrating how different ingredients modify the colour of cochineal
Quite pleased with my finished Ruri sweatpants - they're super comfy!
I find it easier to write out a to-do list - it's super satisfying when I cross something off!
Super chunky and gorilla yarn is far thicker than any other yarn weight you can work with
Part of learning to crochet has been learning how to read crochet patterns
Fabric patching can be a really beautiful way of repairing clothes and extending their lifespan
My finished Baby Yoda amigurumi toy before he went off to his new home
This shop bought sleeveless linen blouse I own perfectly shows edgestitching and topstitching - it's neatly edgestitched around the collar while it's been topstitched with a twin needle around the arm holes
I bought this deadstock silk recently for a dress project I've been trying to find the right fabric for for some time
Be careful to guide the fabric while your machine sews to prevent stitches from bunching in your buttonhole
This was my first attempt at sewing in 10-15 years and I chose to have a go at something I'd never done before - making a bag from scratch, including a zippered inner pocket
Here's the finished bodice from my wedding dress
You can find numerous haberdasheries on the internet… they’ve been around forever. But The Haberdasher Bee aims to be different: I aim to be sustainable, and to have the best sustainable haberdashery store online. By reading and supporting the blog and store, you’re helping to create a sustainable supply chain which is fighting back against plastic, waste and products that can’t biodegrade so easily. The aims for the haberdashery are simple too – you can find more details about how The Haberdasher Bee operates over on my social responsibility page, which details the business’ aims and current practices. You can also head back to my social channels, like THB’s Instagram page or Pinterest page. Be changing the way we craft, sew, stitch and crochet, together we can go a long way in helping to change the way materials are chosen and used for a huge array of industries where making textile products, counts.
Best of all, though, is that for customers and for blog readers – I want to help you to be as creative as you want to be in a sustainable way, while promoting the use of sustainable haberdashery tools. (And if you’re not using beautiful, sustainable, plastic-free wooden crochet tools, knitting needles and handcrafted scissors and snips believe me, you’re missing out!) Stay up to date with the blog too, as I have many more ideas to share with you, in the near future.
