Printed Notebooks and Purses

Recently I've been exploring the idea of making products and started off with notebooks and purses. I have kick started my making by exposing some of my linocut designs onto screen.
Since the textile industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, I wanted to make choices that would help to minimise the impact that my products would have on the environment. For my purses, I chose to print onto organic hemp since it is far more environmentally friendly than cotton. Not only does hemp produce a greater yield than cotton, it doesn't require the use of pesticides and uses far less water. I did however use cotton tape for the labels, but I made sure this was organic. I have used off-cuts and reclaimed fabric for the lining inside rather than purchasing any new fabric and I also handed printed each panel to ensure effective placement whilst also limiting waste, nothing was thrown away! I haven't quite managed to work out what to do with the zips but have been researching companies that make zips from recycled materials. Alternatively I could also re-use zips from worn-out clothes. That's the next thing on my list to tackle!


 

  



For the notebooks, I chose to buy books with Kraft covers as it is compostable, unbleached and sustainable. Kraft card minimises chemical treatment by avoiding the use of bleach and nearly all the chemicals that do get used in the process can be recovered and reused. It would be great to use notebooks with a Kraft cover and recycled pages...again, that's another bit of research on my to do list.







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