Fabric Maverick Says... Be Green!

No,  The Fabric Maverick is not jealous, envious perhaps. Fabric.com ,for the first time, is offering bamboo fabric. This is a very ecology friendly fabric.  Move over cotton, silk, wool and linen- bamboo is here!

What is bamboo fabric?  It is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass. This a 20th century development.

What are it's properties?:

• Extremely soft
• Strong fiber
• Excellent wicking properties
• Has antibacterial properties
• Can be woven or knitted
• Insulating properties- cooler in summer and warmer in winter
• Machine washable
• 100% biodegradeable in its natural form

Care of fabric:

Machine washable, delicate cycle.  Dries very fast.

The bamboo plant grows rapidly. It does not generally require the use of pesticides or herbicides making it attractive to companies for easy availability. A crop of bamboo grows within 80 to 90 days. The fiber resembles cotton in its unspun form. In its natural form, it can be combined with other fabrics and dyed. Since the fibers are not naturally white, the fibers must be bleached extensively to achieve a white fiber for white fabric.

This is the month of 'Taking Care of Yourself" so I know that everyone is busy exercising and eating wisely.  Now is the time to nourish our soul.  The feel of bamboo fabric against the skin cannot be imagined; it must be felt. It is a very silky, smooth fabric.  It is very suitable for undergarments, shirts, etc.   If a person has allergy issues with other natural fibers, they will not with bamboo. Babies are particulary sensitive to fabric additives.  Check out our items # BF-155, BF-156, BF-157.  I see bamboo in my future.

While we are taking care of ourselves by exercising and eating right, let's make our skin feel good, too.  After all we are not eating sugar anymore,  so let's put it on our body.  Let's make a sugar scrub

Ingredients

• 50 percent white cane sugar (note that organic sucanat, while the best choice for food, doesn't work as well for this recipe)
• 50 percent vegetable glycerin to moisten the sugar (I used avocado oil since I was out of vegetable glycerin and it proved to be a successful substitute)
• Small amounts of aloe vera gel, vitamin C crystals, or anything healing that dissolves in water
• 1 or 2 drops of essential oil if desired (Larry recommends combining orange and lavender)
• Enough ground hibiscus powder for pink color (if desired)

Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Scoop some of the scrub onto your hand and massage gently onto your skin for a minute (the scrub will actually tighten onto your skin like a masque). Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before rinsing  Great for the whole body, but watch out it can be slippery. This recipe is from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-sugar-scrub.html.   This website has many green living ideas if you wish to check it out.

Until next time, Fabric Maverick