Au Naturale
If you didn't do it twenty years ago, it's time to throw out those polyester pants. Annabeth Jamieson at Natural Fiber Clothing on the top of Queen Anne will help you put your wardrobe back together, but with natural fabrics. There's nothing she can't do. Bring in your copy of Lucky magazine, point to a dress, pick a fabric and voila! Check out this wedding dress she made for her daughter—all natural hemp-silk. What else could a girl want on her big day? Call Annabeth for pricing.
- from seattlechic.com, read the article!
Vowing to be Green: June 2006 Conscious Choice Magazine
Read the article at the Conscious Choice web-site.
Retail Notebook: Designing a World of Their Own
Read the article at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer web-site.
Why Wear Natural Fiber Clothing?
By Annabeth Eve Parker-Jamieson
“And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.”
From Genesis 1:5
Our concerns today regarding what we put in our bodies and how we control and/or maintain a healthful interior and exterior living environment, ought to also include what we wear.
Our skin as our largest human organ requires very little in order to continue to function well. The primary needs of skin include; hydration, protection from too much sunlight, protection from extremes in temperature, and the capacity to ‘breathe’ naturally by means of exchange of temperature with the environment and by releasing surface moisture, or perspiration. Wearing clothing made from synthetic fibers no longer allows the natural heat-regulating processes of our skin to function easily. Polyesters, acetates, latex, nylon and blends of these and other artificial fibers create an unnatural condensation of moisture on the inside surface of the fabric, and therefore on the surface of the skin, which is why we feel ‘sweaty’ sometimes when we wear them.
Natural fibers do not interfere with our own human cooling and/or warming system. Wearing clothing from cotton, organic cotton, hemp, linen/flax, silk, ramie, wool, rayon, tencel and/or blends of these fibers, is therefore a much more healthy and more comfortable choice (which may sometimes require proper layering in extreme weather conditions.)
Those of us who are at the stage of life where we are often experiencing “our own personal summer”, or “hot flashes”, truly appreciate the comfort of natural fibers perhaps more than most. Individuals who have undergone chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments find natural fibers much more comfortable to wear next to their extremely sensitive skin.
Based on newly assessed lifestyle priorities, many of us also feel that human beings were never meant to be wearing by-products of long dead creatures. (Petrochemical fibers made from oil products, consisting of remains from long-decayed dinosaurs and other ancient animals.) Some would also agree that no products from animals that harm them should be worn by human beings who are conscientious about their place in the natural scheme of things in our role of stewardship of the earth.
The availability of newly combined, woven and knitted natural fibers allows for an amazing realm of choice as to texture, weight and colors. Also, whether or not the fibers were organically grown is another choice along the way to wearing more healthful garments. Organically grown fibers put much less stress on the natural environment than those grown using chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. Organic cotton can also be ‘color grown’, which means that it is grown naturally in several muted shades of green, gold, brown and cream. Access to natural dyeing processes is yet another positive option available to those who experience allergic reactions to synthetic dyes and/or prefer not to wear them.
All natural fibers can be washed and dried by non-polluting methods, which means no dry cleaning.
On a personal note, I find the lovely textures of natural fibers much more attractive, comfortable and complementary to wear, and like the fact that little care is necessary beyond washing and drying. It does work best to use warm water for washing and cool rinse cycles, use non-polluting laundry products, use delicate or permanent press wash and dry cycles, and to remove the clothing while a bit damp to hang out the remaining wrinkles. Some steam ironing may be required, but that is a personal choice as the natural textures are part of the ‘look’ of natural fiber garments. (Anyhow, I refuse to wear anything less wrinkled than I am !! …and have always ‘resisted’ the need for ironing whenever possible !! ) The wearing of natural fiber clothing is another simple conscious choice we can easily make toward maintaining a more natural, more comfortable and more healthful lifestyle.
“We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden” !!
Joni Mitchell song |
