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DCL
Even needle and thread beginners can stitch up some very cool sustainable decor. Express your flair for green design by using recycled materials and basic sewing skills to add some splash to your pad. From floor to ceiling, you can make your home feel more your own, and cultivate your personal taste, by getting hands-on at every step of the way. From selecting your materials to tying the final knots, trying out one of these simple projects will give you more control over your home?s look than any store bought item could, and by making your own stuff, you?ll help the earth by conserving the natural resources that would be used in commercial manufacture and distribution.
- Grab a taste of classic Americana with a braided rag rug, just like those found in Pioneer-era homes. Rag rugs are still handmade today by the Amish, whose traditions of simple and functional design, and continuing emphasis on quality craft, inspire artists and decorators around the world.
- If you?ve got a sewing machine, or can get hold of one, you can turn leftover fabric scraps or remnants into an awesome, drapey ceiling garland by following these step-by-step directions from Molly at the Purl Bee. If you don?t have a stack of textile bits and bobs left over from other sewing escapades that you can work with, hit a thrift store and pick up lots of cheap old clothes in attractive colors and materials, then hack 'em to bits with scissors. Go funky with a wild array of bright prints, or choose a sophisticated array of shimmering silks or sleek linens for a more mature look.
- Sew a draft stopper that does double eco-duty by cutting your energy footprint and looking great. For extra visual interest, try using an eye-catching vintage upholstery fabric culled from a flea market, or add your individual stamp to a basic textile with some cool embroidery.
Have champagne taste but organic beer money? Live vicariously and check out the most luxurious eco-digs on Planet Green TV's World's Greenest Homes.
