#winterwarmer
Sarah Burns believes in using natural processes that are kind to the environment, and that reflect the beauty of nature. Her business, Sarah Burns Patterns, advocates only having things in our homes that are kind and beautiful— to us, and to the planet. Using only natural dyes, water-based inks, and 100 percent natural linen, all Sarah’s fabric is printed by hand, using patterns that she designs and cuts.
Her ambition, she says, is for “fabrics to give you a sense of peace and harmony, as well as movement and colour.” Sarah is proud to be part of a kinder, slower way of making textiles, believing firmly that, by changing the way she does things, her fabrics will be beautiful, honest, and kind.
Whilst you might not wish to print your own fabric, we are encouraging you to raid your ragbag and make a draught excluder for someone in your community. To boost our #winterwarmer campaign, Sarah has prepared instructions to help you make your own draught excluders. Here is her advice:
- Choose a nice oblong piece of fabric. I made this in the summer, using Sussex river mud and indigo. I love using local natural materials.
Image: Courtesy of Sarah Burns.
- Working on the wrong side of your fabric, fold it along lengthways, and stitch the top side.
- Fill with wool. This wool is from lovely local fleeces that we also use to fill our cushions. Many small holders and farmers burn their fleeces because there is so little demand for beautiful wool. Try reaching out to them through your local Facebook marketplace, or your local Guild of Spinners and Weavers.
Image: Courtesy of Sarah Burns.
- Close, and stitch on a loop— so the draught excluder can be hung up when not in use (This avoids any trip hazard, and will help to prevent children using it as a weapon!)
Image: Courtesy of Sarah Burns.
- Gift your creation to someone.
Image: Courtesy of Sarah Burns.
Share your work on Instagram, #winterwarmer @selvedgemagazine, and we'll send you a code for a free digital issue of the magazine.
Keep warm!
P.S. Our Founding Editor, Polly Leonard, has recently fitted a smart meter to monitor her domestic energy use. She was shocked to discover that one run of a tumble dryer costs £2.16 ( 2.47 Euros, or $2.41)!
At SELVEDGE, we advocate ditching the dryer in favour off the washing line— better for your clothes, better for the planet, better for your wallet!
See #clotheslinespoetry for some creative inspiration.
1 comment
What beautiful cloth for such a good use. Can I suggest adding some weight to the draught excluder? The draught coming under my living door is, at times, enough to shift an unweighted excluder away from its place! I applaud Sarah’s ambition and am doing my best to use and reuse fabrics and materials I already have to make not only clothes but cushions and rugs.