Grow your own sustainable clothes! From seed to shirt, Cindy Conner shows you how to plant, grow, harvest, process, spin, and weave cotton and flax into cloth from which you can sew your own clothes. And since cotton and flax are made from plants, when your clothes' usefulness has passed they can also return to the environment without causing harm--a truly renewable and sustainable option for clothing. Whether you live in colder climates where flax can thrive, or warmer climates where cotton does best, there is a sustainable option (or two, if you live in the temperate zone) for you. And it takes much less space than you would think; a backyard garden will do! This complete guide includes in-depth instructions on growing and harvesting, preparing the fiber for spinning, the spinning process for each fiber; the basics of weaving cloth; and suggestions on patterns and how to weave the pieces you need for clothing, and how to sew your woven pieces together. Cindy has been growing her own clothes for years and teaches the process in classes, so she includes all of her knowledge on potential pitfalls and how to avoid them in her thorough instructions on each phase. You can grow your own flax and cotton and make clothes to your own style preferences. It's time to take the next step in sustainable living and make your own clothes in breathable and comfortable natural cotton and flax grown in your own backyard!

A one-stop guide to preparing and spinning cotton, flax, and hemp! Over the last few years, focusing on specific types of fiber or spinning techniques has become more and more popular. In The Practical Spinner's Guide: Cotton, Flax, Hemp, author Stephenie Gaustad offers a detailed overview of each plant, the fiber it produces, and how to properly prepare, spin, and finish yarns made from each fiber. Cotton, flax, and hemp behave very differently from wool, and special handling is required. Stephenie discusses how each fiber behaves and how best to work with them, specifically touching on trouble spots such as drafting and adding twist. She also covers finishing yarnsâ€"cleaning, setting twist, and plying--as well as what dye processes are best for adding color. Finally, she includes a discussion of spinning for both knitting and weaving, covering fabric properties of each fiber, and what spinners need to take into account when using the yarn in a subsequent project.

Row by row - maximize your harvest and feed your soil by developing a customized plan for your garden Everyone loves to prepare a meal with ingredients fresh from their own garden. But for most of us, no matter how plentiful our harvest, homegrown produce comprises only a fraction of what we eat. And while many gardening guides will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about individual crops, few tackle the more involved task of helping you maximize the percentage of your diet you grow yourself. Grow a Sustainable Diet will help you develop a comprehensive, customized garden plan to produce the maximum number of calories and nutrients from any available space. Avoid arriving in August buried under a mountain of kale or zucchini (and not much else) by making thoughtful choices at the planning stage, focusing on dietary staples and key nutrients. Learn how to calculate: Which food and cover crops are best for your specific requirements How many seeds and plants of each variety you should sow What and when to plant, harvest and replant for maximum yield. Focusing on permaculture principles, biointensive gardening methods, getting food to the table with minimum fossil fuel input, and growing crops that sustain both you and your soil, this complete guide is a must-read for anyone working toward food self-sufficiency for themselves or their family.

Follow the saga of this remarkable fiber from seed to woven fabric. Learn about past and present day methods of flax cultivation, processing, and spinning, natural and synthetic dyeing, and weaving and finishing linen cloth. 233 color photos and 156 black and white photos and drawings reveal the characteristics of linen and emphasize its practical use.

Community-based initiatives to preserve and protect our food supply Historically, seed companies were generally small, often family-run businesses. Because they were regionally based, they could focus on varieties well-suited to the local environment. A Pacific Northwest company, for example, would specialize in different cultivars than a company based in the Southeast. However the absorption of these small, independent seed businesses into large multinationals, combined with the advancement of biotechnology resulting in hybrids and GMO seeds, has led to a serious loss of genetic diversity. The public is now at the mercy of the corporations that control the seeds. In the past few years, gardeners have realized the inherent danger in this situation. A growing movement is striving to preserve and expand our stock of heritage and heirloom varieties through seed saving and sharing opportunities. Seed Libraries is a practical guide to saving seeds through community programs, including: Step-by-step instructions for setting up a seed library A wealth of ideas to help attract patrons and keep the momentum going Profiles of existing libraries and other types of seed saving partnerships Whoever controls the seeds controls the food supply. By empowering communities to preserve and protect the genetic diversity of their harvest, Seed Libraries is the first step towards reclaiming our self-reliance while enhancing food security and ensuring that the future of food is healthy, vibrant, tasty, and nutritious. Cindy Conner is a permaculture educator, founder of Homeplace Earth and producer of two popular instructional gardening DVDs. She is also the author of Grow a Sustainable Diet .