Fibers & Fabrics

Comfortable Bra? (Gina Gormley - Moscow, Idaho)

A comfortable bra? I have always been one of the many who knew there was no such thing.

My mind was changed recently with my first purchase of an "un-bra." While this garment looked suspiciously familiar, it has proven to be much more comfortable and wearable. It's softer and just fits me better.

If you want to check it out, go to www.decentexposures.com, 1-800-524-4949 on the Web. This is a small, woman-owned company in Seattle. All the manufacturing is done there in Seattle (not in Malaysia or Taiwan), and they say they are committed to offering their workers flexible hours and a decent wage. I can't guarantee that they are as socially responsible as they claim, but I do know that they offer 150 different sizes and are very generous in their willingness to customize each garment.

Formaldehyde (Karen - Phoenix, Arizona)

I have a friend who has discovered that she is chemically-sensitive. Exposure to chemicals that I, for one, do not notice will cause her to break out in a rash and/or have trouble breathing. She’s a little like those canaries the miners carried down into the mines to warn them about the level of dangerous gases in the air. She notices the problems first.

Anyway, one of the amazing things I learned from her experience is that formaldehyde is everywhere. This is the stuff that embalms bodies, but it is also a cancer-causing agent in small doses. In very small doses, formaldehyde is still poisonous, causing fatigue, headache, breathing difficulties, nausea, and a host of other problems.

Formaldehyde is among the top 50 industrial chemicals produced in the U.S. An especially common, and rather well-known, use of formaldehyde is in mobile home construction, particleboard, and building insulation. I had always assumed that by living in a home without particleboard and new cabinetry and plasticized furniture that I was avoiding formaldehyde. Not so.

A very common use of formaldehyde is in fabrics. Polyester/cotton blended fabrics, especially sheets, have a formaldehyde finish. The formaldehyde is attached to the fibers, so it really can not be washed away. Blended fabrics containing formaldehyde are not required to be labeled as such. However, if the fabric is labeled as crease resistant, permanent press, shrinkproof, or water repellent, you know that formaldehyde has been applied to the fabric.

So, I have learned to stay away from blended fabrics. All cotton, natural fibers for me.

Laundry (Betty Weeks - Cincinnati, Ohio)

Natural Fibers (Kate Painter - Colfax, Washington)

Permanently Moth Proofed? (Gretchen Harvey - Moorhead, Minnesota)

I had been purchasing my yarn from a company in Nebraska called Brown Sheep Company (BSC). One day I noticed “permanently moth proofed” printed on the skein wrapper. So I followed up by e-mailing the company and asking what this meant. They replied that a small amount of a pesticide (Mitin FF) is actually boiled into the yarn during the dyeing process. This pesticide has been reapproved by the FDA for use in the textile industry. Apparently if moth larvae eat the wool, they die.

I wrote back to BSC and told them I couldn’t buy their wool anymore and did not support the use of pesticides for the sake of convenience. The thing I don’t know is whether or not wool manufacturers/companies are required to print something like “moth proofed” on their packaging. Or did BSC just think to do it as a marketing tool? I haven’t purchased any yarn since, but will surely ask more questions before I buy from any other company.

Thanks for getting the word out!

[Editor's note: We found a website for you with a nice selection of organic yarns from New Mexico at www.handweavers.com.]

Repairs (Melissa Roberts - Seattle, Washington)

I thought I would share a couple of sewing repair ideas that I have used. When I had an office job, and had to wear tidy outfits, I learned that ripped hems, small tears, and other minor problems were quickly remedied with a regular office stapler. I just used the stapler, instead of needle and thread, to hold the fabric together. I learned, however, that the staples should face out, away from the body, so that the staple ends do not snag hose or skin.

Later, when we moved out to the woods, I certainly didn’t need my office clothes. But what I learned I did need, was a way to mend work clothes. Regular thread just was not strong enough to hold buttons or seams when we were working so hard. I used only fishing line (60 pound or more), dental floss (that stuff is incredibly strong), or carpet thread. The best was dental floss.

Reusable Lint Remover (Nancy D.)

I like wearing black. I don't like lint and dog hair ruining my look.

Over the last ten years, I have probably bought enough lint removal tape to wind around the globe at least twice. That's just too wasteful.

And then I found a reusable lint remover that works like a charm!

Cost me four bucks. Just some space-age plastic roller on a handle. Wipe the lint off the clothes and then wash the roller in soapy water. Use it again.

That is literally all you need to do.

The thing is called a "washable lint pic-up" made by the Evercare Company which is owned by Helmac (if I understood their website correctly). Check it out yourself at www.evercare.com or call 770-6570-5100 or 800-435-6223.

Safe Starch (Julie Bell - Moscow, Idaho)

The solution for bedwetters (Michelle Tullis - Pullman, Washington)