Threads of Sustainability

Send a text Elana Frosk from Oeko-Tex joins Bridget in this episode to get deep into the weeds of certifications. She loves nerding out just a little about this topic. It's near and dear to her heart. Labelling and certification not only assure us of the authenticity of a product in its claims but also gives the industry data to work with to make more strides in sustainability. They talk abou...

Send a text TeDi Jansen from Small Acre Farm does all the things on her farm. She has goats, sheep, botanical dye plants and even grows cotton! She does it all,  after losing her job, she decided she wanted to do work that felt connected to the land. Starting from making goat-milk soap, she brought in the animals and slowly started adding fibres to her offerings. Now that is her primary business a...

Send a text It's a new year and a new season for the podcast. Jasper and I dive into some of the lessons learned, ideology and themes that have developed over the season of guests on the podcast. Jasper is a young adult with a very different perspective on the world from myself, so we have some interesting conversations. He even challenges me to think about what else I can do in my own quilt...

Send a text Quilts as a form of activism can be the bridge between science and the public. They bring together the urgent ideas behind what we are seeing with climate change through accessible art forms. We talk about this and so much more. We even share tips on making simple shopping changes by making your own soap, yogurt and almond milk! Sue Herman has won International awards for her quilts, i...

Send a text We dive into intimate conversations around mindful practice for soothing the mind, and how intention can create inspiring work and help ground us. We talk about favourite tools for deconstruction along with some of the processes Eliu Hernandez embarks on through his up-cycling, recycling and recreating with denim, from the large panels,  right dow to the pockets and thread. Eliu is a t...

Send a text Patty Grossman and her sister wanted to have safe fabrics to use for their family. They realized it was missing in the industry and have spent the last 15 years researching ethical and sustainable production—how it’s done, and what the implications are to us (and to all living things)  and to our planet.  They even put it in their mission statement, a goal “to change the way textiles a...

Send a text Sourcing linen to make her own products for her family launched Marketa Kopal on an interesting journey. She had no idea she would be connected back to her family from a time before they fled the Czech Republic when she was a child. Building business relationships and exchanging values with the community that appreciates and relates to the tactile nature of linen is what motivates her...

Send a text A love of textiles, colour and patterns is behind what Ming Hsu Lees produces in her custom, bespoke memory quilts and handmade projects. Living in a country where textile waste is prominent and quilt stores are few, she decided to explore sustainable options. We dive into a conversation about textile and food waste, keeping busy during the pandemic, and creating space for the healing...

Send a text Rose Moses is Ojibwe, from Henvey Inlet First Nation Band. She is a self-taught artist and has drawn on the inspiration of other First Nations artists. She up-cycles a lot of her materials when working on a project. We meet at her farm and she takes me on a walking tour of her seemingly endless work. From crazy quilts to doll making, beadwork, collages, painting, furniture rescue and r...

Send a text Lorraine Turner works diligently to advocate for endangered animals. It started with a meditation session where she had a vision of Calico Horses. That launched her on a journey of learning to communicate with animals, creating textiles and building a community that is inspiring. Her advocacy work helps several different animal organizations globally. We dive into a conversation about...

Send a text Visiting the Vancouver location of Maiwa to talk with founder and owner Charllotte Kwon was one of those pinch-me moments. I was surrounded by beautiful textiles in a warehouse/office/store while we talked about the history of the company, the connections and research they are doing with farmers in India, and the many many projects they have in the works. Maiwa has a 30-year history in...

Send a text Did you know that every year the average Canadian throws out 80lbs of textile waste and up to an average of 44 t-shirts? Gemma Smith was shocked to see her landfill contained so much textile waste and is on a mission to save t-shirts from heading there. She created t-shirt blankets that save precious memories as well as keep them out of landfill. So far she has diverted over 10,000 shi...

Send a text Micro fibres and microplastics can be dangerous for our health when we are going about our hobbies at the sewing machine. Julie Moore recognized this early on in her quilting career and set out to make a change in the industry. She was determined to bring organic threads to the quilting world and has worked for the last 20 years or so to make a difference in the lives of farmers, sewer...

Send a text The way plastic is managed globally is problematic. In some regions, less than 8% of plastics are actually recycled. The rest are sent to landfills to slowly break down into microplastics, or release chemicals into soils and watersheds. Natalya Khorover has embarked on using waste in her artwork. She has always been driven to be thrifty and using found materials in her art seemed like...

Send a text Memory quilts and t-shirt quilts are loving gifts for the receiver, but the maker often gets just as much out of the process. That certainly is the case with Cathy Saul who has been making memory quilts for people as well as for donations for many years. We talk about re-purposing sewing machine cabinets, up-cycling clothing and the process of making her special quilts. We also have an...

Send a text This week we look through a different lens at sustainability. I speak with Dara Tomasson about her journey to becoming a life and weight loss coach for quilters. We get into a great conversation about sustainability beginning with the individual and rippling into other parts of our lives as we feel confident.  There's no doubt that we have to be in the right mindset to think about...

Send a text Janine Heschl is an art activist that creates her art to bring light to endangered species. She is a thread painter extraordinaire and we talk about her process, inspiration and even her experience in meeting her idol - Jane Goodall. Making art can go far to making a difference. We talk about the creative process, thread, environmental overwhelm, inspiration and even dig into our thoug...

Send a text Sustainable quilting is catching on the world over. In the Netherlands,  another sustainable quilter - Rianne Doller from Kick-Ass Quilts and I talk about the motivation behind her sustainable quilting projects and some of the people she has helped already. Rianne Doller is also know as The Sustainable Quilter in the Netherlands (there's room for all of us!). With Kick Ass Quilts,...

Send a text Sustainability contains three pillars; environmental, economic and social contexts. All three need to be considered. Community, history and legacy are such a huge part of a sustainable future. The history of Residential Schools and the revelation of unmarked graves in 2021 compelled  Vanessa Genier to offer comfort to her community. It started as an ambitious, community project and has...

Send a text Joins us as we learn about the colonial history of Shweshwe fabric and the complex, fabulous story of resilience of this South African fabric. This parent company does the trifecta of sustainability with social, economic and environmental projects steeped into their business model. Driven by her passion for the beautiful creativity of South Africa, Céleste Compion aims to teach more pe...

Send a text In this first episode of Threads of Sustainability, I flip the interview and have a conversation  with Jasper Nault who asks me about the motivation for starting a podcast on sustainability in quilting, fibre and textile arts.  We talk about:  Who I am Eco-overwhelm Problems in the textile industry Overconsumption Environmental issues Themes and topics the podcast will explore  Re-enfo...