[Nicole]

Wool is a wonderful fabric and a lot sturdier the you would imagine
Thank you Brenda, you have made Jed’s evening

[miss_sonja]

These concerns are one of the reasons I started sewing for my little guy. I often re-use adult clothing to make his little pants and shirts. I just cut out a pair of After School pants for him using an old pair of his dad’s jeans and a repurposed jumper (dress, not sweater) from the thrift store for the accent pieces.

Liesl talked about these issues, as well as fast fashion (i.e. Forever 21, and similar store that are cheap cheap cheap but made in sweatshops) on an older blog she wrote. She mentioned a book on the subject which I read and which taught me a lot about how bad fast fashion is for the world.
Found the blog post:

the fast fashion problem

And here’s an interview on the same topic: http://thewell.intervarsity.org/voices/interview-liesl-gibson

[nzsewist]

I just discovered this thread and thought I would add a couple of comments.

For wool fabrics my geographic location is quite an advantage when it comes to looking for ethical sources.

I live in New Zealand so I can very easily source merino wool fabrics where every step of the fabric manufacture process has occurred domestically. It won’t always be organic fibre but even regular sheep farming and wool fabric manufacturing here is of an ethical standard that I am comfortable with.

For those of you in the USA… The Fabric Store now has a shop in Los Angeles and from what I understand they stock quite a good range of New Zealand merino fabrics. If they are anything like their equivalent stores here in New Zealand then you can call/email them and the staff will pop some free fabric swatches in the post for you based on what you’re looking for. Then they will post you the full yardage you need once you’ve decided which fabrics to buy.

The Fabric Store LA

Oh and they have stores in Australia now too!

They have really good sales near the end of each season where almost all of their fabrics will be 50% off. I always take this opportunity to stock up on some merino fabric and my girls get to keep cosy and comfortable all winter long in home made (and ethical!) merino clothing. The playtime dress/tunic is my favourite Oliver + S pattern to make up in merino jersey.

[Sarvi]

Ooh, great tip! That’s close to me, will be paying a visit.

[Sarvi]

Thanks @ann-maree for the great tip, I visited yesterday and there was a sale, too, got some wonderful fabrics at great prices!

[nzsewist]

I’m glad it was a fruitful trip @sarvi. What did you get?

Their store here in Wellington is my favourite place to go fabric shopping.

[Sarvi]

They had both linen and merino jersey on sale — I got a bit of each. I’d been wanting to make a jersey top and linen slacks to match a pair of unusual shoes I found for my daughter, and they had the perfect match. They were so lovely and helpful, too — their receipt includes a little card with care instructions.

[Mardee]

This article is more about shopping for ready-made clothing as opposed to fabric, but she had some great ideas. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannon-whitehead/clothing-globalization_b_4733516.html

I try to buy natural fibers and buy indie patterns from local shops. I also try to use old clothing to make garments for my grandkids, but I do get caught up in the moment. Lately, I’ve been buying a lot of European knits like Lillestoff, and organic fabrics from Monaluna, but it’s not always easy – sometimes you just need something and you have to take what’s available.