Monday, June 20, 2011

What Do You Think? -- Bamboo Rayon

I tend to favor natural fabrics--those made from materials such as cotton, flax, silk, or wool--but I do buy the occasional irresistible piece made of polyester or nylon.  And I absolutely adore my knits with a little bit of lycra.  But the one fabric I've always been a little on the fence about is rayon, specifically bamboo rayon.  I am very much in favor of organic textiles and the sustainability of resources, and while bamboo itself is a fast growing and seemingly perfect source of textile fiber, the process leaves much to be desired.

Technically, it's made with a natural substance (bamboo pulp) but it is processed in such a chemically intensive way that it almost seems synthetic.  A blog post I found on OrganicClothing.blogs.com gives a pretty good account of how bamboo is processed and made into fabric, and frankly, I have to say that that is alot of chemicals.

Feel free to comment and tell me what you think.

1 comment:

  1. I used to sew with all natural fibers (in my former sewing life - 20+ years ago) but I expanded my horizons into other fabrics when I took up sewing again. I figured that as long as it FEELS good, I was happy.

    I love my bamboo tops, & even have a small stash of bamboo knits, but sadly, now I know too much about the processing, and I can't in good conscience buy any more.

    I'll probably be grappling with many more fabric decisions along the way. I try to live a relatively green life, but I'm no ecology saint!

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