Manufacture

Ecoweaves products are made from recycled woollens that have been colour-sorted, shredded and re-spun. This avoids the impacts of processing virgin fibre, where land use, pesticide use on sheep, animal welfare issues, and in particular effluent from the scouring process may all cause concern. By recycling wool, it is diverted from rapidly-filling landfill sites, where it would decompose giving off methane, 21 times more warming than CO2 in the atmosphere.

The yarn is 95% wool, 5% other fibres and 80% recycled, and the resulting fabric has a pleasingly substantial feel to it. Sorting the woollen garments into colour batches before shredding gives a subtle blend of shades within the fabric and avoids the need to re-dye.

The fabric colours currently available in this range are soft blue and ivory. Minimum yarn ordering quantities mean that other fabric colours are unlikely to be available in the near future. There is no reason a wider range of colours could not be produced - subject to recycled woollens in the desired colours being available, which is usually a few years behind the fashion cycle! In the meantime we are working on incorporating a wider range of colours via re-used buttons and other trims.

Aftercare

The care label recommends handwashing or dry cleaning your ecoweaves product. Handwashing gives the gentlest wash and is ideal for cushion covers, however the throws are 2.7Kg dry weight, so handwashing a throw can be quite strenuous. (These products can be washed on a gentle wool cycle, however tests suggest approximately 8% shrinkage and therefore this is not recommended on the care label.)

Solvents used in dry cleaning (usually perchloroethylene), whilst rigorously controlled, have potentially serious health impacts and may be persistent pollutants in the environment. One alternative may be GreenEarth dry cleaning offered in some Johnsons Cleaners: the solvent used is derived from sand and is claimed to degrade rapidly and avoid the negative health impacts of perchloroethylene.

Pilling is a natural characteristic of wool and is caused by tiny fibres knotting together to form a bobble. Rather than apply an anti-pilling finish, these can be picked off by hand if necessary. Similarly, no flame-retardant finish has been applied, so care should be taken near fire (although wool is naturally flame retardent as it forms a char which limits flame spread).

Environment

Maker Meleri McEwan strongly believes that craft products have a key role to play in addressing climate change: owning a smaller quantity of locally-made, thoughtfully produced items, and treasuring them over the long-term, is a much more appropriate environmental approach than rapid and repeated consumption of mass-produced, poor quality, high fashion items.

Ecoweaves products are designed and made with the environment very much in mind, and we hope that you treasure them for years to come. Textiles are fortunate in having an established recycling route, via charity shops and textile recycling bins or Freecycle / Freegle websites. Items can be downcycled into lower quality items such as carpet underlay or car interiors, or upcycled into customised clothing and home furnishings such as the ecoweaves range.

Meleri McEwan

The ecoweaves range was developed by Meleri McEwan following her Masters in Textile Design at Heriot Watt University (Galashiels campus) in 2000. Two children later, Mel is returning to textile design and is delighted to re-launch this range at a time when concern about the environment, and global warming in particular, is prompting many people to consider their purchasing choices more carefully.

Mel is a member of the Scottish Ecological Design Association and works closely with Black Dog Textiles, creators of beautiful reclaimed fabric handbags. Since 2008, Mel has been a volunteer with Linlithgow Climate Challenge, working mainly on food and gardening issues.