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Textile Truths (birth of an idea)

3/26/2013

10 Comments

 
Picture
Textile Truths: click image for larger version and link to downloadable pdf
June 27, 2011 Jen Madsen of Stitch Simple emailed me this statement: ". . . we need, you know that 'dirty dozen' list for organic produce?  How about a list of most environmentally friendly arts and crafts supplies or home décor items?"

I thought she was absolutely right! But how to rate, rank, educate and not overwhelm people is no easy task. Fabrics are so much more complex than fruits and vegetables. As the idea progressed, I contacted Leigh Anne of Oecotextiles. She has one of the most comprehensive and thorough blogs about textiles and the chemicals in them. She is my go-to for the chemistry and statistics so I asked if she would be willing to help. Thankfully, she agreed!

The three of us (Jen, Leigh Anne, and myself) knew that there was SOOOO much information that one infographic was not going to do. Our goal then became to put together a series and it was decided that we would start with BABY since that seems to be the most common entry point for people when it comes to organic fibers. I took a stab at the graphic, I redid it about 20 times. It stalled and stammered. My dear friend Suz enlisted her graphic design friend Alison who took a shot at revamping my sad attempt. It helped but also lost the entire fabric focus. We knew we lost our audience. Alison did the work pro bono and I thank her deeply for helping move the project forward in April of 2012 and highlighting where we went astray (focus!).

It stalled for months. I was sick of looking at it and frankly didn't know what to do. In September of 2012 I was contacted by Linsi of Spark Collaborative. We had a mutual friend Rachel Hulan who connected the dots. I bit the bullet and hired Spark Collaborative to take a shot at it. I sent them various versions, thoughts, and challenges. The name was changed from Worst Things/First Things to Textile Truths (duh!) and the layout started to pull together.

I sought help from Suz again (she is an editing wizard with decades of experience!), my friend Madge (a marketing maven and hiking tour leader extraordinaire), and a select few others (you know who you are!!). Changes: color changes, text changes, font changes, layout changes, pattern changes, alignment changes and more changes were made. Then I sent it to GOTS to make sure they would approve of the logo usage. Whew. It got their blessing and now . . .  drum roll please . . .

IT IS OUT IN THE WORLD at last. Will it fill the need we aimed to address? Will anyone read it and care? Will it go viral and ignite different purchasing behavior? Launch a helpful series? Help all organic fabric companies to be better appreciated for what they are doing? Will it crawl under a rock never to be seen? I don't know. Time will tell. I can tell you that I am very grateful to have it no longer haunting my to-do list! I also want to acknowledge all of the kind, thoughtful people who helped in this journey. I LOVE YOU and COULDN'T HAVE FINISHED THIS WITHOUT YOU!

I VERY MUCH welcome your feedback (too late for changes to this version) and if all goes as hoped (and prayed for) we will be releasing other versions for: Home, Fashion, Pets, etc.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you think would be interested.

Buckets full of hugs and gratitude to each of you. It is my gift to the organic fiber community and the world. I hope you like it.
10 Comments
Deidrea link
3/26/2013 10:20:17 am

FanFREAKINGtabulous!! You've done an excellent job of creating an attention-grabbing, easy to read, digestible message! I DO think we need them in every category you've mentioned as well!! CONGRATS!

Reply
harmony link
3/26/2013 01:55:09 pm

THANK YOU Deidrea! I appreciate your enthusiasm. :) Do feel free to link to it, tweet, print, use in any way you can, etc... BIG HUG back at ya!

Reply
Jan link
3/27/2013 08:37:53 pm

Bravo! The persistence and intention are so appreciated! I've addled and rattled my brain for something similar - getting stuck is the only easy part about it!!

I will def share this!! Well done team!!!

Reply
Harmony link
3/28/2013 01:23:51 am

Thanks Jan! :)

Reply
Laura link
4/5/2013 02:02:45 am

Sooo helpful and important, vital really. Thanks Harmony!

Reply
nancy
4/7/2013 03:05:16 am

Perfection.

Reply
trisha howander link
4/8/2013 06:46:32 am

this is AMAZING Harmony! would i be able to add a link to it on my website?

Reply
harmony link
4/8/2013 09:51:29 am

Absolutely! Here's a button with link for you convenience: <a href="http://harmonyart.com/textiletruths.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.harmonyart.com/home/TextileTruthsBaby150.jpg" alt="TextileTruths" border="0" /></a>

Thanks for helping spread the word about organic textiles!

Reply
Tampathia Evans link
3/21/2014 09:47:00 am

Hello Harmony,

My name is Tampathia Evans and I own Bunch & Rosa, a small eco-friendly business in Warrenton, NC. We create handcrafted modern quilts using GOTS certified 100% organic cotton fabric and batting. We source all of our materials from American companies and make our quilts in rural northeastern North Carolina. I would love to be able to use your "Textile Truths" button on my website. I know you've included a link in the comments on your blog but didn't want to use it without your permission. May I add it to my site?

Love your products and hope I can use them in the future...
Tampathia

Reply
harmony link
3/24/2014 03:05:29 am

YES!!!! Please feel free to use it and spread it. . . that's why we made it. Thanks for the kind words about our fabrics too. We hope you can use them too. :)

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  • Fabrics
  • Ordering Fabric
    • Fabric Calculator
    • USA Ordering >
      • Organic Cotton Plus
      • Honey Be Good
      • Silver Needle & Thread
      • B2B (business to business)
      • Whoelsale Application
    • EU Ordering
    • EU B2B
  • Who's Using our Fabrics?
    • Featured Designer
    • Accessories
    • Apparel
    • Baby
    • Bedding/Home
    • Children
    • Pets
    • Service Providers
  • Press
    • Online
    • In Print
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Why Organic?
    • Why Organic?
    • Textile Truths
    • Organic Evolution
    • Organic (r)evolution
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • GOTS Certificate
    • History of Harmony Art
    • Artist Statement
    • Speaking
    • Trees Talk
  • Fabric Glossary
  • FAQ
  • BUZZ