Introductions
Hi there! Welcome to The Fiber of Our Lives Blog.
I’m Kelsey, a fifth year PhD student in Materials Science who is also obsessed with sewing her own wardrobe.
About three years ago I pulled my dusty old sewing machine out of storage with the intention of finishing a quilt I started long ago. I desperately needed a hobby. If you’re not aware, grad school is one of the most soul-crushing things one could ever inflict upon themselves. I needed an outlet that let me express my creativity while still working my brain. Quilting was nice, but pretty soon, I remembered why I had put that quilt project away all those years ago. It takes a really, really long time to create an entire quilt from start to finish (especially since I was using the Foundation Paper Piecing method). But then in my internet wanderings I came across the Colette Patterns website, and suddenly I was hooked. These sewing patterns were nothing like the out-dated tissue paper monstrosities I remember my grandmother using in my childhood. These were modern designs with clear, detailed instructions. After completing an admittedly sad looking Colette Sorbetto top, I fell down the independent sewing world rabbit hole.
As my garment sewing skills progressed, I quickly learned some hard lessons about fabric choice. The world of textiles can seem overwhelmingly complex to a newbie, and I was no exception. Figuring out all of the different fibers and weaves and knits and how to pair that to a project can be hard. Ironically, textile science is a sub-field of Materials Science (my current field of study), yet I was just as lost as anyone else.
When I first dove into the wide world of fabrics, I was mesmerized by the beautiful colors and textures. I loved all things soft and pretty. But then I started hearing that some of the soft, pretty fabrics I loved had a dark side. For example, I learned that in order to make rayon and viscose, super toxic chemicals were used to treat the cellulose, and often those chemicals get dumped into waterways. Or that synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon shed little plastic fibers in the wash that harm marine life. Some of this information is easy to find, but sometimes you have to go digging. Over the last three years, I’ve learned a lot, but I still have more questions. That’s where this blog comes in.
On The Fiber of Our Lives blog I’m going to share what I’ve learned so far about the world of textiles, and bring you along on the journey as I answer all the rest of my questions (and hopefully yours). I’m going to use my training as a researcher to compile information about this complex science in easy to understand words. Feel free to submit your knowledge and questions along the way! From the basic distinction between a knit and woven fabric to the latest bio-inspired eco-textiles, we’ll explore it together and learn lots along the way. Let’s celebrate the fibers of our lives!
- XO - Kelsey