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Second Skin: Choosing and Caring for Textiles and Clothing
A beautiful, heartfelt, and practical resource full of information and inspiration on selecting, acquiring, wearing, caring for, making, and repurposing textiles and clothing Almost from the moment of our birth, clothing acts as our second skin, yet we rarely consider where our clothes have come from and the effects they might have on the environment and ourselves. This beautifully photographed and illustrated book is about easily achievable ways to care for the planet by living simpler lives and using fewer resources, specifically those to do with cloth and clothing. It discusses the role of cloth in how consumption affects the ecology; looks at what textiles are made from and examines their properties, with an emphasis on those derived from natural sources; and talks about how to make informed choices regarding clothing—including deciding how much clothing one really needs. It also covers how to mend and maintain clothing, repurpose fashion, dyeing, and when all else fails, instructions for patching, piecing, felting, and twining. One "gallery" chapter is dedicated to clothing designers and artists who have made a practice of working with salvaged materials, including Natalie Chanin (Alabama), Jude Hill (Long Island), Christine Mauersberger (Cleveland), and Dorothy Caldwell (Hastings, Ontario).
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
India Flint
11 books16 followersTextile artist, dye developer.
India Flint was born in Melbourne, Australia, but celebrated her first three birthdays in Montreal, Canada. This not only set a nomadic pattern, it meant that when starting her formal education on the family’s eventual return to Australia, learning to speak English was the initial hurdle. Her first attempts at stitching were guided by her maternal grandmother, an infinitely patient re-threader of needles, who overdyed faded garments in various combinations of tea leaves, calendulas and onion skins. As a child, she discovered felt by accident, whilst vigorously scrubbing wool gathered from barbed wire fences near Werribee. Her fascination for textiles was greatly encouraged by her mother, who always seemed to have a piece of embroidery or knitting in progress, and took her through seemingly endless museums during the family’s wanderings around the world!
In 2002 she was living and working with her three children on a property on the eastern escarpment of the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia, she combines lecturing in ecologically sustainable dye processes at the South Australian School of Art with research, textile practice, playing tenor saxophone and farming. Most of the wool and plants used in her work are sourced from the farm. Her work is represented in a number of European Museums as well as private collections.
The distinctive Eco-print, developed in the course of research for a Master of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia, has become a defining feature of India’s textile practice. While she has made details of the technique available in order to assist dye practitioners with colour assessment of eucalypts, it is on the understanding the process will not be used on a commercial basis.
India Flint was born in Melbourne, Australia, but celebrated her first three birthdays in Montreal, Canada. This not only set a nomadic pattern, it meant that when starting her formal education on the family’s eventual return to Australia, learning to speak English was the initial hurdle. Her first attempts at stitching were guided by her maternal grandmother, an infinitely patient re-threader of needles, who overdyed faded garments in various combinations of tea leaves, calendulas and onion skins. As a child, she discovered felt by accident, whilst vigorously scrubbing wool gathered from barbed wire fences near Werribee. Her fascination for textiles was greatly encouraged by her mother, who always seemed to have a piece of embroidery or knitting in progress, and took her through seemingly endless museums during the family’s wanderings around the world!
In 2002 she was living and working with her three children on a property on the eastern escarpment of the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia, she combines lecturing in ecologically sustainable dye processes at the South Australian School of Art with research, textile practice, playing tenor saxophone and farming. Most of the wool and plants used in her work are sourced from the farm. Her work is represented in a number of European Museums as well as private collections.
The distinctive Eco-print, developed in the course of research for a Master of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia, has become a defining feature of India’s textile practice. While she has made details of the technique available in order to assist dye practitioners with colour assessment of eucalypts, it is on the understanding the process will not be used on a commercial basis.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 15, 2016
This is a thorough and fascinating exploration of textiles. Includes instructions for natural dying.
March 17, 2024
Beautiful layout and some creative ideas from India with using and wearing textiles.
The chapters about the dyeing process are fantastic and speak from India's vast knowledge and experience.
I felt some of the earlier chapters which are written from a factual viewpoint could have had references supplied. I found myself wanting to know more, or wanting to crosscheck.
Loved India's personal stories entwined, so heart-warming to read about the sewing machine travelling all the way to Australia.
The chapters about the dyeing process are fantastic and speak from India's vast knowledge and experience.
I felt some of the earlier chapters which are written from a factual viewpoint could have had references supplied. I found myself wanting to know more, or wanting to crosscheck.
Loved India's personal stories entwined, so heart-warming to read about the sewing machine travelling all the way to Australia.
September 2, 2023
A super comprehensive book about clothing, including textile and fabric care, the environmental and labour cost of making clothes, and the inner workings of the fashion world. It also provides tips on how to repurpose clothing. Really interesting read!
September 20, 2011
Amazing introspective work about the value of clothing, cloth, and meaning.
December 27, 2020
Love the practical tactile earthiness of this guide.
So much inspiration, thoughtful pondering and mindful knowledge and know how.
So much inspiration, thoughtful pondering and mindful knowledge and know how.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews