Natural Fibers to Warm Hearth and Home

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By Lisa Tiffin

With heating and energy costs skyrocketing at the same time our natural resources are dwindling, it is only logical to turn to renewable sources to help heat our homes. Using natural fibers such as wool, linen, cotton, hemp and others is not only kind to the environment, but can also be used to create physical and emotional warmth in our homes. And while natural are fibers more healthy than man-made materials laden with chemicals that can off-gas for months, they also give off a natural warmth and beauty that comes from their association with the earth and the history we bring to it.

Naturally save on heating

Using natural fibers in our homes can reduce our energy and synthetics consumption. Anyone who grew up in the energy-conscious ’70s might recognize the familiar mantra, “Put a sweater on,” but beyond wearing wool or layering cotton, we can use these fabrics to warm our homes. In addition to flannel sheets, cotton-lined window treatments and draft barriers for doors, we can now turn to more innovative products such as cotton and wool insulation, woven hemp, grass and mohair rugs, natural window treatments, recycled rope vases and baskets and many more.

No matter what natural items you use in your home, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing how functional and durable natural products are. Anne C. Williams, an artist from Stonington, Maine, who spins all her own yarn and uses natural dyes made from things like mushrooms and wildflowers, notes the lasting quality of natural dyes. “The natural colors mute or soften with time, but they do not wash out.” As proof, she points to rich tapestries that hang in museums such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as the many Persian and Oriental rugs that have been made with natural colors. Williams notes that all of these have been colored with natural dyes and keep their color year after year as opposed to rugs made with chemical dyes, which according to her, “can actually lose more color or bleach out.”

Create an atmosphere of warmth and openness

Williams also says she enjoys teaching children about natural dyes because it opens their eyes to the colors in nature and how our ancestors used those resources. She states, “It is a wonderful connection to the natural world and to history.” Williams likes the idea that the processes and the materials she uses are the same as mankind has been using for thousands of years.

Jan Hewitt Towsley, a weaver and teaching artist form Rochester, New York, agrees. “Everything we put around us has significance and a story.” If the things we place in our personal spaces are from the earth and from the hands of artisans, we create an atmosphere where people can learn more about us. Towsley adds, “If you see something natural in someone’s home, you know that person cares about our world.”

Fiber craft and history

Not only that, but pieces that have the rough-hewn edges of natural fibers rather than the sleek, uniform corners of an off-the-shelf piece invite the viewer to ask about their origin. Natural fibers can add a certain emotional warmth because they are often steeped in the history and craft of yesteryear and generations gone by. That rich history and durable craft serves to provide a certain depth and another layer of meaning to a natural fiber item. Towsley says, “When you walk into someone’s space, a pillow or a piece on the wall that you see will have a color or texture you love, but it will also tell a story. I think the story is as important as the piece itself.”

Many times it is this story that will preserve the piece for generations to come: perhaps a child or grandchild will keep and use a rug that was made by a relative or has a significant story attached. And of course, inspiring our children and grandchildren to reuse our natural pieces just might lead to a cycle of using durable goods, thus promoting less wasteful consumption and healthier, warmer homes for generations to come.

Resources

Fabrics.net A primer on natural fibers including an extensive glossary for textile types.

University of Texas natural fibers gallery Images of natural fibers including raw and finished products.

Ecoproducts.com Cork flooring, cotton insulation and other ecologically sound home furnishings.

Conrad Shades Hand-woven, natural-fiber window treatments.

Eco By Design A large variety of ecologically sound and natural-fiber products.

© Lisa Tiffin

Lisa Tiffin is a freelance writer based in upstate New York. Her articles have appeared in Grit, The Polishing Stone, Homeschooling Today and others. To learn more about her work or to contact her, visit LisaTiffin.com.