TigerTailTextiles: The Blog

By the end of World War I (WWI) over a quarter of a million soldiers returned from the war, severely disabled. They were shell shocked, blinded and crippled and trying to recover from the atrocities of war. Many of these men ended up housebound and the problem arose of how these disabled soldiers were meant to work and find suitable employment? The answer came in the form of threads and cross stitching.  In 1911, 3 years before the start of WWI, Annie Collin founded a charity called “The Friends of the Poor” with the aim to ‘bridge the gap between the rich and the deserving poor.’ The charity gained the support of Princess Mary Louise, daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Ernest Thesiger was an actor, artist and friend of the Princess, who’s hands were severely wounded in France during WWI. He saw first-hand the impact that embroidery could have on injured soldiers when he visited a friend in hospital. He suggested to the Government that they should set up an embroidery scheme f

I n this age of global warming and organised climate change protests, we have become much more aware of the environmental impact of the products that we are using. This means that many people now seek to use more environmentally friendly products in their projects and everyday life.  The fashion and textiles industry has a massive environmental impact. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that it accounts for over 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions and 1.5 trillion litres of water per year. According to The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) over £140 million worth of clothing is put into landfill each year. By 2050, it is estimated that 25% of the worlds carbon budget will be used for the fashion industry which would make it one of the most polluting industries, second only to oil!  Maybe this should not be so surprising when we consider that so many fabrics including acrylic, elastine (lycra), nylon and polyester are derived from petroleum.