Waste not. These quilts by Sun Moon Lake Goods are created by Moonching Wu of scraps of old cashmere sweaters. The sweaters may have been donated or turned up at thrift shops with holes in them.
With a hole, a cashmere sweater loses value as an item of apparel even though the material itself is still soft and comfy. This reuse retains the function of the cashmere and makes from it a new, fully funtioning quilted blanket.
As Sun Moon Lake Goods says themselves: We believe in responsible production and consumption, which are good for the planet Earth. Environmentally concious plus, we think the pieced-together appearance of the blankets is beautiful.
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I was all set to order one....but at $900?
On the same website that they ask for donations?? That just doesn't seem right! Sure it is enviro friendly, but still.
Nothing is more comfy than a cashmere blankie. Maybe I'll try and make one myself.
OMG!! for that kind of money I expect someone to knit me a cashmere scarf (and spin the yarn by hand). What an insane rip off!!!
I agree with the above comments. $900 for a blanket that isn't even standard full size... that's ridiculous! i do, however, think that this is a great idea.
Not to be a party pooper, but the holes in sweaters at thrift stores are often from moths. Speaking from experience here, having brought home some moths in a seemingly nice cashmere sweater that had a tiny hole in it. So what are the guarantees that you won't buy a moth-infested 900 dollar blanket?
this is silly. one can easily buy a few cashmere blankets for babys on sale and patch them together. That is recycling too.... They were produced already...
bubble, to prevent the sweaters from unravelling when they're cut, I assume they put the sweaters through some kind of felting process. Felting is done through heat and agitation - usually that means some cycles on high temperature through the washing machine.
Someone could easily do this themselves with Salvation Army sweaters, or another source that I've seen posted is http://sweetfeltgoods.com. It's not cashmere, but the blankets sure look comfy.
i once made a dress out of old cashmere sweaters. full-length it sure kept the cold away during portland winters while putzing around the house.
$900?! Also, those aren't quilts. They're pieced blankets.
glh-- that dress sounds amazing. I love the idea of making myself an recycled cashmere muumuu.
I've actually made one of these before with thrifted sweaters that had cashmere and angora content in the wool sweaters. I popped them in the washer at hot and they felted up nicely, then I cut them in strips and sewed them on my Brother sewing machine. Easy peasy and waaaaaaaay cheaper than nearly a grand. Plus: so warm on rainy Bay Area nights.
Bubble is right; holes in wool clothing usually mean moths and moth larvae are practically invisible and extremely difficult to kill. And, moths LOVE cashmere.
Speaking from experience, I would never, ever buy used cashmere again and certainly not for $900.
I thought that a good washing would clear out the moths. I've never had problems with them, though I have brought home holey sweaters.
Washing - even in hot water - and drycleaning may kill live moths, but do not kill larvae.
It took me months to get rid of a moth problem that originated from 3 cashmere sweaters that I bought at a resale shop. I ended up throwing out every wool garment that I owned at the time and bombing my apartment.
RE: Washing - even in hot water - and drycleaning may kill live moths, but do not kill larvae.
It took me months to get rid of a moth problem that originated from 3 cashmere sweaters that I bought at a resale shop. I ended up throwing out every wool garment that I owned at the time and bombing my apartment.
Edited to add: larvae are actually live too, but do survive washing and cleaning, as do moth eggs.
Seriously, that much for something that's recycled? Even if the cost is related to something like excellent labor conditions or a low-impact production process, it's not like this is a product people would by anyway but choose to spend a little more on because of its sourcing. I'm really glad this was posted, though, because it's reminded me that this is a great thing for me to do with my own old sweaters.
This was an eye-opener.....I had no idea. I should scam people too with recycled cashmere blankets and undercut these guys by sellin them for $700. I could make a fortune!!!
If one of your own cashmere or wool sweaters has a hole in it, you can take it to a re-weaver for repair. The cost of repairing a dime-sized hole is about $20-$40. That's responsible consumption- saves you from throwing out or donating the old sweater and a whole lot cheaper than buying a new sweater.
elkanikkole, did the sweaters shrink much after going through a hot wash? Or is it only the dryer that does that?
When you stitched them together, did you end up with a seam (ie, a "right" and "wrong" side)?
I don't have that much cash to spend on a throw, but luckily I do have a sewing machine and a local $2/lb thrift store.
getting rid of moths and their larvae is quite easy
place the sweater in a plastic bag and place in the freezer over night. then wash ( cashmere responds well to gentle cycle cold water -no need to dry clean)
from what I've been told ( and I have not had moth problems since trying) this kills everything.
the $900 while too rich for me is also for the design which, like it or not, has a feeling to it --the stitching the backing the overall feel and the fact that for someone with $--it is right there to take home and use.