all articles written by Jennifer Griffith, owner and founder of Butterfly Maidens, unless otherwise noted.

The Secret Ingredient

The Butterfly Maidens apparel line is the softest and highest quality eco-friendly clothing that I have ever worn - which is why I am so passionate about my business. There is one factor in particular that makes my apparel shine in quality, especially the amazingly soft graphic designs: The Secret is in the Ink.

All of my clothing is naturally dyed using a revolutionary screen printing process that utilizes non-toxic, water-based inks. These inks soak right into the organic fibers, instead of sitting on top of the fabric like the majority of graphic t-shirts on the market. Unlike other brands, my designs will never flake off or fade and are extremely soft to the touch - no sticky and hard surface. The result is a beautiful finished product that is made to last a lifetime.

But not only do water-based inks create a superior quality product that looks and feels great, they are helping to save the environment in a very important way. The inks most widely used in conventional screen printing are called plastisol, made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and phthalates. PVC contains dioxin, one of the most harmful chemical presently known to science. During the t-shirt manufacturing process, dioxin is released into the environment causing a major health threat to all life on this planet.

Here’s the positive news: By becoming a wise consumer and choosing to buy organic clothing that is naturally dyed, you are helping to decrease these harmful chemicals from entering our eco-system. And with clothing so buttery soft and comfortable, this becomes a very easy investment to make.

 

 

Did You Know?

Knowledge is Power - the more informed you are about the cotton growing industry, the more empowered you will feel each time you purchase an organic t-shirt. Here are some facts that everyone should be aware of in order to make a wise choice as a consumer:

- It takes 1/3 pound of pesticides to grow enough cotton to make just one conventional cotton t-shirt.

- Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides.

- The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton as "possible", "likely", "probable", or "known" human carcinogens (acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, flumenturon, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin).

- In 1999, a work crew re-entered a cotton field about 5 hours after it was treated with tribufos and sodium chlorate (re-entry should have been prohibited for 24 hours). Seven workers sought immediate medical treatment and five have had ongoing health problems ever since.

Resources: USDA, EPA, and California DPR

 

Annual Earth Day Fair

I am so excited for Earth Day 2008! Butterfly Maidens will be at the annual EarthFair celebration, held in the beautiful Balboa Park, San Diego. This year, I will be displaying many new designs, printed on eco-friendly colored shirts - a first for Butterfly Maidens! You will see pretty sky blue tees and sage green infant sets! I have a brand new style for my women's tees that accomodates all shapes and sizes, as the "baby doll" Believe tee does run quite small. Everyone should be very pleased with the new styles and designs. I will also be introducing a toddler tee and an infant onesie with cap set, both of which will be completed just before the Fair - so all those who stop by my booth may be the very first ones to see and buy the new designs. EarthFair will be held on April 20th this year, and my booth should be in the same spot as last year - on the lawn right next to the Federal Building. I hope to see you there! And a big thanks to all of you who stopped by last year.

 

 

Press Coverage

Coming soon...