Deeper Down the Hemp Textile Rabbit Hole

logobuttAs I metaphorically dug this last week, flipping participles and pretense skyward over my head and up to the sunny surface of my thoughts (and out of the maddening depths of confusion) the revelation suddenly dawned on me while seated and flying with Southwest somewhere over the eastern half of Utah.

I will call upon someone with a modicum of professional talent in Salt Lake City to make the prototype of “One True Pants.”  Yes, the pair of pants that all others will one day bend the knee towards and acknowledge as king.  How could I expect this pair of pants to be found wondering the savannas of retail America?  No, the one true pants has yet to be woven together in the womb of its father’s mind.  Too far?  Yeah, I don’t even understand myself anymore.

Recently though, I found more helpful insight from Eric VandenBerg, the founder of the Hemp Barn.  What will really blow your mind about a place called the Hemp Barn is not that it is primarily an earth-friendly upholstery store, or that it was founded by a young, non-hippy male, but that it is based in Salt Lake City.  I know.  Miracles never cease.

Eric is a totally down to earth guy that had a dream and followed it.  Now that dream is growing into a successful business.  He admits that he still has another part-time job to make ends meet, but hopefully it won’t be long before upholstering worn-out cotton furnishings and providing hemp-based, household inspiration can pay all the bills.

As for my little quest Eric was immensely helpful in allowing me to inspect several swatches (take a moment to role that word around in your mouth.  Swatches.) as I attempt to figure out which fabric to roll with for my OTP.  It turns out that I may be able to use fabric as heavy as 14 or 15 oz. depending on the weave.  Although at the moment I am still leaning toward something in a tightly woven canvas around the 12 once weight.

The next big challenge is to find a seamstress and to determine the exact pattern that should be used for OTP prototype production.  Stay tuned.  Gotta’ go wash the metaphorical dirt out of my hair.

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