Organic Cotton Quilting Fabric, Safe Dyes & Finishes, Fair Trade, Etc.
#11
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I've been shopping around on the internet for organic quilting fabrics. Most stores carry organics now, including Joann's. Cloud9 has some beautiful stuff. HoneyBeGood has some very nice sale and coupons on their organics. Robert Kaufman does an organic line. Fabric Indulgence has some gorgeous yardage. There's a few fabric artists on Etsy that sell their goods.
I'm also interested in batting. I usually use cotton and organic cotton is readily available now. Has anyone tried the bamboo/org. cotton batting? I hear it's really nice and luxe. I haven't looked at organic thread yet. I have way too much of the regular stuff right now.
Other sources???
~ Cindy
I'm also interested in batting. I usually use cotton and organic cotton is readily available now. Has anyone tried the bamboo/org. cotton batting? I hear it's really nice and luxe. I haven't looked at organic thread yet. I have way too much of the regular stuff right now.
Other sources???
~ Cindy
#12
I won a spool of organic cotton thread as a door prize. It was very linty and limp. It shredded too much when used on the machine so I used it for handsewing. Bamboo batting is not bamboo.
Federal Trade Commission want consumers to know that while bamboo does grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides and has found excellent uses in hard products like flooring and furniture, the soft bamboo textiles such as sheets, shirts, and batting are actually rayon, which is not an environmentally friendly product.
Federal Trade Commission want consumers to know that while bamboo does grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides and has found excellent uses in hard products like flooring and furniture, the soft bamboo textiles such as sheets, shirts, and batting are actually rayon, which is not an environmentally friendly product.
Last edited by BellaBoo; 05-22-2013 at 06:01 AM.
#13
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Another product that I've been seeing in the organics category is hemp/cotton blend fabric. Has anyone used this? I made my daughter's wedding dress from a hemp/silk blend. The fabric was absolutely beautiful and very durable. I imagine that hemp blend quilting fabrics would be long wearing.
~ Cindy
#14
This is an interesting topic, thanks for opening it. Just scanning a few sites & found this blog, will check back later when I have more time. http://quiltersbattinguniversity.blogspot.ca/
#15
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Last edited by Peckish; 05-22-2013 at 06:58 AM.
#16
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There are a couple of designations/certifications that are awarded to organic fabrics, which helps. One is the GOTS, which stands for, "Global Organic Textile Standard." Here's an explanation of what it stands for: http://tilth.org/certification/stand...-textiles-gots.
Another one is, "Organic Exchange (OE) 100," which tracks organic fibers, making sure that they do not get mixed up with non-organics.
"SBP,' gives honors for fabrics made out of sustainable and biodegradable products.
You can also look for the words, "low impact dyes," on the label, or description.
~ Cindy
#17
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Also, on the subject of batting...I was just looking at some quilting catalogs and they are now offering organic, Soy/Cotton blend batting. Hummm...what part of the soybean plant are they using? I assume not the bean, but the rest of the plant. Waste not, want not...true to a quilter's mantra.
~ Cindy
~ Cindy
#18
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Location: Pacific NW
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Rumor?
Okay, here's the body of the article I wrote about bamboo batting. Read it carefully, investigate the links, and feel free to then draw your own conclusions. I personally could not care less what other people use for batting, but if it's important to you, please base your decision on more than just a "rumor".
What kind of batting to use is a decision that a lot of quilters have difficulty with. There are so many variables to consider, so many different products to choose from. Poly, cotton and wool are well known, tested, and documented. It’s looking as if that’s not the case with bamboo.
Lots of quilters got excited when the new bamboo battings came on the market. They were reported to be a sustainable, environmentally friendly and rapidly growing crop with antimicrobial properties, grown without harmful pesticides and fertilizers. For quilters looking to minimize their impact on the environment, their exposure to chemicals, and be “green”, this seemed like a dream come true.
However, the Federal Trade Commission has quite a different story. They want consumers to know that while bamboo does grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides and has found excellent uses in hard products like flooring and furniture, the soft bamboo textiles such as sheets, shirts, and batting are actually rayon, which is not an environmentally friendly product.
Going green is appealing to many people. But it’s difficult to go green if we don’t know the truth about the products we’re using. In fact, it can be detrimental to the life of our quilts.
I found an article on the web that discusses good vs. bad bamboo and how to tell the difference. In summary, bamboo is either processed chemically, which is harmful to the environment and the people processing it, or it's processed mechanically, which makes it organic and “green” but is very labor-intensive and actually costs more than chemical processing. Scroll halfway down the page for a short list of things to check when you’re considering purchasing bamboo batting.
Until further analysis and verification can be documented about bamboo (and labeling rules and laws are changed), it might be wise to stick with standards like wool and organic cotton battings that have been tested, confirmed and are widely available.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...ts/alt160.shtm
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5538.html
http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/02/i...ndly-material/
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_...-facts-be.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon
http://www.awakenedaesthetic.com/201...s-your-bamboo/
Okay, here's the body of the article I wrote about bamboo batting. Read it carefully, investigate the links, and feel free to then draw your own conclusions. I personally could not care less what other people use for batting, but if it's important to you, please base your decision on more than just a "rumor".
What kind of batting to use is a decision that a lot of quilters have difficulty with. There are so many variables to consider, so many different products to choose from. Poly, cotton and wool are well known, tested, and documented. It’s looking as if that’s not the case with bamboo.
Lots of quilters got excited when the new bamboo battings came on the market. They were reported to be a sustainable, environmentally friendly and rapidly growing crop with antimicrobial properties, grown without harmful pesticides and fertilizers. For quilters looking to minimize their impact on the environment, their exposure to chemicals, and be “green”, this seemed like a dream come true.
However, the Federal Trade Commission has quite a different story. They want consumers to know that while bamboo does grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides and has found excellent uses in hard products like flooring and furniture, the soft bamboo textiles such as sheets, shirts, and batting are actually rayon, which is not an environmentally friendly product.
Going green is appealing to many people. But it’s difficult to go green if we don’t know the truth about the products we’re using. In fact, it can be detrimental to the life of our quilts.
I found an article on the web that discusses good vs. bad bamboo and how to tell the difference. In summary, bamboo is either processed chemically, which is harmful to the environment and the people processing it, or it's processed mechanically, which makes it organic and “green” but is very labor-intensive and actually costs more than chemical processing. Scroll halfway down the page for a short list of things to check when you’re considering purchasing bamboo batting.
Until further analysis and verification can be documented about bamboo (and labeling rules and laws are changed), it might be wise to stick with standards like wool and organic cotton battings that have been tested, confirmed and are widely available.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...ts/alt160.shtm
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5538.html
http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/02/i...ndly-material/
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_...-facts-be.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon
http://www.awakenedaesthetic.com/201...s-your-bamboo/
#19
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#20
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: West Texas
Posts: 2,073
Last summer I attended a lecture by an executive from Hobbs Batting (manufacturing headquarters in Waco, TX.) What the man said falls in line with Peckish's information -- It is manufactured in an environment heavy with chemicals. He said that they sell it, because people are on the organic bandwagon. They do produce an organic cotton batting.
I have a friend who farms in N.D. He has looked into the regulations on organic farming and says that the restrictions and recordkeeping are ridiculous -- as if farmers didn't have enough hoops to jump through.
I appreciate the pesticides on fabric sent from overseas, because I don't want invested goods. However, I do wash my fabric before using it.
I have a friend who farms in N.D. He has looked into the regulations on organic farming and says that the restrictions and recordkeeping are ridiculous -- as if farmers didn't have enough hoops to jump through.
I appreciate the pesticides on fabric sent from overseas, because I don't want invested goods. However, I do wash my fabric before using it.
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