When we were in AZ last year, we saw the cotten gin and fields. Quite interesting. Thanks for sharing.

At first glance I thought it was a marshmallow farm ;') LOL

My Grandmother told me that after a field was picked, she would go back and pick the cotton that was left behind and make her own quilt batt from the left over cotton, seeds and all. That was back in the depression days when money was scarce. She said that making quilts for her doctor is how she paid for him to deliver her 8 children.

Gosh - loved the pictures. I've chopped, hoed, and picked many a field. Hated picking the most - could never get my bag full.

Nice pictures! Looks like a good crop!

How fun to see these pictures! You hear stories of how the hands of the people picking the cotton were so scratched up, now you can see why. Those pods have sharp points. Now machines do it. I understand that cotton fields are inching their way north. The weather pattern is changing. Good post!

Just imagine the ingenuity that man had to figure out a piece of machinery to do all the steps that a cotton gin does. Was it Eli Whitney? Seems like I remember that name associated with the cotton gin. Anyhow, I applaud whoever it was.

I loved the pictures. We have been to Florida a few times but never saw any real cotton fields or the bales. Up here we have potato fields and corn fields, et.
Thanks for sharing.

Enjoyed your pictures. We saw the cotton fields on our last trip back from Michigan to Florida, but have never seen the bales of cotton. At first glance it does resemble snow. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for those wonderful pictures!! My Dad worked in a cotton field in north Texas and they went to a country school to hire teens to work in the fields ... that's where he met my Mom! They were married 53 years & had 9 children! :)

When I have seen a field like that, in my mind I see all the cotton pickers from the past. It is the history in me. :)

While on a business trip years ago my husband brought back a part of a cotton plant. Our daughters took it to school for show & tell. Surprisingly it was an excellent learning tool because so many kids had never seen a cotton plant! We had it hanging on the garage wall for several years!

We have lots of cotton fields around here where I live.

we have cotton feilds here in ms. they are very interesting.

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.

I have never seen a cotton field either. So much a part of our heritage. How interesting, thanks for sharing. It reminded me of a Georgia Bonesteel quilt called "The Cotton Boll". Its a beautiful appliqued quilt done in rich golds, browns, green and white. I found it in my old New Ideas For Lap Quilting by her. Gorgeous quilt!

Thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

Thanks for sharing. It is amazing to me how something as hard as a cotton bale can be turned into something as soft as cotton matterial.

very interesting! many people think of cotton as fluffy, bunny rabbit soft, etc. picking white cotton is hell on earth. as someone else said, snakes and many other "critters". scratches and flesh wounds. sun and body aches. and, yes, how would u.s. history have changed if natural cotton had been favored? i love cotton, good to see a bit about the history of the staple of our craft.

Awesome! It's been a long time since I've seen cotton fields. I live in NC and we used to see miles and miles of these pretty white fields as we traveled to the coast. No longer, though. It's sad how our country has given up our resources to other countries.

Thanks, great pics.

Thank you. I have never seen this. I have hauled lots of corn, soybeans, milo, beer, salt &etc. I drove semi for years but with my kids had to stay close to home here in Nebraska so I thought this was really cool to see the fields. It makes you appreciate the finished product as you use it. Love to sew.

I'd like to get my hands on some of that cotton to spin and dye!

That's what the fields look like now here in western OK... time to pick!!

Most interesting!!! Love learning new things. Thanks so very much for sharing.

that is very interesting! I never really knew what harvesting cotton looked like. Cool!

A friend of mine was driving out in the country and came upon a cotton field. She parked and ran out to get a boll of cotton. She wanted to see if it was as soft as cloth I guess and she rubbed it all over her cheeks. She ended up with a rash on her face. I told her they put chemicals I'm sure to keep bugs out of it, and from destroying the crops. Bet she don't do that again.
Bobbi

My child hood was spent on a farm in central Ga. I picked cotton and every other chore in the fields. I enjoyed my years as a farmers daughter, still enjoy walking barefoot through fresh plowed fields, walking through fields of cotton. I live on a portion of my fathers farm but all I grow is flowers and a veggie garden and am not good at that. I relish the precious memories.

Cotton fields are all over in my area. I have several plants in my back yard. I use it for stuffing in pincushions and other small projects. It's easy to grow, pick and seed for a few plants.

How many of us were seeing beautiful fabrics in those bales?

Saw lots of it coming south. The fields look so empty when going north for Xmas.

Thanks for pics. I think I will snagg them and put them in a frame for my new Quilting Studio.
Also reminded me of a story from long ago - A friend and I were out riding and she saw a cotton field, asked what kind of flower that was. Me being the prankster told her that she was looking at a tabacco field and they grew the filtered stuff on the outside of the fields to protect the tabacco. She was a very gullible person and believed me all day until she went home and visited her mother. Her mother roared with laughter and told her that I had gotten her again! Thanks again for the pics and the trigger to a memory that brought me smiles.

The last job I worked in NC before leaving was in
a cotton mill. We would get bundles of "raw" uncleaned
cotton and have to process it all the way to point that
it became blanket yarn.

Working in a cotton mill is hard and hot work. On the
average 90 degree summer day outside the heat index in
the plant would be about 135+ degrees and that was WITH
fans blowing.

This is the TYPE of blanket yarn we made. Each "core"
would weigh 8-10 pounds.

The second photo is not one of the designs the company
made, but it is same STYLE and TYPE (with the fringe). I
have a USAF blanket that I bought at the retail outlet store
the company had.

Very interesting I have never seen a cotton field..

We had a small farm in NM when I was little and we grew some cotton, also peanuts, sweet potatoes, corn, maize, alfalfa, sugar cane, broom corn, and soybeans. The cotton field is much prettier when it's in bloom, before the bolls form. I still remember my father taking me through a cotton gin. I picked a little cotton just for fun, but I was too young to pull the big long bag down the row. I also remember getting sick after eating the raw peanuts in the field.

Wow, I have never seen a cotton field nor a cotton plant except in the movies. Thanks the things we take for granted!

Neat! Thanks for the photo's.

That is really neat.

as i am orginally from arkansas i think cotton fields in bloom are beautiful but as having tohoe weeds out of the plants and picking by hand that is hard work i know because i have done both but thanks for your pictures brings back memories for me

I live near some cotton fields here in Texas. I love to see it growing. It has all been harvested here. The cotton crops took a hit this summer with this bad drought and terrible heat. The plants did not grow as well but they still got a harvest! Thanks for the pictures!