Made Where?
 

This holiday season there has been a big push to buy things "Made in America". Made me wonder about quilting fabric. Anyone know if most of the cotton used in the fabric production is grown in America? Also, is the fabric made and/or manufactured in the U.S.? I'm assuming it's on the end cap of a bolt but I've never thought to look. Happy holidays to all.

I don't think any cotton fabric is made in the USA. There used to be one manufacturer but I don't think that they produce in the US anymore.

A LOT of the fabric is made in Asia; South Korea, Japan, China. Yoiu don't come across many bolts that say Made in America...

as far as i can tell, fabric production is now truly international. the raw materials (e.g. cotton plants, silk pods) are grown in one country, processed somewhere else, perhaps printed yet somewhere else again, and then sold all around the world by companies that are based in different countries.

what i find most fascinating is how different styles of material and prints are popular in different countries.

the result is that quilters have unique opportunities. we can build international stashes that represent popular trends around the world (as our individual tastes and budgets permit). and, if it matters to us as individuals, most of us can choose to buy the finished products from "local" producers, websites and/or shops - no matter where we live.

we can gave our cake and eat it, too. how often does that happen? :D

A lady from our quilting group did a lot of research and found no manufacturing company of cotton fabric in the USA but also found that there is a new company beginning down South somewhere.

I thought Connecting Threads fabric was a USA product?

No...not anymore.

I have not yet found a source for cotton quilting-type fabrics that are made in the US. I have found solid-color blends, but that's about it.

Yes, cotton is grown here in the US but I think it is more likely to wind up in denim and apparel fabrics, rather than fabrics for quilting. Apparel is, after all, a much larger market. Everybody wears clothes (well, ALMOST everybody!) but not so many people sew or quilt.

If you want to know more about the cotton industry, here are two reliable sources:
http://www.cotton.org
http://www.cottoninc.com

The fabric may not be made in America, but for those of us who live here, quilt here, and sell our finished items, our quilts are Made in USA and we're adding to the economy because we keep those quilt shops and the online stores in business :-)

I am all for "Made in America," but we have to remember that as quilters, we are connected internationally. Those quilters in other countries buy fabric and notions just like us. I think it unfair that we exclude international quilters by saying we should only buy USA made. What if they decided not to buy American made? Where would we be, then?
I believe that one of our members said it best. If we buy it and create it, then it is technically Made in the USA.