Organic Cotton
 

Just got a email from Fabric.com - 15% off Organic Cotton - my question is, what makes fabric organic. Can you tell the difference between regular cotton and organic fabric. Is there a real reason we should use organic fabric? I think it's bad enough buy organic food and pay higher prices. I understand that some people just do not want to eat food that has been chemically treated. But fabric, I don't intend in ingesting any, how about you?
NormaBeth

Well I am not sure what the difference is but so far I haven't been tempted to pay even higher prices for organic cotton! I am sure someone will answer and give you the real information.

Organic farming is more than just the abstinence of using chemical pesticides. It also involves farming methods that have low impact on the environment and sustainable techniques. So that also means natural fertilizers which in turn do not contaminate ground water sources. This most likely results in lower yields and more labor intensive farming practices so that is why the price is higher.

i wonder, though.... do they have to take organic cotton to organic cotton gins and keep the process organic? or does it end when they strip the cotton? Just curious...

I think the reason for buying organic would be to put your money behind sustainable and environmentally sound practices. I'm not sure if the chemicals involved in growing non-organic cotton would have an impact on the skin after its all processed. I haven't sought out organic because of the price, but neither have I shied away from paying the price if it's a fabric I've wanted.

Excellent point, WTxRed! I was looking into bamboo batting that was advertised as organic, but when I read that the chemicals needed to process the bamboo are dangerous to the environment and to the workers who make it, I decided to pass. It is possible to mechanically process bamboo, but I read that no one does it that way because the cost is prohibitive.

Organic Cotton is an alternative to Bt Cotton. What is Bt Cotton? Bt cotton is a genetically modified variety of cotton producing an insecticide. It is produced by Monsanto. It is supplied in India's Maharashtra state by the agri-biotechnology company, Mahyco, as the distributor. The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a family of over 200 different proteins which naturally produce chemicals harmful to selective insects, most notably the larvae of moths and butterflies, beetles, cotton bollworms and flies. IT IS HARMFUL (Deadly) to Butterflies. The gene coding for Bt toxin has been inserted into cotton, causing cotton to produce this natural insecticide in its tissues. In many regions, the main pests in commercial cotton are lepidopteran larvae, which are killed by the Bt protein in the transgenic cotton they eat. This eliminates the need to use large amounts of broad-spectrum insecticides to kill lepidopteran pests (some of which have developed pyrethroid resistance). ...A 2006 study done by Cornell researchers, the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy and the Chinese Academy of Science on Bt cotton farming in China found that after seven years these secondary pests that were normally controlled by pesticide had increased, necessitating the use of pesticides at similar levels to non-Bt cotton and causing less profit for farmers because of the extra expense of GM seeds... (SOURCE: Wikipedia) Also, India is a major grower of cotton. Bt cotton accounts for 93% of cotton grown in India. ((If you are interested in this topic, read the full article, which includes both sides of the controversy over GMO crops.

I was looking for a gray polka dot fabric a few months back and came across this one at Fabric.com. It was on sale (less than $8/yd) and I didn't realize it was organic. I bought it just because it was so stinkin' cute! When it arrived, I pulled it out of the package and could not believe the feel of it. It was soooo soft & silky, almost a luxurious feel to it. I checked my invoice and that's when I saw that it was organic. I bought 6 yards of it because I was planning to use it for a quilt back. I think it will feel WONDERFUL as a quilt backing!!!!

https://www.fabric.com/buy/0336439/h...cats-dots-pink