Cotton

[Patchouli]

Doing a forum search for cotton, mentioned here more than you'd think.
I have been looking online and in stores for cotton clothing, like nearly 100% cotton. I can't find hardly anything!! Just sick of the other styles, the fabrics, the fit. Not finding much in second hand stores either.
And if it is 100% cotton, it is made in China. No thank you.
Now yall, if you're older and live in a place where the population of older people is higher, you can see a lot of second hand clothing in church thrift sales, second hand stores, estate sales, etc. because it is given away after ...you know, people die.
Okay, so while the rest of you are concerned that the end is near in general, I'm trifling with fabric and clothing. Never mind that...
Looking online at cotton prices, go ahead, it will take a lot of study for me to understand what I'm looking at, is there anything that we've been missing as far as production of clothing? I've also noticed a fabric called viscose which is "natural", being made out of tree fibers! I guess they think it is easier to harvest trees for fabric than to grow cotton.
So much of our clothing is not made in America, (buy American!)
I guess I should add, discuss?

 

[montanabill]

It probably isnt made in america but for the cooler months I sure like my heavy carhart T shirts.
I agree places like yard and estate sales sometimes have the real thing.

 

[Patchouli]

Well, I'm going to park these links here so I can come back to them to read later. okie.
https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024AOF-cotton-outlook.pdf
https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/cnaacps.pdf
because I'm curious but maybe it just doesn't mean a thing. I'm sure it matters to the cotton farmers.
A couple of headlines: Indian growers to pile more pressure on downtrodden cotton market
China bough $1 billion of US cotton
Both at https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/cotton-price

 

[elkhound]

Watch weekly farm journal and read various agricultural reports...you will stay awake at night if you look at the big picture.

lots that could be said about cotton !

 

[lonewolf]

its almost impossible to get cotton clothing over here any more.

 

[Morgan101]

Do a search for 100% cotton clothing. This link came up: https://harvestandmill.com/https:/

Here is another: https://www.fairindigo.com/collections/100-cotton-women

Amazon also had a section of 100% cotton clothing, Hope this helps.

 

[Patchouli]

Thanks y’all. That’s just it, @Morgan101 found some on Amazon but what I saw was made in china and shipped from China! That really bothers me.

 

[Morgan101]

Thanks y’all. That’s just it, @Morgan101 found some on Amazon but what I saw was made in china and shipped from China! That really bothers me.

The two that I found "claim" to be 100% American made. Who knows? Hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[elkhound]

Thanks y’all. That’s just it, @Morgan101 found some on Amazon but what I saw was made in china and shipped from China! That really bothers me.

what you are talking about died decades ago..it started in 80's. in my area there were dozens of textiles and all throughout the southeast u.s. and more.

one by one they closed...going to china and more.i know of one factory that managed to stay open till just a year or so ago.it allowed the last few very senior workers to work to earn money towards retirement in 401k and daily living as long as they could. i think the increase in electric was last nail in coffin for them. i wanna say there were like 20 people working.

bottom line..we stopped producing and became a consumer society.

look up cotton linters.....i posted about it here as of late...we need it to defend ourselves...we couldnt sustain a war right now..i dont care what anyone says..i see it in real life in fact...not saying anything more.

theres a wider angle to this as well.

 

[elkhound]

ok yall..its over my pay grade...i posted a link but it looks like a video..its not..click it and it goes to article.

 

[poltiregist]

Probably ain't cotton , but in my stash is several bolts of cloth . The cloth is there in case clothing purchases become a thing of the past . My clan instead of wearing stinking hides , can make clothes from the cloth . Also in the stash are needles and thread . -- For those that think this is a ridiculous thing to do , consider if the Nukes drop , we could be in a no clothing buying world next week . Pulling clothes off rotting corpses is just not appealing to me and seems disrespectful to leave nude corpses lying about .

 

[12icemaker]

I think the "Viscose' is telling you the clothing is made of Paper products spun into fiber with a plastic in a marketers way.
There are some yarn spinners and cotton growers around here, but not nearly as many as once.
I Remember going through Huntsville, AL when the mill was open up there as a kid.
They had the whole setup, Mill store, housing, school and dispensary,

There were a lot of things up that way from Madison to Chase that have gone away.

There was a very large T shirt manufacturer in Florence Al at one time but the China/Asia rush put 2000 people out of a job finally, it was a family owned business and they held on to the bitter end just letting people go as they had to till they shut the doors and never opened them again.

The cotton producers changed to soybeans and corn.

 

[Neb]

https://www.american-giant.com/

Pricey but all US.

Ben

 

[Patchouli]

https://www.american-giant.com/

Pricey but all US.

Ben

Shocking prices. More later

 

[LadyLocust]

@Patchouli Guess l could be ornery and say - now try looking for organic cotton l have traveled this path for several years now. My wardrobe is with only a few exceptions natural fibers: cotton, linen, silk and wool. l used to find quite a bit of silk in the thrift shops. ln the 90's rayon seemed to take it's place so as folks pass on so too do those real fibers. Even at estate sales, older folks tend to like polyester since it "last forever." It doesn't look the same forever but doesn't deteriorate like cotton since it's synthetic. 100% cotton clothing can be found but is becoming increasingly scarce. 100% cotton fabric is still available though (organic is rare though). I can't remember if you sew or not, but you might find a couple/few sewing patterns that are what l call timeless - just good standards for whatever style you prefer. One of my favorite shirt patterns is from the 80's. l can make it a little longer or other minor alterations easily.
Oddly, l do still find 100% linen clothing at thrift shops more often than silk or even quality cotton. The other sad bit is l used to find real wool sweaters which now have become like gold. Acrylic looks ratty after a couple washings which is why there are so many of them.
Note: I am one of those weirdos who would rather have a few nicer quality pieces than a closet full of synthetics.

Also, l should apologize - this has been something l've done a ton of work on personally so has become a sort of soapbox topic for me so l try to keep my big trap shut. (Most folks, especially women want their designer closets full of Chinese carp.)

 

[Patchouli]

You are the Queen of Fabric o Lady of the Locusts. I thought it’d be great to find U.S. cotton first, then go for the gold, organic. I’ve not been very good at sewing tops. You speaka my language. I’d love to wear all natural fibers but will pass on burlap undies.
Let’s ship our cotton to China, they can make our clothing, ship it back to us. Thank you for being in the same bandwagon! Keep talking. I’ll be back later.

 

[Tommyice]

Cotton is awfully expensive in any form. Last year I got my cones of weaving cotton on sale for $17 per pound (2ply #8weight), now it’s over $18+ and it sells out fast. There was a poor growing season a few years back making it ridiculous to get and to pay for.

 

[joel]

At one time only cotton growers wore cotton.

 

[Peanut]

Anyone seen colored cotton, natural without dyes? In the early 90’s I was driving near Bakersfield ca in the fall. I saw green cotton beside the road! I pulled over for a better look. The bowls were open and the cotton wasn’t white. I grew up in cotton fields, this cotton looked bizarre. That winter I saw a reddish brown cotton here in alabama, a neighbor had grown it.

I heard a few farmers were experimenting with it. The colors were very pale but I could see a ‘color’.. It never caught on, sort of a fad that didn’t go anywhere. There simply wasn’t a market for it, public didn’t care, wasn’t interested.

This is from the net...

“In 1982, Sally Fox a graduate in Integrated Pest Management from University of California started researching colored cotton, integrated her knowledge and experience in technology and introduced the first long fiber of naturally colored cotton. Sally Fox later started her company, Natural Cotton Colors, Inc. and obtained patents in different shades including: green, coyote brown, buffalo brown, and Palo Verde green under FoxFiber.

Later on, the technology was further improved by cotton breeder Raymond Bird in 1984. Bird began experimenting in Reedley, California, with red, green, and brown cotton to improve fiber quality. Later on Raymond Bird, along with his brother and C. Harvey Campbell Jr., a California agronomist and cotton breeder, formed BC Cotton Inc. to work with naturally colored cottons. Naturally colored cotton usually come in four standard colors - green, brown, red (a reddish brown) and mocha (similar to tan).”

This first photo is from Sallly Fox’s field, the second from the net.

 

[Patchouli]

The two that I found "claim" to be 100% American made. Who knows? Hope you find what you are looking for.

Thank you for linking stuff. i appreciate it!

 

[MoBookworm1957]

I love working with "Natural" fibers over colored ones.
I have several bolts of "Natural unbleached muslin which I try to keep in my stash for clothing making, quilts.
Instead of looking for organic cotton look for "Natural" cotton or muslin.
Depending where you purchase your fabric it will be slightly different shades of white, natural, cream.

 

[Patchouli]

Random quote:
In 2023, Texas planted 7.85 million acres of cotton, harvesting 2 million acres for an estimated production of 3 million bales. However, in February 2024, the Texas Farm Bureau reported that farmers planned to plant 5.3 million acres of upland cotton, which is 5.1% less than the previous year. This decrease is due to an expected increase in corn, soybean, and peanut acres.
But that doesn't mean it wouldn't increase in cotton acreage the next year. Is it always a "follow the money" deal for farmers? Always?

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Random quote:
In 2023, Texas planted 7.85 million acres of cotton, harvesting 2 million acres for an estimated production of 3 million bales. However, in February 2024, the Texas Farm Bureau reported that farmers planned to plant 5.3 million acres of upland cotton, which is 5.1% less than the previous year. This decrease is due to an expected increase in corn, soybean, and peanut acres.
But that doesn't mean it wouldn't increase in cotton acreage the next year. Is it always a "follow the money" deal for farmers? Always?

I don't know a farmer that wouldn't like to make a profit at least once in awhile.
Farmers don't have a large margin of error to play around with.
Some farmers are just breaking even, most are just trying to provide for their families without losing their farms.
So to answer your question they have to more or less follow the money.
Which crop will cover the bank notes(loans), pay them to keep farming, provide for their families.
Hope this answers your questions.

 

[LadyLocust]

Also, farmers and ranchers are among the few who don’t get to name their own prices- someone else tells them what they’ll get

 

[elkhound]

costs are effecting everything right now..has last few years..fertilizer is a huge issue right now..why..sanctions on cheapest sources of basic ingredients.

about 15 years ago..i knew a cotton farmer and it cost them 1 million a year to put crop in ground..they didnt make enough to pay loan back and was faced with that much debt...AND...another 1 million to get next crop out...the folks making loan for crop wasnt sure if they could risk another million to get that crop in ground...sadly i lost contact and dont know outcome.

farmers here use to get cotton by products and use as feed supplementing beef cattle and more...higher cost on trucking and more has ended that now.

 

[Peanut]

Soon we'll be serfs working the land at our corparate massa's whim. Company farms rule the roost, so to speak. For many decades it takes more and more land each year to produce a livable income. A single farmer can only grow and produce a finite amount of X. If the farm can't grow it folds. Gets taken over by the bank or company.

Example, my uncle has 3 chicken houses on land my grandpa farmed. Everything else is controlled by the food company. They supply the birds, feed and everything is done according to their policies and schedule. Basically my uncle gets a rental fee for the buildings. He pays employees out of his end, insurance, repairs et al.

That is modern farming in a nutshell. There are still independent farmers, but their numbers grow fewer each year.

 

[Patchouli]

Probably ain't cotton , but in my stash is several bolts of cloth . The cloth is there in case clothing purchases become a thing of the past . My clan instead of wearing stinking hides , can make clothes from the cloth . Also in the stash are needles and thread . -- For those that think this is a ridiculous thing to do , consider if the Nukes drop , we could be in a no clothing buying world next week . Pulling clothes off rotting corpses is just not appealing to me and seems disrespectful to leave nude corpses lying about .

I don't have bolts of fabric but I do have a few different yardages of various fabrics picked up here and there from friends or purchased on the cheap. I know it is not ridiculous to have sewing supplies in the event of anything.
@LadyLocust I have a pair of linen pants, they sure do like to wrinkle.
@Peanut maybe some of our grandchildren will be hand pollinating our crops.

 

[Caribou]

I’m not sure why you want cotton clothing. Cotton is a terrible cloth for survival clothing. Cotton holds water longer than other material and therefore transfers heat faster. When I was taking my survival instructor trainer course we had pieces of different materials. At the beginning of class each cloth was soaked in water, wrung out, and hung up to dry. At the end of the day the cotton was still wet while everything else was dry. Every break we would each feel every cloth to check on the dryness. I could see cotton in the summer in warm climates but nowhere else. Anyplace where it gets below 60℉ at night I wouldn’t consider cotton. Most cases of hypothermia occur at night when the temperature is in the 50’s. People wear light clothing, the sun goes down, the wind picks up, and they die from exposure.

One place to get American made stuff is from Mike Lindell. His cotton is grown in Israel but his products are made in America.

 

[Tommyice]

I’m not sure why you want cotton clothing. Cotton is a terrible cloth for survival clothing. Cotton holds water longer than other material and therefore transfers heat faster. When I was taking my survival instructor trainer course we had pieces of different materials. At the beginning of class each cloth was soaked in water, wrung out, and hung up to dry. At the end of the day the cotton was still wet while everything else was dry. Every break we would each feel every cloth to check on the dryness. I could see cotton in the summer in warm climates but nowhere else. Anyplace where it gets below 60℉ at night I wouldn’t consider cotton. Most cases of hypothermia occur at night when the temperature is in the 50’s. People wear light clothing, the sun goes down, the wind picks up, and they die from exposure.

One place to get American made stuff is from Mike Lindell. His cotton is grown in Israel but his products are made in America.

In my opinion, wool and silk are best but natural fibers will always be in my fabric stash. Wool might stay wet but it will retain 80% of it's warmth. It is also more flame resistant (without treating) than cotton. Silk is warm but can also be lightweight.

Fabric warmth and durability is built into the weave structure.

 

[Morgan101]

One place to get American made stuff is from Mike Lindell. His cotton is grown in Israel but his products are made in America.

I thought he got his cotton from Egypt (Giza), which is supposed to be among the finest in the world, but some of it could have come from Israel.

I really don't expect to need any type of material to make clothes or anything else. IMHO we have enough clothes, blankets, sheets pillow cases etc. to last three lifetimes. My wife hasn't thrown anything out in nearly 50 years. I think we still have all the baby clothes.