Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Organic Discoveries








'Tell me is there a lot of variety with the organic fabrics?' asked Kim in the comments on my previous blog post. Although no expert, I was quick to share what I have learnt so far - below is my lightly edited email response to her....


Hi Kim,

There is indeed quite a variety of organic fabric, ranging in weight (home decor, voile, quilting/poplin etc) and an ever increasing variety of designs. I can’t source any locally (I have asked) but online in the right places there are lots to choose from, just type ‘organic’ in the search box. There are a few fabric designers who have their ranges printed on a number of different fabrics/substrates including organic cotton - Amy Butler comes to mind here. Some sites stock no organic fabrics, others like Hawthorne Threads have a large range.

As always, Etsy is a good place to look too. I have even found some Scanfil GOTS organic cotton thread on Etsy which is lovely to work with (bought from Sew Fine Fabric on Etsy, along with some Cloud 9 solids - they have low shipping rates too, even to Australia).

You just have to read carefully as some designs use the word ‘organic’ to describe a free-form design rather than the fabric composition. It seems to me that in the past a large percentage of organic designs were targeted at babies/young children, but I’m pleased to see a great many more general appeal designs being released more recently.

Cloud 9 is a relatively new fabric company which only uses organic cotton and low-impact dyes. Wildwood is one of their newest releases, which although listed as quilting weight, it is quite light weight, almost like poplin and would lend itself well to clothing too. Last night I checked their site again and they have up several yet-to-be-released ranges which look amazing - I can’t wait! (Click here)

The Intrepid Thread is a US bricks and mortar store which also sells online - and as a bonus, they (update-DID but not any more) have great shipping rates, including a special shipping rate for international orders of between 8 and 9.25 yards etc (also for larger orders too). They have a good range of organic fabrics, many currently on special.

Well I’m sure that’s more than enough info for now……looks like I have the basis of a blog post written here! I could have just answered ‘yes’ to your question.
:)
Karen


After reading my email and checking the Cloud 9 website, Kim discovered she had inadvertently bought some Cloud 9 fabric at her local Spotlight store recently.  We had a Spotlight store open in our town a few weeks ago but as yet they have no organic stock.
















I'm really enjoying working with a selection of Cloud 9 fabrics from three different collections plus their new Cirrus range of solids, purchased from three US retailers. All their cloth is GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton and has proven to be colourfast, including a navy/ocean Cirrus solid and also a deep purple/iris Cirrus solid (not shown above). The Cirrus solids are a different cloth type, being yarn dyed with a visible weave, some with a slight shot appearance, and they crease more than the prints (I prewash all fabric) and the darker the colour the more it seems to crease. The solids co-ordinate well with many of Cloud 9's print collections. The Cloud 9 quilting weight print collections are a beautiful finely woven, lightweight cloth with several of the prints and colourways coordinating well with each other. In the photo above I have used mostly Wildwood, along with some fabrics from the Acadia and Shape of Spring collections.

There are many, many good reasons to choose organic cotton, including their amazing range of beautiful prints - both available now and soon to be released. I know what I'll be suggesting for my own Christmas gifts.....



Sharing at WIP Wednesday.

24 comments:

Anne / Springleaf Studios said...

I haven't used organic yet but there certainly are a lot of nice lines to choose from. Yours are gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

Wow, thanks for the links and tips. I did wonder if organic fabric would feel rustic or smooth to the touch and you answered my question. What you've been sewing with your new bundle is lovely!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

They are definitely smooth and soft to touch Preeti. In the past I have bought a little organic quilting cotton by Robert Kaufman and also Amy Butler organic cotton by Westminster Fibers. All have been smooth and soft. Of the organic cloth I have tried, Cloud 9’s seems to be a little thinner/lighter in weight which would make it lovely for clothing too.

I find organic fabrics generally don’t have a brilliant white undertone as the whitening process used for organic cloth is more environmentally friendly and non-toxic, however many do have a good white tone, while others are more of a natural undertone.

marmarel said...

I love your quilt-work. Interesting to read your article about organic materials.
Greetings from Marijke

Susan said...

I can't tell from your photos how wonderful these fabrics feel, but they sure look beautiful! You've given me another reason to visit Spotlight.....

EricaSta said...

It's so important for us and our children to use organic fabric. We are far away here from Australia but we think and take care in the same way.
Your new fabric looking fantastic in colour and pattern, dear Karen :)

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thank you Erica. It’s good to know that people all around the world have similar cares and thoughts.

Just this afternoon I have collected a book which I reserved from our local library called ‘Killer Clothes’ - it looks very interesting.

DeborahGun said...

Have you found Sew Fine Fabric on Etsy? They specialise in organic fabric and thread - I love her selection and she does great shipping rates to Australia :-)

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

I have indeed! That’s where I ordered the Cloud 9 Cirrus solids and also the Scanfil organic thread. I have placed a second order for more a few days ago but haven’t had a response, so I’m not sure what’s happening. I do love Jodi’s shipping rates!

Unknown said...

Such beautiful fabrics! I didn't know they had them at spotlight...I will have to have a better look next time I'm there :)
Looking forward to seeing what you end up creating with your HST's too.

Teje Karjalainen said...

Hi! Wow, so beautiful Fabrics! Thank you for a great post! I haven't used organic fabric, so any Info is good. x Teje

Kaja said...

Organic thread looks good! Have you found Cedar House fabrics yet? Everything they sell is organic.

Jeanne said...

All gorgeous shots Karen! and will definitely check out these online sources. Daily thoughts to you!

geanina said...

very nice article!beautiful photos!:)

Jayne said...

Etsy is a great place to find all kinds of fabric! Organic is a plus! Those stacks are simply gorgeous!

Jenn said...

I love Wildwood! And I just finished a quilt top with Acorn Trail! Organic fabric is definitely climbing up in my book!

Dirk Rosin said...

liker dine fargerike bilder !

Julie said...

I love that Wildwood fabric. Check for colour fastness, I was pressing some organic cotton, and it seemed that the dye ran slightly with the steam. I don't know if that is because of the different dyes they use. Maybe just make sure you always use a colour catcher if washing your quilts.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

That’s interesting Julie. Which company made the fabric? I’ve pre-washed and ironed all mine and none have run, even the Cloud 9 yard dyed navy and deep purple (which I washed by hand thinking they may run) - I was quite impressed.

Kim said...

'Tis great there seems to be so many lovely organic fabrics available. Now that you have enlightened me, Karen, I am now 'sniffing' them out; thank you. Your fabrics are lovely, they will make a wonderful quilt.

Renee said...

Love all those fabrics together! I recently needed some flannel backing and decided on the Birch organics, can't wait to get it!

Elise Lea said...

Gorgeous fabrics Karen! I can't wait to see more. I am interested to see how these sew up.

SarahZ said...

*swoon* Thank you for the HST eye candy...it is almost more than I can bear!! ;)

Vision By Mila said...

Loving the blue/green combination of colors!

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