Organic Cotton Fabric Is Eco-Conscious Alternative

Organic cotton fabric is available in an increasing selection of styles.

Once confined to yoga clothing and lounge wear, organic cotton is moving from sports wear into mainstream fashion.

A touch of Spandex keeps your organic cotton togs looking crisp all day.

One company that specializes in environmentally-friendly clothing is ExOfficio.

T-shirts and tops come in many styles. Organic cotton, soy, and bamboo sportswear for women and men are available.

Some of the fabrics are sweat resistant, insect repellent, and offer sun protection. These are not always organic cotton, though.

The craze for organic cotton fabric ensures cotton’s place as the comfort food of fabrics.

Cotton remains king.

The Truth about Cotton Production

The cotton plant is attacked by hundreds of insects, bacteria, and viruses, reports Encyclopedia Online.

Cotton uses 11 percent of the pesticides used in the world but just 2.4 percent of cultivated land, according to the Sustainable Cotton organization.

Organic cotton growers do not use harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, explains the Organic Trade Association.

Organic cotton production increased 20% in 2009, yet still represents less than 1% of the world's total cotton crop (OTA website).

Buying clothing made of organic cotton fabric contributes to the progress of environmentally conscious agriculture.

Voting with your pocketbook also will motivate fashion manufacturers to offer an increasing range of styles.

Visit Fashion After 50's Organic Cotton Store for a selection of women's tops, bottoms, dresses, robes and sleepwear.

Silk and Cotton Shawl Illustrates the Latest in Fiber Technologies

Wrapping silk around a cotton fiber creates a fabric with the luster of silk that is durable and washable (Textile World, Nov/Dec 2005). Cotton-silk blends are a great choice for office or party summer fashion.

Silk and cotton shawl, 'Fall Foliage'

Designer Thanyarat Sananpanich has created an elegant shawl using silkscreen technique for the motif of fall foliage drifting across the fabric. Fringe finishes the original wrap.

A 20 per cent wool-cotton fabric is softer than pure wool and washable – yet has the rich look and feel of woolen fiber. The shrug, left, uses pima cotton (the type grown in the U.S.), with a touch of baby alpaca wool and nylon.

No wonder Tonia Cook Kimbrough declared, “Cotton is the single best-selling fiber in America today” (Wearables, Oct. 2008, p. 29). Cotton fabric breathes, feels good against our skin, can be dyed into a rainbow of colors, is easily washed and ironed without any high-tech or chemical treatments.

To accessorize your organic cotton fabric, or cotton, clothing, please check out my suggestions for handcrafted necklaces.