butterflywing

we recently had a thread going about fabric grown and woven in the usa. about how rare that is now. well, connecting threads thought so too. they're using it as a new promo selling point.

connecting threads is now announcing that all their new fabric collections will be made from usa grown cotton. additionally, it is woven and printed in north america (that could include canada).they will be displaying a new logo, 'cotton usa', on their website.

also, they are offering a $5.96 off deal when you buy online. use code CTUS596 in the promo code box on the checkout page. good on any fabric order. not on shipping, limit 1 per person. expires 10.1.09.

now i want my commission for the free advertising i gave them.
:mrgreen:

Lisanne

This is good news, though I have yet to figure out how Canadian labor costs enough less to make exporting the cotton and re-importing is such a cost savings. Thanks for posting it.

Lacelady

Would be even nicer if they sold overseas - sigh.

butterflywing

they do not say that it's woven and printed in canada, but since they make a big hooha about growing it 'in the usa' but only say 'in north america' regarding the weaving and printing, i think they are leaving that door open.
imho.

crashnquilt

Not to forget Mexico is part of the North American Continent. hmmmmmmm, gives lots of food for thought there.

butterflywing

that didn't occur to me. of course!

Favorite Fabrics

If anyone finds out more about this, please post it! From what I know, there is still Santee that finishes goods in the USA (this is info from one of the sales reps that visits us). Cranston did print in Massachusetts up until June of this year. Now all their goods are done overseas. (Wal-Mart's closing of the fabric departments hit then VERY hard.)

I would absolutely love to carry US-made fabrics if I could find nice-looking ones. It's possible that Connecting Threads is large enough that they could commission whole printings just for their use, and maybe they are using Santee. (Pure speculation but possible.)

Now... I'd also been told by several sales reps that there was no cotton combing equipment left in the US, that it had all left our shores a decade ago. That's very sad. So I'm puzzled but encouraged by news of North-American made fabric. Whether the sources are Canada, US, or Mexico ... it's still "greener" in that the raw materials do not have to travel all over the globe.

chickadee_42us

You have to be kidding me, - no cotton combing equipment left in the US. Typical, absolutely typical. :evil:

Lisanne

Yeah, that's just horrible.

Re the North America thing, yes, that includes Mexico, too, and there'd be substantial savings using Mexican labor. Mexico or Canada, it's all the same to me: it's not us, US.

[Side rant:
Beef now says "Product of Canada, USA or Mexico" in very tiny print. That really enrages me. Canada has had incidents of mad cow disease. Mexico has been in the news more times than I can count for bacterial contamination with their produce. I'd like to know exactly where my meat is coming from without having to pay premium prices to ensure it's USA beef. With all the cows across this land, we surely don't need to be importing beef.
All brands of frozen broccoli are now stamped "Product of Mexico," too. I have to wonder if they've been from Mexico all along and we're only now seeing the info because of new laws. Honestly, can't we grow our own broccoli?
I actually bought something I didn't need just because it had a Made in USA label on it. Can't remember what.]

butterflywing

your point about 'usa MADE fabric' is very interesting. they don't actually say that, do they? what they say is "usa grown cotton". please wait: i'm getting the article out --- i don't know how well you can see this, but it's the ocober/november issue of quilt magazine, #104. bottom of page 11.