There are 2 methods for processing bamboo.. one is "natural" and doesn't use harmful chemicals.. but takes MUCH longer to process and much more work. the second uses enough chemicals that it totally negates the "green" benefits.. so until they find a third option I'll stick with cotton. That is why they quit making so much linen.. retting it takes a LONG time and you have to stomp it and tend it daily to process it properly.

Cotton IS still grown in the US and sold to make fabric. The problem is that we don't weave much fabric here, so most of the cotton is shipped to Asia where labor is cheap. They weave, print/dye/etc the cotton then ship it back to us and elsewhere. Makes great sense, huh? Cotton is still grown in the southern US, and in Arizona. Yes, it depletes the soil, but crop rotation will replenish the soil. Most corporations are too cheap to take a field out of production for a year or two, and our family farms are nearly gone. It's up to us to force the issue. Keep buying cotton, folks.

I have bamboo pjs and they are wonderful. I think I also saw bamboo sheets but they were a bit high in price so perhaps it is a market to come yet.

Bamboo bath towels are the bomb!

And all of this processing make it more expensive for a hobby that is already quite expensive. Just saying.

I purchased some bamboo fabric. Luckly I prewashed a piece I had measured and cut. After the wash I measured again and it had shurk about 2 inches. And as far as going green, how much more green can you get than cotton.

Yes you are right about the cotton....go figure what the great minds of the world are thinking.

They are making such headway with bamboo and soy plants. I knitted my GDs hats this winter and the yarn was 25% soy. How about that!

My DD bought some bamboo sheets and yes they were very expensive.

Here's my question. Quilts have been made for a long time with cotton batting and with polyester batting. You know from history how these battings hold up. How long has bamboo batting been around and has any findings been done on how they hold up. I've not used bamboo for this very reason. After all the time and money I put into a quilt, I don't want to read (probably here) that it doesn't hold up or work as great as they first thought. Opps!! Any information on that????