Perhaps I'm being especially dense here, but it seems to me that cotton, being a natural product, once washed enough to free it of any sizing, chemicals, herbicides, etc., would be considered "organic" or "green" or whichever term under which it would fall. Fact is, there's nothing left but pure cotton.

EXCEPT - what about dyes? Unless done with tea, beets, etc., would they not be considered other-than truly organic? Aren't most dyes from some kind of chemical process?

If green is recycling, then I would suggest the most totally pure way is to give a product of completely washed and rewashed UNbleached (bleach is a chemical) muslin.

Perhaps where this is going is absolutely nowhere and while you are to be blessed for being so considerate of their preferences, you might be better off to ask them before investing money, time and emotion only to find that your gift did not measure up to their standards.

I appreciate caring for our earth, recycling, etc., but IMNSHO, it sometimes gets carried to the point of pure silliness. Yet, to each his own. Why don't you just ask them?

I totally agree with this statement. Recycling fabric pieces (scrappy quilt) would be considered green in my book.

There was an article recently about bamboo vs cotton and I cant find it. Bamboo is not as green as everyone seems to think it is. Yes it is a quick growing source of fiber but it takes more to process then cotton does resulting in more pollutants in the environment. Have you considered even Alpaca fibers? they are a great source of "green" fibers and make a beautiful cloth. There is also a newer batting out called Quilters Dream Green that is made in part from recycled soda pop bottles, very soft and very nice to work with, hand or machine.

Doesn't organic mean grown in dirt? Isn't all cotton grown in dirt?

Doesn't organic mean grown in dirt? Isn't all cotton grown in dirt?[/quote]

Organic means no chemicals, pesticides,etc.

What about recycling shirts or nightgowns, etc that are 100% cotton---that's pretty "green"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't 100% cotton material organic?

If all else fails, go to Buy Buy Baby and purchase a couple of flannel receiving blankets from their Green products line and make the quilt from them.

100% cotton would be grown with all the pesticides, chemicals, etc.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

My sentiments also....and if you use the bamboo batting it's going to be blended with cotton anyway.,.., just tell them it's bamboo...not fibbing...

yes, the baby won't know the difference.

Gale, thank you for posting this site. :D

Not only is it grown without pesticides, but it has to be a certain distance from fields without pesticides and it has to be grown on land that has not had anything with pesticides for a certain # of years. I'm guessing it's also processed without certain chemicals and maybe even dyed a certain way.

Veggies are grown in dirt but that doesn't make them all organic.

What is cotton if not organic? Just wash out all the stuff and don't add anything back in and you should end up with 100% pure cotton, right?
Tell me why, if I am wrong. LOL I mean maybe the plant had spray or something on it, but the cotton isn't from the green part of the plant, and I'm sure they don't spray it once the bolls start to pop. So the chemicals should have no way to get to the cotton part, it's from the seed setting business and not part of the food chain of the plant.

Because like I mentioned above, all cotton is not 'organic'. It has to be grown and processed chemical free and has to be grown on chemical free land and be a certain distance from fields that have been chemically treated. Doesn't matter if it can be washed out. It has to be chemical free from the get-go.

Some facts about "organic" cotton:
Organic certification

It is required by the law that any producer wanting to label and sell a product as "organic" must meet the standards established by the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, enforced by The State organic program (SOP) This act specifies the procedures and regulations for production and handling of organic crops.

Organic system plan

Producers must elaborate an organic production or handling system plan which must also be approved by the state certifying agency or the USDA. This plan must include careful explanation of every process held in the plantation, as well as the frequency with which they are performed. A list of substances used on the crops is also necessary, along with a description of their composition, place where they will be used, and if possible documentation of commercial availability. This inventory of substances is important for the regulation of allowed and prohibited material established by the SOP.Organic cotton growers must also provide A description of the control procedures and physical barriers established to prevent contact of organic and non organic crops on split operations and to avoid contact of organic production with prohibited substance during gestation, harvesting, and handling operations . This production plan can also be transferred to other states as long as it has already been approved by a certifying agency.

Production

Production requirements are specifically the set of changes that must be made to field and farming practices in order for a crop to be considered organic. To begin with, organic fields must go through a cleansing period of three years, without the use of any prohibited substances, before planting the first organic crop. Fields must also be equipped with physical barriers and buzzers in order to prevent contact of organic crops with any chemical substance product of surface runoff from crops near by. Producers must also strive to promote soil fertility through cultivation practices while maintaining or improving the physical, chemical, and biological condition of the soil and minimizes soil erosion. Organic growers must also implement practices to support biodiversity. Such practices include integrated pest management (IPM), which consists of the manipulation of ecosystems that benefit both the crops and the organisms that live around it. In addition to these practices, producers may only apply crop nutrients and soil amendments included on the National List of synthetic substances allowed in crop production.

Handling

Handling procedures are all the processes related to product packaging, pest control in handling processing facilities among others. The SOP allows the use of mechanical or biological methods for the purpose of retarding spoilage of products,but at the same time it prohibits the use of volatile synthetic solvents in processed products or any ingredient that is labeled as organic.

Pesticides

Since organic cotton is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, it should contain fewer pesticides than conventional cotton. Pesticides used in the production of conventional cotton include orthophosphates such as phorate and methamidophos, endosulfan (highly toxic to farmers, but not very environmentally persistent) and aldicarb. Other pesticides persisting in cotton fields in the United States include Trifluralin, Toxaphene and DDT. Although the last two chemicals are no longer used in the United States their long breakdown period and difficulty in removal ensures their persistence. Thus even organic cotton fields may contain them since conventional cotton fields can be transitioned to organic fields in 2–3 years.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic..._certification

This was my thought too. I try to be green and mindful of our little blue planet, but I must admit some of the most eco friendly fabric is not very attractive and certainly expensive.

Sorry I was adding an edit while you were replying. But basically what you are saying is that it's not about the actual "cotton" being chemical free, it's about the growing and processing being chemical free due to it's cumulative effects on Mother Earth. So the fact that you can have chemical free 100% cotton fabric to sew with is not the issue, the issue is that if you get it that way from washing out chemicals from the processing, it remains non-organic and therefore non-green?

more info:
B. Organic products have been grown on land that has not had prohibited substances on it for a minimum of 3 years prior to the HARVEST of the crop. Prohibited substances are typically synthetic substances that are not allowed under the law and include chemical fertilizers, synthetic herbicides, and insecticides. It is important to document, as close as possible, the last date of prohibited substance application. This proves to the certification agency when the 36 months free of prohibited applications has passed, and what exact harvest date the crop can be sold as organic.

and


F. The organic regulation also mandates that each organic field have clear boundaries and borders, with the acreage defined. Once the field is eligible to produce a crop sold as organic, the farmer will need to manage the borders of the fields if the neighboring field has had substances applied that are not allowed under organic regulations. There is no specific size of a “buffer zone” between organic crops and nonorganic crops, but it must be of sufficient size to prevent drift or runoff of non-approved substances. Typically, a buffer zone is 25-30 feet. Road crews, utilities, aerial spray companies, etc. can be notified not to spray along an organic farmer’s field. If a no-spray agreement cannot be reached, then the organic farmer can grow non-organic crops in the buffer zone, or leave it fallow. If a crop is taken from the buffer zone it will need to be harvested separately from the organic crop and documented that it was harvested, stored and sold as non-organic. Buffer zones are necessary between the organic crop and the nonorganic crop. Depending on the risk of contamination they are needed for the specific crop year when a prohibited product is being used by the neighbor and may be needed for a few years thereafter. For instance, if no sprays or chemical fertilizers are used by a neighbor for his oats, then a buffer zone may not need to be in place by the adjoining organic farmer for that year. However, if non-organic herbicide sprayed corn is grown the next year, then for that second year, the organic farmer will need a buffer. A certifier may require more years of nonorganic buffer zones even when no sprays were applied by a neighbor, so learn the policy of your certifier.

source: http://www.mosesorganic.org/attachme...transcrop.html

I think it's about all of the above. Keeping the ground AND the end product free from chemicals and not genetically modified.

An excellent point tho, recycling is definitely very Green!!

I agree. We do try to recycle as much as possible but don't necessarily buy organic or anything. However, I think a lot of people don't realize how much is involved in organic growing, whether it's food or non food. My dh is a farmer so he's pretty well versed in conservation and such but there's only so much most farmers can afford to do at the prices and cost of operations these days.

Being green, varies from person to person. There is no way of being 100% green. Most people who are trying to live that way know that. My guess is a good part of their own clothing is not "green", nor quite a few of their possessions. Get cotton fabric and go for an organic cotton batting and you will be fine. I agree about the bamboo batting, it's pretty processed. Make the lovely baby quilt, do the best you can and I can pretty much guarantee they will love it. :)

does green always mean organic, how about recycling curtains from a thrift store for material then you'll have more money for the batting.

Never heard of this.