I love to sew and Rachel loves to crochet, so we thought it would be a great accomplishment if we could find and use yarns and fabrics that were “made in America.” Well, as it turned out, this was easier said than done. We were stunned to discover that it is nearly impossible to find fabric made in America! As far as yarns, there are a *few* more options. Rachel located beautiful, made in America wool yarns by Brown Sheep and wool roving by Ferndale Fiber, both sold locally here in Spokane, WA, at Paradise Fibers.
But the results for fabric were dire, after searching the internet for hours on end and sending dozens of inquiring emails. I still couldn’t believe that I could not find cotton fabric that was American made! It gets very complicated, as there are companies that advertise organic cotton, but that is just a method of growing the cotton, and it is still imported from other countries. There are also companies that provide fabrics made from cotton grown in America, but the fabrics are created in other countries. Even more disheartening, some of the countries have questionable labor laws, which we don’t want to support. Other countries maintain stricter labor laws that protect the workers, more in line with US labor laws.
I discovered there are basically NO textile mills left in the US that produce basic, high quality cotton for those of us that want to sew for a living. Diane Sawyer actually did a news piece on this very subject. You can view it here: Made in America: Where Can You Find American Made Fabrics? She does mention a couple of Textile mills that are still operating in the states.
I had a very difficult time researching this subject. I did find one company that provides american made fabric but their prices are, basically, out of reach for a small crafting business, and the fabric is geared more for draperies and upholstery, Mod Green. And I found an organic, American made fabric at Near Sea Naturals. Other than that, I found Connecting Threads, a company that uses American grown cotton, but produces their fabric in India, Mexico and Indonesia. I also received an email from Moda stating: ”Moda fabric is manufactured in Japan, Korea & India.”
So, finding and buying American cotton is a bit of a balancing act, as it may not be manufactured under stellar circumstances. Based on my research, countries such as India, are actively trying to enforce labor laws and protect children, but it’s a huge challenge.
I think it’s sad that we have lost the Textile industry to other countries, because we can’t compete with their low cost labor, due to policies that took place in the seventies, and NAFTA. This has left US textile mills competing with cheap labor countries, and one of the reasons why America doesn’t have enough jobs for it’s people. We will do our best to support America’s textile industry, or what’s left of it. Unfortunately, prices drive the market and the product sources. We can only hope that somehow, some way, American textile mills will make a comeback. There seems to be a growing demand for American made products. We support American made, and handmade…and hope you will do the same.
The best we can do is research, and try to support companies and countries that respect labor laws, and product safety. If I can’t find fabric that is manufactured in America, the next best thing is to find products that are made from cotton grown in America, and produced in countries with high trade and labor standards.
We would love to hear your input regarding this subject, and any further information or resources that may be helpful in finding fabrics Made in America. Are American Made products important? Take our poll and cast your VOTE!
Bonnie
“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” ~William J. Clinton
I too am an artist and have been sewing for 40 years and have become so disappointed in the recent poor quality of the fabrics at the fabric stores. I am so frustrated. I remember when I was a child we has Shirt Factories and quilt making factories….and now it is all gone. I remember having shirts that had passed down from several cousins and they were still high quality and in perfect shape after years of use….now I am luck if a shirt I buy at Walmart last me one year before it starts falling apart…..It is so sad…..we need a revolution to bring the jobs back to America again…the main reason we have so many unemployed is because all of the workers for our goods are in CHINA and INDIA….it is so depressing when knowing it can be fixed so easily….WE need to start making stuff here in AMERICA again…..and we need to stop IMPORTING ……this is crazy…..
Thanks Phyllis! Actually Lion Brand also has a cotton yarn that is made in the US. I appreciate you sharing the information with all of us that are interested in finding “made in america” textiles. Thanks for visiting our blog. Have a great day.
Bonnie
Bonnie, I wish I had found your site before I spent the last 3 days trying to find fabric “Made in USA”. I would settle for North America. The good news is that I found cotton yarn that is made from cotton grown in the USA and spun in Canada. It is Sugar ‘n Cream, and here is a link to the website with the info. It’s available here in Ben Franklin and WalMart.
Wish the news were as good about fabric.
http://www.cotton-corner.com/category_1/Sugarn-Cream.htm made by Bernat.
I have been searching, too, for American made fabric and many other products that are made in America. For those of us who want to buy American, it has been a futile and frustrating search.
I’ve bookmarked your site in the hopes that you or someone else will be able to find more American made products, especially fabric. Thanks.
Thank you for your comment. I continue to search for fabric made, and, or printed in America.
Hopefully we will eventually have more options, but for now the choices are somewhat limited.
Good luck! Please come back and share if you find any other resources in your journey.
I am so glad I finally found this definitive information. I decided I must stop purchasing products not manufactured here in America. As I searched and searched for fabric, i was incredulous to find, as you did before me, that it isn’t being made here. So sad to me.
I appreciate your info on what IS available and hope we can make a start back to making it possible to manufacture fabrics here sometime in our future.
That’s great! I’m so glad that the article was helpful. Thanks so much for visiting Inspire Wire Blog, and for your comment! Have a great day.
Bonnie
Thank you for this post! I’ve fallen absolutely in love with some of the colour-grown cotton from Near Sea Naturals and probably never would have found them if not for your post!
I find it ironic, having grown up in what is now a textile ghost town, that this post ends with a quote about curing America that was uttered by the same President who signed NAFTA.
I absolutely agree, but they don’t make it easy. We can only hope that some of the smaller companies that are still
Good luck on your quest for American made fabric.
operating in the US will be successful in bringing back America’s milling industry. Thanks for visiting our blog, and your post.
I am glad I am not the only one searching for USA made fabric. I guess I will have to start spinning my own. The quality of fabric has gone down in recent years. With im[ported fabric I am not sure of what chemicals are being used. Look at the people who bought homes with Chineese drywall. We really need to fire the EPA and start manufacturing and drilling and make America “AMERICA” once again. All this because I can’t find made in the USA fabric.