Working professionally for more years than I’d like to admit, I’ve seen a lot of challenges thrown my way. I mean, heck, I did issues management at what was probably one of the world’s most hated and misunderstood companies in that timeline. Even with that as my reality, one of the toughest pieces of working in the agency and corporate world was finding good professional clothing for women.

It sometimes felt like I was looking for unicorns.

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Since I mentioned I am looking for unicorns, you may not be able to picture the elusive wardrobe. I’ve gotten pieces over the years. Great pieces in fact. But putting together a wardrobe that meets goals of looking and feeling professional, confident and comfortable can be excruciating.

But for the various brands out there, I feel this time of office workers working at home can really provide us a chance to make this elusive item as common as hand-sewn face masks are rapidly becoming.

Current State of Professional Clothes for Women

With so many professional women working from home for weeks if not month now, we are reminded how comfortable clothes can be. Sure, a lot of us are wearing sweats, yoga pants, etc but it’s rarely women who are having no pants days as they zoom into meetings or do the newscast from home (seriously, what was that about?).

This is dramatically different from what most wear to the office. And while we have frequently chosen between professional and comfortable or stylish and comfortable or anything else and comfortable…. it seems we have been short-changed on comfort with the other pieces. And while women don’t have a single work wardrobe (unlike the blue buttondown and khakis that were so constant with my last employer’s men that it was joked about by everyone), there are a few pieces of professional clothing for women we need in our wardrobe.

Here’s my take on what we have and how it can be improved.

The Most Common Pieces in a Professional Woman’s Wardrobe

Having the right clothes for the job you have is really my idea of professional clothing for women and men. Most of my career I have been an office employee. I didn’t need gear that would help protect me from the elements. Rather, I need to show that I care about my appearance.

So the options?

Dresses / Skirts

Not gonna lie, for a long time the fact I had to wear dresses to school for two years while the siblings were in shorts, jeans, etc colored my view of dresses in a cloud of ick. I did grow up and I have found some good year-round dresses. And they really fuel my wardrobe lots of days (except winter). And I have some friends who love all the dresses and skirts. My favorite brand is Svaha (affiliate link) cause they are smart, fun and have pockets! Cotton dresses with pockets for the win!

But so many women’s dresses are made out of synthetic or blended fabric that doesn’t breathe well or look good over time unless it is dry cleaned so I’d love other options? Maybe coordinates for suits that don’t take years of search to find.

Slacks

Men seem to have a great slate of slacks to wear. They are cut to fit nicely. But so often women’s slacks…. I don’t know why I can never find a brand that fit me well. In the past when I did, I would buy them in every color like I did my favorite t-shirts! And yes, I have khakis but they were the bane of my existence. How many women enjoy the look of khaki pants? Those were first to go when I began to work from home. So more often than not, I wear black jeans. I just keep some new enough they don’t show wear too much.

Jackets/Blazers

The other day I posted photos from some of the training I was doing and immediately got compliments on my power jacket. Not gonna lie, I know it will get comments, it is a killer color.

And unlike so many blazers on the market, this one is made with natural fibers… Yes. It is mostly cotton. I originally bought the blazer in black, wore it a couple times and went back to get it in another color because it looks sharp and for the most part feels good. But I’m not going to lie, the polyester lining… what’s that about? It can really mess a girl up, especially when doing a public speaking gig under lights on a stage cause it gets hot.

With all of that in mind, I find myself grabbing a denim jacket more often than I like. But based on that I have a few colors — the traditional blue, black and white. I also have a really weathered blue I wear more casually. I have both hundred percent cotton and some with a bit of stretch in them. I refuse to buy a blend that’s higher than 10 percent synthetic because it will get hot & sweaty.

Shirts / Blouses

Going to say this is one where I have found more brands providing options. But it’s still a lot harder to find cotton shirts for women than it is for men. The long-sleeved blouses that fit our shapes are appreciated. We’d like some short sleeved ones that aren’t polo-style. I buy a lot of shells / tank tops to wear under those blazers I mentioned. And I wear quite a few nice t-shirts and sweaters. We appreciate more in all categories.

Other Things Brands May Want to Know

Just in case there is a brand out there listening…. We do look for more in professional clothing for women. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Colors & Patterns

I tend to go for classic colors and keeping prints simple when possible for work. If I can’t do simple prints, I’d go for prints that connected to my work in food, farming and science. That is what led me to wearing a watermelon skirt and a dress covered in DNA (not the CSI kind, but it has the double helix as the design. There are lots of niche companies who are doing really well in this space and when I look around and ask friends where they found things, I am frequently pointed to small businesses that cater to us online.

Online Shopping

I already mentioned how many small businesses cater to us online. Some of the bigger brands do too. One thing that I’ve seen more of on good sites is the option to search by fiber. You let me pick natural fibers like cotton, linen, wool and I will be there more frequently because I know it will be easier to find clothes I like just like searching by size.

Beyond Tired of Cheap

I have bought what brands supplied me long enough. I know there are lots of companies who sell near disposable clothing and count on people buying new versions every season every year. Stop expecting us to go along with that. Lots of us want better quality and greater durability which frequently means getting away from the weird fiber blends you come up with.

I have found there are so many great alternatives out there with costs being higher (sometimes significantly) but they fit and wear well for longer because they are better made. Lots of us are fine with having smaller wardrobes if it is both professional and comfortable. I have been using some of this quarantine time to Marie Kondo those closets and I don’t intend to just refill them.

What else would we like in professional clothes for women?

The post Can we improve professional clothing for women? A Plea for Fashion Brands appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Years ago I laughed as my niece was picking cotton and dreamed of her mom making her some socks or something with the fiber. Well, if that niece was on the How to Make Everything team, she may have figured out a way to make it happen AND get video throughout the process.

Watching this video made me laugh a bit cause there were some things I knew really should have been thought about in advance (reminder cotton doesn’t like too much rain). But mostly the video made me think about how much goes into the stuff we have. It takes a lot to make a t-shirt! 

The Premise: Hard to Know What it Takes to Produce Common Items

If you aren’t familiar with How to Make Everything you may want to check out a few of their videos. They break down something as simple as a new t-shirt but walk you through all the complex pieces of work it takes to happen. This episode is especially useful for people who purchase those cheap $5 t-shirts but may not think much about what it takes to make t-shirts and the true cost of cheap clothing. As someone who advocates for a better t-shirt rather than simply more in my wardrobe (confession I still have too many), and someone who has seen the various processes at a bigger scale, I am beyond impressed someone would be so committed to the idea that they spent three years working on the project! 

It’s collapsed down to a really good 20 minutes if you want to see what it would take to produce a cotton t-shirt…. all the way from growing to sewing and wearing.

It’s Hard Growing Cotton

I love how honest he is on why it took so long to get this project done. Trying to grow cotton in a garden is hard but growing it in Minnesota…. that’s a few extra levels of hard. I lived in New York years ago and grew a cotton plant in my office. Although we all enjoy how much longer the days are in summer when we live in northern areas, reality is the number of days where that sunlight is paired with the temperatures cotton thrives in is not enough.

The things I saw that I thought hmmm…. I started seeds similarly to the way he did, small tray or pot, and I moved it to a five gallon bucket under heat lights later trying to give the tap root a good shot. Having some sand mixed into that potting soil could have helped too since cotton doesn’t like a lot of water on it (farmers say cotton doesn’t like wet feet). Seeing him try to scoop up cotton plants out of deep water…. all I could think was bless his heart. Cotton farmers know the pain though they may have looked for a different patch of ground and planted soybeans there.

The Knitting Process vs Weaving

Did you get the part where they actually built looms? I haven’t thought much about the world without knit fabrics…. I mean t-shirts, yoga pants, etc are so awesome in their stretch because the way the machinery works… so even though it is 100% cotton, it has that nice physique hugging quality.

Seeing them weave fabric and him make himself fit? Priceless!

Options to See Dirt to Shirt

There are some farmers who work with specific suppliers in the U.S. who are trying to help the textile industry here rebound. Ronnie Burleson is a farmer in North Carolina I met years ago when friends and I toured his farm (Brian of The Farmer’s Life wrote a post about his first cotton farm visit). Ronnie grows and his cotton is spun, dyed, knitted all nearby in the Cotton of the Carolinas products. They call it going dirt to shirt, a spin on farm to plate that fits. I’m guessing those shirts would be a perfect fit with the North Carolina Wrangler jeans.

The post What would it take to make your own t-shirt? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

All summer long, the “Old Town Road” earworm has been getting to us — and I have heard “Wrangler on my booty” too many times not to write about it. Just seeing the words on the screen I hear the whole song tune. I can’t begin to imagine how many times I’ve heard it on the radio. It’s broken global music records and the line about his choice in jeans, definitely stands out in my mind.

As we discussed earlier, Wrangler Jeans have typically had connections to rural roots. But the mention in a country rap song? It’s fitting but Wrangler hasn’t had much on an urban connection, but Lil Nas X does. That unexpected nod, was a welcome addition to the brand’s effort to draw a more diverse customer base according to an interview the company’s CEO did with Bloomberg this week.

Thanks to quick marketing efforts doing a line inspired by the song, Wrangler has a Lil Nas X Collection, they have really seized the moment. Looking at the collection online it is clear that the Old Town Road wording is popular — most of the products are sold out and the company says they sell out almost as soon as it goes up.

Collaborations with Artists More Common

Years ago, actresses started getting fashion deals. The one that stands out for me early is Jaclyn Smith who was on Charlie’s Angels and had clothes being sold at K-Mart and Sears. It’s gotten a lot more common in casual clothing and athletic wear. And it crosses over various areas of entertainers. Just last fall, Levi’s introduced the Justin Timberlake collection. And that was closely timed to the company’s IPO.

Putting that artist’s name, alongside a brand and a limited edition product…. that seems to be marketing turbo. And it creates that “have it now” mentality for the real fans. That’s a departure from having on-going lines that go from season to season. I mean think about how many years Michael Jordan’s from Nike were sold…. How he has built his brand for years before getting the deal whereas Lil Nas X rose earlier this year mentioning Wrangler on his booty on TikTok.

Are you someone who enjoys the cultural connections of clothes & music? I can remember the Beatles and Jerry Garcia ties being fun for a while. Not sure I need these Wranglers but I can see the demographic widening and for a brand, that sounds like a good thing.

The post “Wrangler On My Booty?” Lil Nas X Extends Brand Reach appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

While reading New York Magazine, I saw this list of things NYC teens think are cool. It is interesting to see what all stands out to a demographic so different from me, but common ground is cotton. You see that mom jeans and denim jackets rate highly in the minds of teens. Seems New York teens realize cotton is cool — especially jeans and denim jackets.

Mom Jeans

Teens provided a lot of ideas on what they like. The brands and fits are something that change more and that’s definitely something teenagers are interested in. The recommendations on brands, a clear understanding of price points and discussion of distressed versus abused denim. The fact that the jeans that get the shoutout are mom jeans though, I confess it makes me chuckle.

While at the mall recently I couldn’t help but notice how high some of the waistlines were, I also remember when this cut was just the way jeans were done. Yes, I am solidly mom age. We had jeans… different colors of jeans for sure but we didn’t have the endless number of fits that are out there now.

I remember when low-cut jeans came out and got lower and lower and the “high rise” jeans started being called “mom jeans.” So now you have teenage girls of Gen Z wearing the jeans that millennials called “mom jeans” when Gex Xers continued wearing the jeans we liked cause 1-inch zippers let us feeling a little over exposed. Everything comes back in style, the big question is what this highwaisted style will be called in the future cause teens have popularized it again… I guess if they take their favorite cut to adulthood, it could simply be a self-professing prophecy.

Denim Jackets

It feels like denim jackets are on people’s minds a lot right now. They rate well with teens and I think part of that is how individualized they can be. There are lots of fits, colors and ways to personalize them with pins & patches. You can spend big dollars on a designer jacket or get one at a local thrift shop. Throwing a jacket on with a tank top and shorts works what you are at the beach & the breeze gets a bit strong or you can wear it over a nice dress (something I love to do year-round).

I think they really cross generations. And My friend Briana and I were at the mall this weekend and she mused about not having a denim jacket (I am still aghast!). In a post last week about the new Shop Cotton effort on Amazon from Cotton Incorporated, I mentioned craving a long denim jacket in the store to add to the white, black and two different colors of blue denim jackets I own and wear frequently.

Although many would suggest it may be too hot to think of any kind of jacket, that only works for the outdoors. Whether at the movies, an office or on a plane, I frequently find myself reaching for a jacket and denim is one of the best!

The post New York Teens Agree Cotton is Cool appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Being one of those picky people who wants 100 percent cotton or at least mostly cotton products instead of blends frequently limits the choices I have. Just this past weekend, I stopped somewhere specifically for a memories-inspired t-shirt only to find a high percent of the collection were at least 50% polyester. I went through all the tags and then knew what I could pick from. It seems that Cotton Inc. knew I needed someone to help make it easier & they are launching Shop Cotton on Amazon. According to an article in WWD (Women’s Wear Daily), the store will be open for the rest of summer (through August 31, 2019).

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Cotton Style House

The Cotton Style House is an online shop (which will be popup in Montauk, Long Island late July). It offers my favorites (like cotton dresses) and so much more. There are men’s & women’s clothes and they are grouped by styles various individuals are more than likely to identify with.

I think the on-the-go getter collection is probably closest to me. I love the simple Land’s End tank top and have to confess that I wear a camo jacket like this one from Levi’s often! And as someone who already owns multiple denim jackets (a couple of blue ones, one each of white and black), I can’t help but wonder if I need a third blue one that is a tunic-style denim jacket!

That said, I’ve been taking more yoga classes so the wellness warrior has some items that I’m checking out too. I immediately thought of a few friends when I saw some of the things that were in the jetsetter and show stopper collections.

Browsing Styles

Whether you find one style that is a perfect fit or not as you Shop Cotton on Amazon, looking through the site is great for getting ideas. It reminded made me think of a few things that have gotten to the back of my closet that I should pull out. And I was able to put a few more things in that Amazon shopping cart!

The post Shopping for Cotton Just Got Easier! Cotton Inc Launches Shop Cotton on Amazon appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

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When you choose a Twitter name like JPlovesCOTTON, you should be ready for strange tweets about cotton. Over the decade I’ve been on Twitter, they have come and gone…  This one made total sense to me but it sure got a few folks asking questions! Seriously? Some guy is going to be working at a steel mill and wants my advice on 100% cotton socks and underwear, preferably grown and made in the USA.

Looking for 100% cotton socks and underwear. Prefer US Cotton, but will settle with other. Can only find 90% cotton at local stores. Needed to work at the furnace at a steel mill. @JPlovesCOTTON any help?

— Shannon Family Farms (@ShannonFamFarms) May 26, 2019

I knew immediately, Jonathan (the guy who will be working at the steel mill) wasn’t wanting fashion tips or anything. He wanted cotton for the same reason I try to wear cotton when I am in front of a campfire, etc. It is about safety in heat and flames.

So in this post, I want unpack a few things:

• Fiber Response to Heat/Flames — We talked about the differences in 100% cotton products & blends earlier, but let’s talk about how different fibers react to heat & flames a bit today.
• Sources of hundred percent cotton goods — I try to unearth all the goodness!
• Some of the gear steelworkers wear — He’s looking for the personal items, there are other parts of the “uniform” that there are clear guidelines on.

Fiber Response to Heat/Fiber

Safety of natural fibers and synthetics differ in a major way when it comes to heat. Natural fibers like cotton, silk and wool will burn when exposed to flames unless they are treated with flame retardants. Synthetic or man-made fibers like polyester, nylon, acetate, etc will melt.

This video demo is a bit long, but really shows you what happens when the fiber just gets close to the flame or is put in it directly.

100 Percent Cotton Socks & Underwear

What this video doesn’t prompt you to think about is what if you were wearing a garment of those fibers? It’s kind of scary to pause and think about. I mean none of them bode well really. But what you want to look at and think about is what happens after. The ashes produced from natural fibers, simply would mean those garments would be gone. But the melting, the beading of a hot, somewhat plasticized residue, can actually adhere to skin and continue doing damage to your skin. So a lot of those novelty socks from nylon and polyester could really hurt your feet and I’m sure none of us want to think what would happen with underwear of synthetic fibers!

The brand of socks that immediately comes to mind is Wigwam. They are sold in a lot of the farm supply shops but Wigwam also has a website where people can purchase directly from the company. I loved that it was the first company to come to mind for me and later some farmers weighed in with the same tip!

On the underwear side, I’m a big fan of Jockey cause they are 100 percent cotton (with the exception of waistbands and well made. Working in ag, we can be hard on clothes so knowing that seams won’t pop quickly, etc matters. They have lots of different styles, designs, etc. a good 100% cotton Jockey boxer brief is available on Amazon.

Other Steelworker Gear

Working in a steel mill with the furnace means some fairly extreme temperatures. With that in mind, you definitely want to protect yourself and companies would want to be sure they have really good safety programs in tact. Think like the fire department but even more intense temperatures.

While we talked about the things he yet needed to buy, the outerwear has really specific requirements. Jonathan shared a few photos with me to show the types of fabrics involved — all 100 percent cotton but they also had various protective coatings, etc.

His pants and shirt are by Carhart — no surprise as they are a leading maker of work clothes. They have a Force FR line (FR = flame resistant) that totally hits the nail on the head. And to protect his head from sparks, etc, he has a welders cap. All of that 100% cotton.

The post Why would a steelworker ask me for shopping advice? 100% cotton of course! appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Does Egypt, once know for premium cotton, need to find a cotton alternative? That’s part of the concept behind an article and video recently produced by Living It. The article says drops in Egyptian cotton productivity is impacting textile mills. At the same time, there are lots of plastic drink bottles to be recycled. Perhaps the two things can work together. Creative thinking yields all sorts of things, but there are usually some complexities and the idea that recycled plastic bottles present us with a cotton alternative…. well, that definitely gives me pause. So let’s unpack this a bit.

Egyptian Cotton Hurting

The realities are that the Egyptian cotton industry is indeed hurting. The article mentions the Arab Spring timing as a time when the difficulties grew. The global textile industry has been shifting for decades as has cotton production. We saw the same thing here in the US for a while. Area planted can shift with productivity and world prices.

Since Egypt has government controls in place, plant breeding is slower than other world areas. And when there are issues of hunger in the country/region, it would make sense that some area planted to cotton may move to other crops. The reduced cotton fiber locally could definitely provide a challenge to Egyptian mills. So looking at alternatives makes sense.

Recycling Rocks!

I definitely am supportive of recycling efforts and I try to be mindful about choices I make so I can reduce packaging, etc. While it seems incrdibly simple, the simple act of carrying a water bottle with me almost everywhere has enabled me to cut way back on plastic bottles. I like various ideas to reuse and recycle the pastics in use but it seems today that people are willing to assume recycling, or the circular economy can do anything and everything. On this one I say not so fast.

A recent article in Nature points out that just 6 percent of materials are recycled. Looking for more ways to use recycled goods and to encourage long life products and the ultimate recycling of them whenever possible. There is a place for plastic-based fiber but is it as an alternative to cotton? Not really.

Comparing Polyester to Cotton

The differences in natural fibers and synthetics are something we’ve discussed on Hundred Percent Cotton several times.

• Cotton is crazy comfortable in part because it is breathable! The comfort and breathability of cotton is something that has been quanitifed time and time again with surveys and testing. I personally have picked up several t-shirts that are a blend without realizing it and have figured it out slowly by realizing how much harder it is to regulate body temperature with the synthetics.
• Since they mention cotton-polyester blends… Don’t for get the environment — We all know we have to clean small fibers from our dryer lint trap routinely. Some fiber lint typically goes down the drain with the water too. natural fibers can biodegrade but synthetic fibers do not and can cause problems much like plastic.
• Disposal / Recycling — Blended fabric isn’t able to be recycled or reused the way it can if you have a 100 percent fabric, the thread can be recycled. Don’t forget the Blue to Green which recycles jeans into home insulation but a cotton-poly blend changes the equation.

And then there is the question of the gentleman in the video saying the polyester has the same genes as cotton. That’s just not even a thing. I don’t know what he is trying to say… maybe it is that they are both cellulose? But

The post Recycled Plastic Bottle Fiber Called a Cotton Alternative appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I don’t think I’ve written a single blog post here about the stock market, but the fact that Levi Strauss is once again considering going public, well that really deserves a mention. Would an initial public offering (IPO) of Levi Strauss stock interest you?

When I saw the news this past week, I have to say I was a bit confused. Levi’s has been an incredibly well known denim brand for generations. It has been privately held & public in the past. Tech startups tend to be the IPO listings I hear about so I had to shake the cobwebs out of my mind and focus on it.

Levi’s: The High School Years

I love the various brands that bring us cotton clothes even though for a long time, all my clothes were handmade. And those first pairs of store bought jeans… well, my junior high and high school years were Levi heavy. Sure there were years when some would get Chic or Jordache jeans, but my family didn’t really do those. We kept clothes pretty basic.

Levi jeans were a constant in my life and I’ve been thinking more about them recently. I still love 100 percent cotton jeans more than blends even though I have bought several pairs with a bit of stretch. Those 100 percent cotton jeans need to be broken in a bit. But as you wear them, they form to the body that wears them routinely.

But I wonder whether how many people are thinking of Levi stock — which is planning to launch on the NYSE as LEVI according to CNBC. I read that piece and one by Motley Fool on 5 things to know about the IPO. And have to tell you the Motley Fool offers a lot more insight.

Global Footprint

The one thing the piece doesn’t mentions that I have anecdotes on, is the value of the Levi’s brand outside the U.S. When I have gone on various big trips, usually overseas or I have hosted friends here, Levi’s is a seminal brand (I mentioned this as I wrote about Justin Timberlake’s new line of clothes.)

I can’t help but wonder whether the growing middle class in some parts of the world will be wanting more jeans and all. If so, will Levi’s be positioned better than other brands? Name recognition may be there but product development will be critical too.

Would you buy Levi’s stock?

The post Taking Stock in Levi’s? Levi Strauss is Launching an IPO appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

As long as I can remember, people in my life would create incredible things, many of them with cotton. So as I met more cotton farmers, I would link it back to the things people make, clothes I enjoyed, etc. It seems a family affair as my youngest niece picked a few handfuls her first time in a cotton field and immediately thought about what should could make with it! With all of that in mind, I guess it was just a matter of time until a series on cotton creators got started here and I’m kicking it off with my dear friend Natasha Nicholes of Houseful of Nicholes who makes a range of handmade cotton bags including a great denim tote I have!

Learning to Sew

“I was jealous of my husband learning to sew before me,” Natasha says. “As the oldest child, a gauntlet was thrown (he didn’t know it) and I accepted the challenge. Now I sew and he inspects. It’s a marriage made in heaven.”

It’s funny that the competitive spirit is something I so identify with! And I also identify with her passion for cotton fabric. “From backpacks to purses and wallets, I’m using cotton in some form. Thread, fabric, interfacing, it’s all a portion of what makes me successful.” She says she makes “things to carry YOUR things.

Cotton Bags You’ll Crave

Natasha shares some of her creations with friends via Facebook but she also shares them via her blog Houseful of Nicholes and Etsy store Houseful of Stitches. From that she’s had the chance to see “people from all over the world wearing things that I’ve made. It’s really neat to see a creation of yours in a photo across the globe.” Looking at the Houseful’s creations on Pinterest it is easy to see why they go global!

Some of Natasha’s great cotton creations that come to mind include:

• Messenger Bag — There is a great campfire messenger bag she makes with waxy cotton to protect your belongings if you go out in the rain!
• A Super Tote — This tote has some really cool features and like all the bags, details are on point!
• Rucksack — I still remember the first time I saw this rucksack… it grabs your eyes and easily holds all your things.

Cotton As A Standout

As I asked her about what with cotton really stood out for Natasha, I smiled at her answer as it brought really clear images to mind for me.

“To be honest, I’m always drawn back to the cotton campaigns from when I was a kid. Then meeting Janice in the blogging community and realizing there was SO much more to it than I thought,” she says.

Adding, “I took a trip to Malawi a couple of years ago, and the village managed a cotton field together. I was able to see owners of land, raising crop on their own and benefiting from it, and it sealed the cycle. Knowing that once again, a seed produces clothes makes me all the more stoked to be as passionate about this field.”

Find Natasha Online 

You can check out more of Natasha’s great work with cotton in the folowing places:

• Houseful of Stitches on Etsy
• Houseful of Stitches on Pinterest

The family started the We Sow We Grow community garden which has a We Sow We Grow Facebook page and the We Sow We Grow Gardening Chat Group which is a great discussion area for people who are planning for their summer garden. For the photo lover, We Sow We Grow is also on Instagram.

She also does some other awesome stuff like sharing her family’s homeschooling, gardening, travel and more on housefulofnicholes.com, Twitter as @NatashaNicholes, Instagram as @NatashaNicholes, and I’m sure she can be found elsewhere too in the future!

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Love these handmade cotton bags that @NatashaNicholes is making. Which one do you want?” quote=”Tell your friends how to find these great bags! “]

Shine a Spotlight on other Creators

This is a new series but I have several other awesome people I plan to draw attention to…. if you know of a creator who uses cotton in their work or designs pieces that highlights the plant, etc, please send a bit of info via the site’s contact form.

The post Gotta Love Handmade Cotton Bags — Purses, Backpacks and Wallets appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Telling people I am frequently a jeans and t-shirt kind of person can sometimes make people think something really different than I mean. But I have to tell you, donning a great pair of black jeans and the perfect t-shirt really can make me the most comfortable person on Earth!

And while I have to admit that an awesome concert shirt or a t-shirt that shares my love of agriculture are fun on downtime, I frequently want something a bit nicer. I have looked a lot and so when I find the perfect t-shirt, I have bought it in every color and a few of them in black.

So I keep going back to search for the perfect t-shirt again. And I try to find new favorites in other places…. I look for two key factors:

• V-neck Cut — I really like the look of them.
• SuPima or Pima Cotton — The fineness of SuPima or Pima cotton make t-shirts thin but never see through. On the hottest day, you can stay cool and the fiber strength and length mean the shirts can hold up well year-after-year for many wears & washes.

When I find those two things, I buy one or two to make sure on size and comfort for a week or two and then buy all the colors!

My biggest purchase was years ago in February. I tried the shirts on and then decided to buy another wave. Ended up buying 3 in black and one in every other color they had (a bright red, a melon color, kind of periwinkle and gray) and having them sent to a hotel knowing they would be incredibly useful for comfort & style at SXSW.

I have worn these perfect t-shirts so often that I realize the majority of the photos I take anytime of year but winter, have me wearing them!

Every year around this time, I wonder whether this is the year I will find them again. Last week, I was hopefully looking at the Banana Republic site because they have had the absolute perfect t-shirts in the past. A quick search for SuPima turns up a lot of options but most of the women’s shirts are crew neck. Bit of a bummer but I bought several anyway. There was one v-neck though, with that incredible SuPima smoothness…. not sure about the horizontal stripes, but I’m going to give it a go. Who knows, maybe you’ll start seeing it in photos.

And I’m going to beg Banana Republic once again…. PLEASE BRING BACK THE women’s v-neck t-shirts made with SuPima!

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