If you have known me long, you know I have enjoyed going to Austin for SXSW the last few years. It is a conference where people come from all areas of culture and talks about what matters to them and they think should matter to the rest of the planet. I’m sure you see how cotton deserves a spot on the SXSW stage!

I really do love the beautiful crop and the fabrics and oils, etc that come from it. And when a fellow blogger saw how I regularly put my love of cotton online, she told me she worked with people in developing countries who produce cotton textiles and loved it too. Someone else had been asking me about SXSW, and next thing I knew we were talking about whether or not the two of us should get a panel together. Fast forward to August and we need your help to make cotton get to the SXSW stage.

This video will give you an idea of what we would like to get in front of the SXSW crowd:

We have invited other perspectives to join us as we talk about the full life-cycle of cotton from growing the plant to sewing the fabric into products we use like sheets and what happens to them after. Thinking about the impacts the crop has on our small towns and rural landscapes here in the US as well as the small towns and big cities globally where the textiles are made into the clothes and home goods that we can enjoy for years.

We put a lot of work into the proposal and the process at SXSW includes getting support from the community to show the idea would draw attendees. This is where you come in because whether you have attended before, think you may go sometime or simply think others attending should hear about the sustainability of cotton, you can help us by voting and commenting on the page SXSW launched today. There are a few steps:

• Sign in or create a login & password at panelpicker.sxsw.com August 6 – August 30, 2019.
• Check out the SXSW web page for From Grow to Sew: Exploring Cotton’s Journey panel.
• After reading the summary & watching the video, look for the button that says “vote up” in the top left.
• Cast your vote & feel free to leave a comment about an area of the topic you are interested in, things you’d like to know, etc.
• Browse some of the other panels if you have a bit of time. You can search by keywords or see some great ones friends and colleagues submitted on a wide range of food & farm topics like climate smart agriculture, soil health and food waste and others on broader cultural topics like misinformation and analytics.

If you have submitted an idea or find other awesome talks submitted for SXSW 2019 that you think I’d like to know about, please drop links in the comments. I have been putting together a list of the various panels I think should make it that I will share soon.

(Confession: some of this originally appeared on my LinkedIn profile, and this would be far more exciting than when I talked about haters on social media there ).

The post To Get Cotton on a New Stage at SXSW, I Need Your Help appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Now and then, I have the chance to talk to the fabric experts at Cotton Incorporated and I have been meaning to write up some of the care tips I’ve learned during my cotton loving years. I like to keep my clothes, sheets, etc looking good for a long time and a large part of that is how I deal with them. So let’s talk about how I do my laundry, cause I’ll admit, I look at things a bit differently than I used to.

Laundry Frequency & Settings

Obviously clothes that get worn for exercise, or hot and sweaty days, get food on, end up in some area with strong smells, etc are going to be washed as early as possible. But I try to take it easy on my jeans, etc by not laundering them any more than needed. Washing and drying are tough on fabric, colors, etc. So I slow my roll there reducing spin speed and washer time both. And some of my clothes get put on a drying rack or hung rather than thrown in the dryer. I also try to keep temperatures and times run down.

Sorting Laundry

I can remember my mom doing towels as loads of laundry… she always had quite a few with four kids, but it wasn’t til later I realized she probably did this for other reasons too. Towels are a perfectly good example of the way I sort laundry.

I want to sort the laundry to make fabrics have longer lifespan so to do that you want to separate based on a few categories:

• Fabric Type — Knits (especially synthetics) are really different from woven fabrics. You want to choose cycles, carefully. I love the delicate cycle and frequently pick it.
• Colors — I always separate lights, brights and darks, new clothes get washed separately to be sure they are fabric safe especially if they are red!
• Fabric Weight — This week I have worn a wide range of clothes — some days it was 100 degrees and a few we had high 70s. A thick sweatshirt takes longer to dry than a fine Pima shirt.

Inside Out

Also, while sorting, I turn most of my clothes inside out because when fibers and fabrics rub up against each other there can be a bit of fuzz/piling that you’d rather limit. I know it sounds like a hassle, but I try to just take them off leaving them wrong side out.

Choosing Detergent / Additives

When I was in college, I bought whatever detergent was on sale the most. Later, I thought dirty clothes need lots of detergent. I learned better. Some detergents can be pretty hard on fabrics and extra detergent is wasted. I stick with brands that I know how done the testing to check how colors remain, etc. I’m a Tide girl. And I almost always use fabric softener — much like conditioner on my hair, it keeps the fibers together rather than having a bunch of fly-away fibers.

Did I miss something?

The post How a Cotton Lover Does Laundry Differently appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

The post Surprised by the Tech in Laundry & Kitchen Appliances at Best Buy appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

I love the excitement behind the question I get asked each spring — “Can you get me some cotton seed for my garden?” reminds me that other people would like to see the wonder that is cotton seed turning into a plant with broad leaves, slowly putting on buds that become flowers and ultimately form those beautiful bolls we all think about. (Thanks Kelly for the phot!)

And as someone who loves her container garden, I get the joy of picking out some new things to try each year (confession: my rhubarb didn’t make it last year).

And I have to tell you that when I lived in NY, I actually grew a cotton plant in my office! And you may remember a blogger who planted cotton asked about why the boll was so tiny.

Simple Question, Complex Answer

The question to anyone asking is simple — like asking about basil seed in a local garden center, seed catalog or Lowes, but they haven’t seen cotton seed there, so they know there is a little twist. And they ask me.

Every time I get the question, I pause. I want to answer excitedly with resources on where to go and yet, the weight of knowing how cotton seed works, how it is sold, where it can be planted… well, that is a lot more complicated than a tweet. So let me see if I can go through this step-by-step.

Why can’t U.S. gardeners easily find cotton seed?

Believe it or not, as far as I know, one of the major reasons gardeners can’t buy cotton seed is because bugs like cotton too much! Cotton is a major crop in states across the Southern US and farmers have integrated pest management programs to help control the crops most devastating insects.

One of history’s most well-known plagues in agriculture is the boll weevil. The weevil wreaked havoc on the crop for several years even though it is not native to US. The fact that it can get established and multiply quickly has led to specific control steps under what’s called an eradication program. Farmers have had routine education and monitoring programs. They have been directed to shred stalks (kind of mow the remaining plants down) after harvest to make it harder for boll weevils to survive. They have paid money to the state to do a coordinated program. So for that reason, most states where cotton is grown have sought to limit ornamental cotton.

So you can see that cotton may be a bit different from basil seed.

Would just a little bit of seed cause a problem?

I have heard it before… “Well, maybe I could just get a handful of seed from a farmer.” There are a couple of reasons I wouldn’t do this.

• First, this is a way to get it but it really doesn’t help with the insect problem.
• Second, most cotton seed is sold under a license to the purchaser for the various traits and I’m not licensed. The license includes the various things to do to be a good steward of seed, including insect resistance methods, etc.
• And finally, seeds frequently have various coatings on them to protect from insects, diseases, etc and handling.

So, you see, I find myself not growing any cotton even though I love it. I love it from a distance and leaving the growing it to farmers.

The post Can you get me some cotton seed for my garden? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Walking through airports, chilling at a concert or just wandering the aisles of the grocery store, I’ve long loved wearing t-shirts to share my favorite farmers, crops, etc. It is such an easy way to start a conversation. I’ve bought quite a few from various sites and some beautiful people have given me some.

With the new logo, my creative juices surged and I decided to do something a few friends have done. I’ve designed some things that I hope will make it easier to share the love of cotton (some 100% easy and some are a blend of fibers). And I took a while to unveil it because I wanted to be sure of the way things would look.

From now on, there is a new section on the navigation bar — the site’s store. And at the end of this post, there is a discount code to help get this moving along!

Fun Stuff, Cotton Themes

There are lots of places where you can get a shirt that has the Cotton Inc logo on it or something if you live in small towns in the South, but I rarely get there and some friends never do.

Besides, I have a different relationship with cotton than some. And my humor is a bit different, especially when it comes to cotton vocabulary. Those things come together for a few primary themes for clothes, etc in the online store.

Boll Buster

With the fall upon us, cotton farmers are trying to be sure all the bolls in the fields are burst open. And yet, when you think of people sometimes the ones that get out of hand… they may be called something close to boll buster. So… there are some things that sort of suggest that.

You can see the onesie for kids above, and then one for adults is a bit more brazen about it.  You can see the products in this group by filtering the catalog for boll buster (or click on this link).

Cotton Pickin’ Good Time

Harvest is definitely a favorite time of year! I have so much fun getting out to see cotton pickers roll, that I had to think of a way to put them on shirts.

I even went through the process of building red and green pickers to look a bit differently so I knew I would be ok with folks with different allegiances.

And I’ve really stoked about what I came up with. Even if I’m the only one that ever has one, this was worth it. I got a regular t-shirt in green and the jersey you see above in red. These are on the cotton pickin’ good time list.

JPlovesCOTTON and I Do Too!

This site expresses my love of cotton on the regular, but it energizes me to no end how many other people share an intense passion for the crop that turns into our favorite clothes.

I hadn’t even thought of doing something along this line but a good friend and regular reader who I gave a preview too asked about men’s shirts with just the logo on it. I whipped this up and she celebrated!

It is a short spin on the new logo, crisp, clean and inclusive. There are a few things in the I do too! category, including coffee mugs.

You Never Forget Your First Stripper

Not everyone is satisfied with a cotton pickin’ good time, some want to see those strippers go for a whirl!

If you’ve ever driven or done a ride along during High Plains cotton harvest, you probably know I’m talking about a dance that is a bit different than some folks think of as they see the word stripper.

I just keep giggling at the thought of the looks on the faces of people…. only wish I had thought of the idea before I did my quality check order. Have got one on its way to me though — check out the You Never Forget Your First Stripper category.

Early Harvest Means Rewards

I love getting out for harvest early in the season. That’s when the rewards are finally coming in. With that in mind, I thought I’d share the excitement of all of this by putting a discount code on the site for a couple of weeks.

I have no idea whether folks will want to pick up anything, but if you do, enter the promo code HARVEST17 and you’ll get 17 percent off whatever you buy in the next 2 weeks (ends at midnight CST Sunday, October 6).

[clickToTweet tweet=”Funny shirts and all that show a love for cotton. Gotta pick a fave or two! ” quote=”Share so your friends can get in on the cottony fun! “]

The post Join Me in Showing a Love of Cotton with an Online Shop appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Sometimes I still shake my head in disbelief that my coming up with something to uses on Twitter, has stuck with me as a personal brand of sorts. But once JPlovesCOTTON started to stick, I embraced it, have even purposefully encouraged it. That takes a new step now.

If you are seeing this in your subscription email, you wouldn’t see the new logo that’s at the top of the website, so let me put it in here now. Oh wait, there are actually two logos — one is being used in the header and the other is waiting for this big reveal. 

I hope you think they fit. They have a bit of energy behind them in my opinion…. positive energy for me and I hope for you too.

Why have a logo?

For a while, I’ve wanted to change the look of the blog…. and since JPlovesCOTTON became a brand for me years ago, it seemed I should just go ahead and let that lead. And it seemed like a logo seemed the perfect start. Problem was, I wasn’t sure what I wanted from it.

The Process of Design

Having worked in marketing a long time, I know that can take quite a process. Still, I wanted to get to work on it. Yeah, you can see that I made some bad decisions early on!

I had one go at it with a dear friend who really was happy to help. He did great work but I had trouble really articulating what I wanted. It made the design process arduous. I wanted to love one of the concepts he came up with (as did he) but my lack of direction made it painful for both of us.

A year after I really wanted that to work, I decided to go a totally different route because I saw the logo that my friend Natasha had created for her We Sow We Grow community garden in Chicago. That got me thinking about what I wanted to capture with a logo and with that I asked who had designed hers and got in touch with Mandi Buckner.

Working with Mandi Buckner on a New Logo

Mandi has designed quite a few logos so she had a whole series of questions for me on what types of elements, emotions I wanted to convey, how the design would be used and more. We talked about schedules and timing and of course we discussed fees and what would be provided at the end of the process.

You can see her first take at right. She totally got me and my mind raced with ways to fine tune it. Lucky for me I got these the same week I got my iPad Pro so I could play with ideas as I traveled.

That was when I decided the design could be strong enough to be simplified and I asked her to do two versions for me, still wondering whether I would be able to do it. She worked on some things and we were both thrilled.

Lots More to Do

So the logo is a start. I need to get the blog redesigned some more but it was safe holding onto the logo… something I’ve been doing for months. I’m ready to put it out there. Let you guys see it, tell me what you think.

And I have decided to start it with a new project, but I think I’ll write another post for that story…. for now, I want to find myself some lunch!

I Would Love to Hear Your Reactions!

The post It’s Been a Long Time Coming — JPlovesCOTTON Has a Logo! appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

For days, I check on several friends each time I hop on social media. I have been watching to see how they are in dealing with Hurricane Harvey bearing down on them. First concerns are for the people, but I can’t help looking to see how the farms are doing. Hurricanes have ripped through friends’ crops too many times, I’ve seen farmers prepare for hurricanes and deal with the aftermath.

When a friend sent me a message asking me questions about cotton in Harvey, I decided to talk with my dear friends Kelly and Jon Whatley who grow cotton, milo and more in South Texas. They have already faced what we hope is the worst of it in their area, so took a bit of time to help me understand how it is going.

First, I am glad to have seen you posting that you are all fine. Can you tell me what the storm was like in its height where you are? What’s it like today?

Very noisy. Landfall was at night, so we couldn’t see what was flying around or how bad it looked. We are in the middle of a field with no protection, but that also means no neighbor’ debris flying around either. Saturday morning, we woke up to water standing in the yard and lots of limbs down, tree and plant debris. We had power Friday night until around 8:00 PM. Luckily we have a generator that runs off a tractor’s PTO shaft so we have had electricity.

What you have heard from friends and family along the coast? What’s it like for them?

Yes. Some total devastation other very little damage. One friend (Hannah Miller) lost contact with her family near Rockport in the height of the storm but ended up locating them after some scary hours of not knowing. Her family’s home and farms are terribly damaged but her family is safe. Friends in Aransas Pass and Rockport will be assessing the damage and working to clean up/repair for a long time.

(Editor’s note — I was watching Hannah’s updates closely. She evacuated but some family stayed behind. She’s since returned to the area with supplies to help.)

Any estimates on how long it will take to get power back and other services, etc?

Some people are getting power back now. Officials are saying it could be up to 10 days for some areas. Our house is the very end of our line. I am afraid we may be the very last to get electricity back. Most water districts are on a boil notice if they even have water. Electricity for the pumps to fill the water towers still hasn’t been restored. We have never lost water.

I had watched cotton harvest with such excitement. If you backed up the clock to two weeks ago, what would you have told me about the 2017 crop? (Here’s photo from July — how cute are they?!?!)

I would have told you we were looking at a fantastic crop with historical cotton high yields. It was the best cotton crop of our 24 crops. Spirits were high in the South Texas farming community.

Where are you now? Modules in the field? Some of the crop ginned?

All of our crops are totally harvested. There was cotton sitting on every spot on all the gin yards in the Coastal Bend. 50% of our cotton had been ginned. Rest at gin yard or fields. The ginners try to store the unginned modules on pads or higher ground, but when it comes to a hurricane, all bets are off. The tarps help protect the cotton some, but many tarps blew off. The round bales/modules are better protected since they cover more cotton surface.

Here are some of the photos Kelly’s taken (remember she’s on my list of top farm Instagrammers for a reason). I’ll try to explain what we are looking at. This first one is a shot of modules (some round and some rectangular, some call the round ones round bales) waiting to go to the gin. 

You can see some of them are sitting in standing water.

What about other crops? Neighbors up the coast?

Other crops harvested here. Up the coast, early news is devastation for unharvested crops. Reports of gins closer to the coast heavily damaged with modules blown away.

I’ve heard conflicting information on crop insurance, can you tell us what you have found out?

Crop insurance covers historical value, not value in the field. This was a banner crop and the insurance levels does not meet banner yield levels. There are huge deductibles, and we are not to the point to know details yet. Crop insurance is not very helpful at this late stage. We don’t know how it will all shake out since we’ve never been in this situation.

What happens next for the farms in that area?

First we have to dry out & assess the damage. We found some trees that took out fence sections at the ranch, so we will get to fixing those first to keep the cattle contained. We are used to waiting on Mother Nature, and will have to wait for the rain to stop.

How will the farmers in Texas deal with all those wet modules? How will they dispose of them?

Again, the waiting game. Have to let the modules dry out. Then assess if the cotton is ginnable or not. One of the problems with agriculture – nothing is immediate. We have to wait for nature.

The cleanup everywhere else may be over but the gins and farmers will just be getting to the point to make decisions. Even if the cotton is ginnable, the quality is much lower. Cotton is graded on quality, so the grades will take a hit. In turn, the farmer will get less money for his cotton.

More photos to share and understand what they are looking at from being ginnable, maintaining quality, etc. Some of the problems are similar to dealing with rain at harvest time because with all the water and warm temperatures, some of the seed that is still sitting in the module may start to sprout. Jon’s finger is pointing to a root that has emerged from a seed and if you look closely you can see several more. That really is difficult on a gin that is designed dry cotton lint and cotton seed.

This photo shows how incredibly bad the wind has been. The field that you are looking at had been picked. Winds from Harvey beat up the rectangular modules so much, it seems to have twisted the fiber back onto the plants! I couldn’t have imagined….

But this photo is even more illustrative of the point the Whatleys made… the round bales / modules definitely held together in the wind better. You can see that the plants in that section of the field are showing up as dark swaths. Wow.

Thoughts will stay with them for the coming future… Kelly said they may have some drone footage to share soon, but for now, there is more work to do.

The post How is Hurricane Harvey Impacting Texas Cotton Farmers? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Last week as I was attending a conference on the technical side of blogging, a friend (Michelle Miller of TheFarmBabe.com) sent me a message since I’m her go to on all things cotton. I answered as she sent another, another and then a deluge. You would have thought she was having a bit of a personal crisis, but in fact, she was just trying to buy some new bed sheets for her home.

I think I’ve had the same overwhelming sensation the first time I went to buy some shampoo and found the one I loved had been discontinued. So I replied and kept replying. Decided it was past time for me to write a post about what I look for and what I avoid when it comes to buying sheets.

What I Look For in Sheets

I can remember a time when I bought whatever was on sale cause that’s what my budget allowed for. The sheets I had would be replaced next time I moved and I moved pretty frequently. Once I bought a home and decided to make my bedroom a bit more mine, I decided to spend money on neutral colors or higher quality sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers.

Suddenly, all the things I had learned about cotton fiber quality and textiles was put to work (thanks Cotton Inc for all the lessons!). So here’s what I look for and why:

• Cotton — I know with a social media handle like JPlovesCOTTON, it seems obvious, but there have been times when I had some synthetic sheets. In general, the breathability of cotton is so awesome on my skin and I’ve always prefered it to be a bit cool at night. With cotton if I do get warm, it won’t make me progress to being hot! Synthetic fibers will do that.
• Pima or SuPima Cotton — It isn’t as easy to find Pima and SuPima cotton in general as I’d like, but it is amazingly smooth and stronger and finer than upland cotton. Those are all good things with sheets so I look for it. Egyptian cotton has this similar reputation and shares some of the qualities, but I like knowing I’m supporting US farmers and know first-hand how they care for the environment, etc.
• Thread counts — Thread counts can help the sheets feel smoother as well as help the wear of sheets. I have 600-800 count sheets right now. What do the numbers mean? That’s the number of threads in an inch of fabric, which also means the thread needed to be made with long, fine fibers. While it seems thread count keeps reaching new heights with the new technologies in cotton genetics, weaving and spinning, combined with Pima fibers, there tend to be points at which the costs are significantly higher. I tend to look at what makes sense to the touch and price. Some of the sheets I have now have lasted 15 years or more.
• Flannel sheets — I love flannel sheets in winter and any cool months but will confess that once the air conditioning comes on, I change out for standard percale sheets. Those are smooth woven sheets. Either way, I use the previous notes along with a good touch test to decide on what to purchase when I need new ones! Gotta tell ya, I’ve never been a fan of t-shirt / knit sheets.

What I Avoid

Since I said I’d speak to both what I seek out and avoid, I guess I committed to do this. Again, these are just my guidelines… not law of the land.

• Egyptian Cotton — A long time ago, Egyptian cotton held a special places in the heads and on the beds of lots of people that’s because there are a few different types of cotton quality and they are related to the species of cotton. At the time, Egypt grew Gossypium barbadense which is known for its extra long staple (cotton uses ELS as an abbreviation a lot) and U.S. grew Gossypium hirsutum but the reality is Americans have been growing ELS cotton since the early 1900s, starting in Arizona with the USDA and the Pima tribe of native Americans. Other ELS cottons include Pima, Egyptian/Gizas, Indian Suvin, Chinese xinjiang and  Sea Island cottons. So a current preoccupation on Egyptian cotton is due to marketing a lot like focusing on champagne when sparkling wines made in lots of countries are just as amazing! And besides, folks like my friend Cannon Michael grows Pima cotton in California (you may remember I went pheasant hunting on his farm for my birthday one year!). So I prefer to go with Pima, SuPima and now PimaCott which are US grown.[clickToTweet tweet=”I had no idea what kind of sheets to buy, Egyptian? 1200 count? ARGH! This helps” quote=”I had no idea! “]
• Microfiber — I know microfiber feels soft, but the feel to the touch is only one piece of what I look for, how well it breathes is a different feel altogether. So for me I like layers that can breathe when I’m sleeping. Polyester and other synthetic fibers are the worst on this count.

A New Brand I Keep Looking At

I love knowing I’m supporting my community and in this instance, it is a bunch of my friends who are U.S. cotton farmers! One easy way to do it is by buying Pima cotton brands, but a newer way which is really interesting to me, is buying straight from a cotton farm in Alabama selling their farm to fabric products through a company called Red Land Cotton — yep, they have red dirt in northern Alabama.

Mark Yeager and his daughter Anna Brakefield came to our office a year ago to tell us what they were doing. They found some heirloom sheets that were in a friend’s cedar chest and realized how much more substantial they felt than today’s linens. They started talking to various people in the cotton industry to figure out how to make them. And today, you can buy a set of sheets, pillowcases, even kitchen towels and napkins knowing that the cotton started on the Yeager’s farm, went through the spinning, weaving, sewing process, all in the Southeastern US. You can read all about the family, the farm, how the sheets are made and more on the Red Land Cotton blog, their Instagram and Facebook channels.

I haven’t needed to buy any new sheets in the last few months, but I have a feeling I will be considering these when I do. Again, they don’t feel the same as the ones you buy at a department store, they’ll feel more like the sheets our grandparents had.

Did I miss anything?

The post What You Should Know Before Buying Sheets appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Sometimes the questions that get asked leave me to pause and ponder. That’s exactly what happened when someone on Quora requested my answer to the question, what does cotton feel like? When I first saw it, I thought it was a bit absurd to ask. Then again, I routinely quote Cotton Inc on “the touch the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives.” So I let it bounce around in my head for a while and while I’m still not sure I gave the answer the person posing the question was looking for, I gave my answer! Am making some minor changes and posting it here in part because if you have an answer, I’d love to hear it! May even make it a guest post!

The first thing that come to mind for me is cotton feels like home. It is my go-to for comfort and I can make that work on so many levels.

The feeling of cotton can change based on the way we process it.

• For the flannel sheets that I snuggle into on a cold winter’s night, cotton feels soft and fuzzy, like it is waiting for you to come to bed when you get there and like it wants to hold onto you when the alarm buzzes.
• Cotton pjs feel like encouragement for taking a lazy Saturday after you’ve been running hard for a couple of weeks. They offer the perfect buffer between you and the sofa that’s been calling your name.
• The best pair of jeans or denim jacket feels like a friend who’s willing to help you get the job done. It is strong enough to take a beating without ripping the fabric (at least most days!) but soft enough that your body welcomes it whether you pull them on tight or baggy.
• My favorite Pima cotton v-neck t-shirt feels light and airy. It is the perfect thing for a hot day or a day when I will be running around a lot and want to still look a tiny bit more polished.

Cotton on the farm, has a different feeling all together. There are a lot of sensations.

• The plants are tender, seemingly fragile in the early part of the season. The leaves cool to the touch, even on a hot day as they turn the water the roots mine and sun shining down to photosynthesis and respiration waiting for the sun to go away.
• As you get to the middle of the season and plants have been growing strong, you realize those leaves are smooth on top, but can vary from smooth underneath to pretty hairy, something that surprises you. You see and touch delicate flowers, that dry-down faster than flowers we buy or grow to decorate our homes. So they start smooth and tender and within a couple of days, they are dry to the touch and crinkle in your hands.
• Later in the season, you can feel hard bolls on the plant, feeling fiber so tightly packed in there that the plant is ready to burst. And once it does burst, it is among the softest fibers imaginable. As you grab the open boll in your hand, it is both soft as the fiber is incredibly fine and comes from the seeds which are firm.

Not sure that is what a Quoran was looking for but it works for me!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Starting to wonder how I’d answer this question — What does cotton feel like? ” quote=”Interesting question and not sure about the answer… may have to give it some thought!”]

The post If asked, what does cotton feel like? How would you answer? appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

There is nothing else like it for me….. seeing cotton fields at sunset is totally unique. The softness of the colors of the sky and the soft textures of fiber tufting out from the rough and rugged plants is captivating.

And after a decade or so of having that out my office window and on my daily drive, it is something that truly does call me home. Over the years, if you follow this blog, you have seen more than a few photos of cotton bolls and cotton pickers. Since my move to St. Louis five years ago, I have found myself stopping along the roads between here and Memphis on weekend evenings trying to capture the light.

It may surprise you though that it has been years since I took my spot in the buddy seat of a cotton picker. This year, my trip to Texas so close to cotton harvest convinced me I simply couldn’t go any longer without seeing harvest up close so I took a few days off work to my head back into my favorite crop at the most beautiful time of year.

Starting with Missouri bootheel cotton on Thursday and checking out some Mississippi crops Friday and Saturday was just what the doctor ordered!

I’ll give you a look at a few of the I snapped as I started my harvest weekend in this post and will then have several more posts to explain some of the photos and share more photos in the coming weeks!

These striking cotton harvest photos were all taken on Charles Parker’s farm in the Missouri Bootheel.  Appreciate his son-in-law Alan pointing me to the perfect field to capture the sunset!

If you have any questions after looking at these photos, please don’t hesitate to ask! I’ll be writing more!

The post Capturing the Light of Cotton Fields at Sunset — Photo Post appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.