I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that I really want to have a line of organic bobaloo! products. A couple of weeks ago I decided I was ready to get started so I ordered a few organic fabrics from Cedar House Fabrics and fabric.com.
left to right: Grove in Sky & Clearing (Nature Walk from Cloud 9), Woodland Chain in Pool & Woodland Friends (Circa 50 by Monaluna for Birch Fabrics), Stripe & Floral in green (Suzi Q from Timeless Treasures)
Truthfully, I mostly bought based on the prints, but once everything arrived I realized I had ordered from three different manufacturers so I figured a little comparison was in order. I washed all the fabrics in cold water with no fabric softener and (as you can probably tell) didn’t iron them, but I did pull them out of the dryer when they were still warm to keep away most of the wrinkles.
I’m including the prices so you can get an idea of cost, but if I decide to go through with the organic line I’ll probably buy wholesale. This girl loves a deal and I can’t stomach spending $15 a yard on cotton if I don’t have to!
Let’s start with Circa 50 by Monaluna for Birch Fabrics. This fabric reminds me of high-end cotton sheets, the kind you’d find at a really expensive hotel. It’s super-smooth and just feels so nice. It does wrinkle up pretty easily when crumpled, but I’m guessing it irons like a dream. Birch’s prints are definitely my favorites because they are kid-appropriate but super-modern.
This one was $15.50/yd but it was on sale for 10% off with free shipping.
Next up is Suzi Q from Timeless Treasures. This one definitely has some texture and is lighter-weight than the others. If you’ve ever bought the Quilters Only Solids at JoAnn’s, that’s what this fabric feels like.
I bought this for about $11/yd, though I did use a coupon so it ended up being a little less. Fabric.com claims the regular price is $15.99/yd.
Last is Nature Walk from Cloud 9. The fabric from this line is the most similar in feel and appearance to the regular designer cotton prints I normally buy. It’s nice and soft and isn’t too wrinkly despite the lack of ironing.
Nature Walk is the first of Cloud 9’s Price Sensitive collections, so I paid 11.95/yd plus 10% off and free shipping.
Okay, so here’s my bottom line. The Circa 50 by Monaluna from Birch Fabrics is my favorite because of the prints and amazing fabric feel. The price is the highest of the three, but it also feels the most expensive. I want to rub my face on it. I just need to figure out if customers would be willing to pay what I’d have to charge if I use this fabric.
Coming in at a VERY close second is Nature Walk from Cloud 9. The price is great, the prints are awesome, and the fabric is every bit as nice as what I’m used to using. I’m sure I’ll be able to check out Cloud 9’s more pricey fabrics because I’m completely obsessed with Cut Out and Keep and must have some soon or I will quite possibly die.
I feel kind of eh about Suzi Q. The floral print in particular is cute and reminds me of the sheets I used to sleep on at my grandma’s house, but the quality isn’t quite as nice as the other two. I think part of my hesitation is I don’t like enough of the prints to justify buying wholesale from Timeless Treasures.
I’d love to hear what you think about organic cotton. Are you willing to pay more for products made from organic materials? If you sew, do you buy organic fabrics?
You'll totally have a market for your organic products. And I'd go for the more luxe feeling organic cotton. I like my organic cotton bedsheets because I know they aren't gonna off-gas but also because they're so incredibly soft to the touch.
ReplyDeleteBut also, I like that you'll be giving your customers difference price options- y'know, for the conventional cotton will be less and the organic more. There are lots of people committed to organic materials and are willing to pay extra for high quality.
When I first saw the prints, I immediately thought of the granddaughter room sheets. It makes me smile!
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