No one can be absolutely certain where cotton originated, but we do have some  clues! First, cotton requires some specific growing conditions, including somewhere between 150-180 days of long hours of sunshine , preferably with low  humidity. (This is why areas of the American South excelled in cotton production). SO...certain areas of the world can be automatically excluded as possible places  for the origin of cotton, because their climate does not have the right growing conditions for cotton. Based on climate and archaeological finds, some authorities believe that the cotton plant originated in Asia and the west coast of the Americas.

The most common method used in the United States for fabric printing is by the rotary screen printing process. Rotary screens are seamless nickel mesh screens, in diameters of 25 to 36 inches, coated with an emulsion. Each color in the print pattern requires a different rotary screen. In the engraving process the emulsion is removed in a patterned shape only in the area where that particular screen’s color needs to be printed. On the rotary print machine, all screens needed to produce the required pattern are printed together on a continuous run of fabric. Color is pumped inside of each screen and then forced out by a stainless steel squeegee blade through the engraved area and onto the fabric which travels on a blanket underneath the turning screens.

If you are intending to seriously sew and/or quilt, a good quality iron is an essential investment. Many of your projects will require that you press seams as you sew, to ensure that they lay flat. The better your iron, the less tedious this process will become!

Bias tape is folded strips of fabric that can be bought by the yard, (or you can make your own in the fabric of your choice). Bias tape is used for curvednecklines, hems, around the edges of place mats and for finishing the edges of other projects.