| Planet-Ink
100% all natural cotton T-shirts are produced by Planet-Ink's
exclusive organic cotton partner, SOS
from Texas. SOS from Texas is a family-based
business that has been in the cotton business for
over 100 years. They know cotton. Cotton farming isn't just
something they do for a living, it's their lives.
 "Our
grandfather broke out prairie grass to plant cotton in the
rich soil. We maintain this fertility with organic farming
practices which include crop rotations and enhancing the
habitat for beneficial insects. Nothing synthetic is added
and all that is taken out is cotton.
From
this cotton, we make organic tee shirts. Before we changed
to organic farming, it required about four ounces of concentrated
chemicals to produce the eight ounces of cotton used in
our shirts. SOS FROM TEXAS is pleased to offer our customers
the fruit of our land in our organic cotton garments.
We
are growing organic tee shirts from seed to the sewing for
our customers. In a small way we are sharing our land with
you. You are helping people in several small towns have
jobs so they can continue the rural heritage of America.
We hope you like our products and tell your friends about
them."
-
The Oldham Family
GROWING
ORGANIC COTTON
SOS organic cotton begins as seed planted in fertile soil
around mid May. The crop is cultivated and watered through
summer, it blooms, and bolls of cotton form. Open bolls are
ready for harvest after the first frost in mid November. SOS
from Texas farm is certified organic by the Texas Department
of Agriculture (TDA). Harvested cotton is ginned to remove
the seeds and burs at their local cooperative gin which is
also certified by TDA to process organic cotton.
GROWING
ORGANIC TEE SHIRTS
Bales of cotton go straight to the textile mill in a nearby
small Texas town. The TDA certified mill spins the cotton
into yarn. The yarn is shipped to a Southeastern U.S. knitting
mill which uses TDA approved organic standards and knits the
yarn into fabric. The 5.75 oz./square yard knitted fabrics
is only washed, not bleached, so it is the creamy, natural
color of the cotton in the field.
The soft
fabric is shipped back to the Oldham family farm and they
hand it over to Lou Ann and her helpers who cut out and sew
the pieces into garments. This step provides jobs for people
in another nearby small Texas towns. Hems and neckbands are
sewn wide with double needles. Elastic waistbands on shorts
do not roll with four rows of stitching. We make sure our
garment is well constructed to last and last. Most of the
processing is done in Texas near our farm, insuring our control
over the product and qualifying it for the "Go Texan"
label for Texas-made products.
Visit
the website of SOS
from Texas (the Oldham family organic cotton
farm) for more information. |
