I grew up in a rural, southern South Carolina. While visiting for Christmas, my daughter who always visualizes herself in picturesque venues requested that we stop by one of the many cotton fields that we were passing close to my parents’ home and take a few pictures.
I was reminded of a scene from the color purple where Shug Avery says, "I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it… Well, that was exactly how I felt once we walked into the cotton field. What a beautiful thing to behold.
My grandfather was a farmer and I remember helping to pick cotton from the field behind his house, either to harvest the cotton or as punishment that my Grandmother Marie would meter out. Your punishment would be to fill a bread bag (loaf) with cotton. Oh, it seems easy to do, but each time she would push the cotton down to demonstrate that there was more room in the bag to fill. I am so glad that I still remember those days with fond memories.
I have been inspired by visiting the cotton field. For me everything is a learning experience. My daughter’s desire to add to her limitless number of photos has sparked a desire in me to learn more about cotton as a fashion fabric. I visited a couple of websites Cotton – The Fabric of Our Lives and Fiber Central. What I have learned is that cotton is such a versatile fiber that can be woven with other fibers to create wonderful fabrics for fashion apparel.
I am glad my daughter saw fit to request stopping by the cotton field for one of her usual limitless picture taking events, it gave me the opportunity to reflect on fond memories of my grandparents as well as gave me a new appreciation for one of our most precious natural fibers and its fashion potential…limitless.
