Cass and Cotton Boll

BE CURIOUS RE A D

by Cath Nichols

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First published in the United Kingdom by University of Leeds, UK, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-7396838-2-5

Printed in The United Kingdom

www.leeds.ac.uk

www.leeds.ac.uk/becurious

www.sustainablethreads.leeds.ac.uk

BE CURIOUS RE A D

Cass’ dungarees are wearing out and they are too small.

...there’s a hole in the knee...

Is it time to throw them away?

A button has come off...

...and they are far too short!

“Don’t throw me away!” says a voice.

“How odd! Where’s that voice coming from?”

Cass wonders if it’s the dungarees…

“I’ve come a long way to reach you. Can you guess where I come from?”

Cass thinks.

“From… a shop?”

“Before that?”

“Before that?” asks the voice.

“Where was I before that?”

“Er… a clothes factory?”

“Er… did you come from a tree?” Cass suggests.

“Not quite! Look at the label on your dungarees.”

“You’re a cloud!” says Cass.

“Your label says you come from Bangladesh.”

“The dungarees did, but I am a Cotton Boll. I grew on a plant long before I got to Bangladesh.”

...India, China, the United States, Brazil and even Australia.

Cotton is grown in lots of hot countries around the world...

But I grew on a sustainable farm in Senegal, West Africa.

A farmer ploughed the field and planted seeds.

Then sun and water made the seeds grow into plants. The plant flowered and the flower turned into me!

The farmer’s family came and picked me and my friends.

Once we were harvested, we went to a spinning mill in Pakistan where spinners spun us into yarn.

The yarn was then sent to a fabric mill in China where weavers used looms to weave us into huge lengths of fabric.

This fabric was sent to the dye house next door where dyers dyed us different colours.

I really liked that part!

Can you see all the countries I’ve been through?... If we had time, I’d tell you what they were like.

“Wow! That’s such a lot of countries,” says Cass. “So many people doing so many important things!”

“All those hands. It can be ticklish!” says Cotton Boll.

“They make my dungarees very special,” says Cass.

“I should look after them.”

“But they’re so worn out and I still don’t know what to do with them…”

“I have some ideas!” says Cotton Boll

Cotton Boll says. “Buying new clothes gives all those people you saw a job and money, and that’s good.”

“But I don’t want new ones!” says Cass. “I like these ones. They remind me of the holidays.”

“You could buy new dungarees.”

“If your clothes are just too small you could donate them to a charity shop and someone else could wear them.”

“But they’re too worn out, and I want to keep them.” says Cass.

“Well, you could repair them, then!” says Cotton Boll.

“They’re still too short.” says Cass sadly.

“Well, then, let’s re-purpose them and make them into dungaree shorts.”

“Ooh! That’s better!” says Cass.

Cass cleverly uses the off-cuts to make bunting.

“You could use the off-cuts to make something new!” says Cotton Boll

“But how can I make my dungarees last a long time?” asks Cass.

“Don’t leave your clothes in a pile on the floor!” says Cotton Boll

“I never do that...” says Cass.

“Too much washing can make your clothes fade or get holes. If you don’t wash clothes, they last for longer.”

“I thought you had to wash clothes.” Cass is confused.

“Air your clothes over a chair instead. That will take most smells away!” says Cotton Boll.

Cass is surprised. “What if they’re really smelly or dirty?”

“You should wash clothes then.” says Cotton Boll. “But turn the temperature down to save energy.”

“Drying clothes on the line saves energy and is good for the environment.”

“Thank you so much for your help!” says Cass.

“It’s my pleasure!” says Cotton Boll.

“But look! My neighbour is throwing his clothes away. Quick!”

“I must go and stop him!” says Cotton Boll. “Excuse me!”

With that, Cotton Boll flies over the fence to carry on his work.

“Cotton Boll to the rescue!”

THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN CLOTHES

Look at the labels on your clothes. Where did they come from?

How many people do you think were needed to make your clothes?

What is your favourite item of clothing? Why do you like it so much?

When it gets old, what do you think you will do with it? Tick your answer below.

Donate it Repair it

Re-purpose it

TOP TIPS

If your clothes are old or worn out or simply don’t fit any more, there are lots of things you can do with them instead of throwing them away.

If your clothes are clean and in good condition, you could donate them to a charity shop so that someone else can use them.

OR you could repair or alter your clothes so that you can keep wearing them.

OR you could make your old clothes into something new. You could try making them into bunting, or cleaning cloths or even clothes for your toys!

If your clothes are too worn out or stained to be worn, put them in a bag labelled ‘rags’ and leave them with a charity shop or your recycling centre. They can then recycle the fabric into something new!

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The story about Cass and her dungarees was inspired by a research project called Cotton’s Hidden Stories, which was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

This project explored the journey clothes make from the cotton field to the consumer and captured the hidden stories of the workers who grow the cotton, spin the yarns, make the fabric and sew the garments.