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Organic Calico 156gsm

Organic Calico 156gsm

Lightweight unbleached organic calico fabric.

Our organic calico is a great value unbleached fabric that is ideal for a wide range of uses including craft, clothing, homeware, kitchenware and some soft furnishings.

The fabric features a plain calico weave and the fibres are unbleached providing a natural organic print base. As the fabric is unbleached it can contain some imperfections which can add character and depth to a print.

All our cotton fabrics have been pre-treated to offer excellent wash fastness and durability.

Specification

Type
Woven
Ink
Pigment
Weight
156gsm
Width
140cm
Composition
100% Cotton
Properties
Organic
Origin
Woven in Pakistan, finished and printed in the United Kingdom.
Certification
OEKO-TEX Eco Passport Certified Ink (NEP 1612) info ECOCERT Certified Ink info
Care
Wash on a delicate machine cycle at 30 °C / 85F. Delicate tumble cycle on a low heat. Iron on a medium heat using steam, ironing print side down for best results. Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Care Instructions

Standards

Standard Information Certificate
EN ISO 105-X12:2016 Dry: 4, Wet: 3 EN ISO 105-X12:2016.pdf
EN 71-3:2019 [1] EN 71-3:2019.pdf
[1] Expired standards - this standard has been withdrawn and is potentially replaced by a newer standard.

Representative samples have been independently tested against commercial standards by a UKAS accredited lab. Learn more Please note care instructions are provided for guidance only and recommend testing to ensure the fabric is suitable for your intended use.

Prices

Size Quantity Price Saving
Swatch 3 for 2 £2.99 -
Fat Quarter £12.99 -
Linear Metres 1m £23.99 -
5 - 10m £22.79 5.0%
10 - 40m £22.19 7.5%
40m+ £21.59 10.0%
  • No setup charges
  • Prices inclusive of VAT (where applicable)
  • Swatches and fat quarters are not eligible for bulk discounts.
  • Bulk discounts are based on the cumulative total per fabric. For example, you can order 10m with 10 designs, or 10m of the same design. The bulk discount is automatically applied during checkout.

Alternative Fabrics

Usage and Safety Instructions

Babywear

If making clothes intended for babies, you should make sure you make them safely.

There are a number of standards that determine how to safely make clothes intended for babies:

Standard Description
EN 13402:2002 Size designation of clothes
EN 14682:2014 Safety of children's clothing - Cords and drawstrings on children's clothing - Specifications
EN 14878:2007 Textiles - Burning behaviour of children's nightwear - Specification
EN 17394-1:2021 Textiles and textile products - Part 1: Safety of children's clothing - Security of attachment of attached components to infants' clothing - Specification
EN 17394-2:2020 Textiles and textile products - Part 2: Safety of children's clothing - Security of attachment of buttons - Test method
EN 17394-3:2021 Textiles and textile products - Part 3: Safety of children's clothing - Security of attachment of metal mechanically applied press fasteners - Test method
EN 17394-4:2021 Textiles and textile products - Part 4: Safety of children's clothing - Security of attachment of components except buttons and metal mechanically applied press fasteners - Test method
More Details

If placing your products for sale, you should make sure your product at least meets these specifications.

The topic of clothes for children and babies is complex, and it is not possible to cover all potential hazards - you should carry out your own assessment when making your product to make sure it is safe for your intended use.

Size designation of clothes

Relevant Standards

  • EN 13402:2002 - Size designation of clothes

Your clothes should be labelled correctly for the intended size - failure to do do can result in poor fitting clothing, being either overly restrictive or inappropriately loose.

Depending on the item of clothing, you should measure and label the pieces correctly so that they will fit correctly.

There is a good factsheet available here.

Cords and drawstrings on children's clothing

Relevant standards:

  • EN 14682:2014 - Safety of children's clothing - Cords and drawstrings on children's clothing - Specifications

Cords and drawstrings on children's clothing can present a significant safety hazard. Clothes with cords or drawstrings present an entrapment risk in play equipment or moving vehicles, resulting in severe injury or death.

You must make sure that your use of cords and drawstrings on childrens clothing is appropriate, and does not present an entrapment risk, for example, loops of cord which may strangulate a child, or long dangling elements that may get caught in play equipment or moving vehicles.

General

Garments intended for young children shall not be designed, manufactured, or supplied with drawstrings or functional cords in the head, neck or upper chest area. In addition, decorative cords shall not be permitted anywhere on the hood or at the back of the neck.

Knots or three dimensional embellishments are not permitted at the free ends or along the length of free ends of cords.

Toggles should only be used on drawstrings with no free ends, or decorative cords.

Drawstrings should be attached to the garment in at least one place, in the middle (for example, using a bar tack).

Upper Body

e.g. Hoodies, tops, hats, coats

Drawstrings shall not have free ends.

No protruding loop when the garment is open to its largest maximum protruding loop circumference shall be 15 cm when garment is at it's smallest opening position.

Toggles, if used for adjustment of drawstrings, shall be fixed to the garment.

Functional cords shall not be more than 7.5 cm in length.

Functional cords shall not be made from elastic cords.

Shoulder straps shall not have free ends external to the garment when worn. Decorative cords attached to a shoulder strap shall not have free ends longer than 7.5 cm and fixed loops shall be no more than 7.5 cm in circumference.

Acceptable mechanism to affix and adjust length of a shoulder strap:

  • Permanently fixed to front and back,
  • Using buttons, press fasteners, provided the free end is inside the garment,
  • Use of a clip or fastening of two cords, provided these do not result in free ends of cords when garment is worn,
  • Ring and slider mechanism, provided the loop shall lie flat to the body when worn.

Halter neck-style garments shall be constructed with no free ends in the neck and throat.

Waist and lower

e.g. Trousers, shorts, shirts, briefs and bikini bottoms

For clothing intended for the waist and lower, garments shall not have free ends of drawstrings longer than 20 cm at each end when the garment is in a relaxed natural state. Garments shall not have functional cords longer than 20 cm, or decorative cords longer than 14cm.

Shirts, coats, dresses, dungarees

Garment shall not have free ends of drawstrings longer than 14 cm at each end when the garment is open to its largest and laid flat.

Garment shall not have protruding loops on drawstrings with no free ends when the garment is open to its largest and laid flat. Where toggles are used for adjustment of drawstrings with no free ends, the toggles shall be fixed to the garment.

Garment shall not have functional cords longer than 14 cm.

Tied belts or sashes (tied at the back)

For young children: length shall not be more than 36 cm, when measured from the point where they are to be tied and shall not hang below the hem of the garment, when untied.

For older children and young persons: length shall not be more than 36 cm, when measured from the point where they are to be tied.

Tied belts or sashes (tied at the front or side)

Length shall not be more than 36 cm, when measured from the point where they are to be tied.

Lower edge of garments which hang below the crotch

Fringes are considered as a series of decorative cords.

Drawstrings, functional cords or decorative cords including any toggle shall not hang below the lower edge of the garment.

Drawstrings, functional cords or decorative cords at the lower edges of garments shall lie flat against the garment, when the garment is tightened or fastened.

Back area

Children's garments shall not have drawstrings or functional cords that emerge from the back of the garment or to be tied at the back.

Decorative cords shall not be more than 7.5 cm in length and shall have no knot, toggle or three-dimensional embellishment.

Long Sleeves

Drawstrings, functional cords and decorative cords:

  • at the lower edge of long sleeves shall not be outside the garment,
  • positioned below the elbow on long sleeves, shall not hang below the lower edge and free ends shall be no longer than 7.5 cm.

Short sleeves

Drawstrings, functional cords and decorative cords are permissible on short sleeves provided the sleeve finishes above the elbow. The maximum protruding length permitted (measured when the sleeve is open to its largest and laid flat).

For young children: 7.5 cm

For older children and young persons: 14 cm

Nightwear - fire safety

Relevant Standards:

  • EN 14878:2007
  • UK nightwear safety regulations 1985

If you are using this material to make nightwear for children, you must make sure it complies with the EN 14878:2007 specifications and UK Nightwear safety regulations 1985.

The EN 14878:2007 specifications require that your manufactured garment comply with the following standards:

Class Application Parameters Minimum Requirements
A Children's Nightwear (not pyjamas) Surface Flash No Surface Flash
Time of Flame Spread 3rd marker thread (520mm) not severed in less than 15 seconds.
B Children's Pyjamas Surface Flash No Surface Flash
Time of Flame Spread 3rd marker thread (520mm) not severed in less than 10 seconds.
C Babie's Nightwear (under 6mo) Not tested Not tested

Examples

You can find a worked example of a non-compliant product from the UK government here.

There are many more examples of non-compliant products on the EC safety gate.

Backdrops

The main requirements when making backdrops from our fabric are related to fire safety.

The following are relevant standards for fire safety for backdrops:

Standard Description
BS 5867-2:2008 Fabrics for curtains, drapes and window blinds - Flammability requirements. Specification
EN 1102:2016 Textiles and textile products - Burning behaviour - Curtains and drapes - Detailed procedure to determine the flame spread of vertically oriented specimens
EN 13772:2011 Textiles and textile products - Burning behaviour - Curtains and drapes - Measurement of flame spread of vertically oriented specimens with large ignition source

The exact requirements depend on the end use and where the product is going to be used.

There are few specific requirements for consumer use, however, if the product will end up in a public place, generally the requirements are stricter.

You must make sure your fabric of choice meets the necessary fire safety requirements.

Note that construction of the final piece can change the fire safety characteristics, including the choice of thread, accessories, lining, etc.

If your intend to retail your products, it is highly recommended to get the final products tested for fire safety before marketing them for sale.

Bedding

The main requirements when making bedding from our fabric are related to fire safety.

The following are relevant standards for fire safety for bedding:

Standard Description
BS 1877-8:1974 Domestic bedding - Pillows and bolsters for domestic use (excluding cellular rubber pillows and bolsters)
BS 5815-3:2021 Sheets, sheeting, pillowslips, towels, napkins, counterpanes and continental quilt secondary covers suitable for use in the public sector - Specification for counterpanes and continental quilt secondary covers including flammability performance
BS 7175:1989 Methods of test for the ignitability of bedcovers and pillows by smouldering and flaming ignition sources
EN 14533:2015 Textiles and textile products - Burning behaviour of bedding items - Classification scheme
EN ISO 12952-1:2010 Textiles — Assessment of the ignitability of bedding items - Part 1: Ignition source: smouldering cigarette
EN ISO 12952-2:2010 Textiles — Assessment of the ignitability of bedding items - Part 2: Ignition source: match-flame equivalent

The exact requirements depend on the end use and where the product is going to be used.

There are few specific requirements for consumer use, however, if the product will end up in a public place, generally the requirements are stricter.

You must make sure your fabric of choice meets the necessary fire safety requirements.

Note that construction of the final piece can change the fire safety characteristics, including the choice of thread, accessories, stuffing, etc.

If your intend to retail your products, it is highly recommended to get the final products tested for fire safety before marketing them for sale.

Beeswax Wraps

If your product is intended to come into contact with food, there are strict safety requirements set out in law.

The following are relevant standards for fire safety for beeswax wraps:

Standard Description
EN 1186:2022 Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs. Plastics
EU 1935:2021 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food

It is imperative that you get your final product tested for food safety before retailing.

The safety of the product can depend not only on the base fabric, but also the choice of wax and the overall construction - it is not enough to just have the fabric tested.

Bunting

There are no specific standards relating to bunting, but depending on their end use, you may consider treating them as vertical wall hangings, in which case they will need to meet the safety requirements for curtains, or toys, in which case they will need to meet the safety requirements for toys.

Curtains

The main requirements when making curtains from our fabric are related to fire safety.

The following are relevant standards for fire safety for curtains:

Standard Description
BS 5867-2:2008 Fabrics for curtains, drapes and window blinds - Flammability requirements. Specification
EN 13772:2011 Textiles and textile products - Burning behaviour - Curtains and drapes - Measurement of flame spread of vertically oriented specimens with large ignition source
EN ISO 6941:2003 Textile fabrics — Burning behaviour — Measurement of flame spread properties of vertically oriented specimens
IMO FTP Code 2010 Part 7 Test for vertically supported textiles and films

The exact requirements depend on the end use and where the product is going to be used.

There are few specific requirements for consumer use, however, if the product will end up in a public place, generally the requirements are stricter.

You must make sure your fabric of choice meets the necessary fire safety requirements.

Note that construction of the final piece can change the fire safety characteristics, including the choice of thread, accessories, lining, etc.

If your intend to retail your products, it is highly recommended to get the final products tested for fire safety before marketing them for sale.

Face Masks

It is important to note the relevant standards for particle filtering respirators:

Standard Description
EN 149:2001+A1:2009 Respiratory protective devices. Filtering half masks to protect against particles. Requirements, testing, marking

You should make sure that your construction conforms with any relevant standards for the advertised use of masks made from our fabric.

It is most likely that masks created from our fabric will be decorative only, for example as neck warmers, snoods, gaiters and the like, and the efficacy is not warranted.

Garments

The main requirements when making garments from our fabric are related to labelling

The following are relevant standards for garments:

Standard Description
EN 13402:2002 Size designation of clothes
EN 14682:2014 Safety of children's clothing - Cords and drawstrings on children's clothing - Specifications

You must make sure you construct your garments safely, but otherwise, the only strict requirements are about labelling, which only apply if you're looking to market your creations for sale.

Kitchenware

The main concerns when making kitchenware is heat safety for the end user.

If you're making oven gloves or trivets, then you need to make sure it is safe to use and isn't going to burn the user.

When making kitchenware from our fabric, you need to be aware of the following standards.

Standard Description
EU 2016/425:2016 EU Regulation on personal protective equipment
ISO 21420:2020 Protective gloves — General requirements and test methods

Oven Gloves and Trivets

You should use a good heat proof lining for the inner that adheres to the

Food Contact

If the items you're making are likely to come into contact with food, then you need to make sure that they adhere to the regulations on food safety.

The relevant regulations are:

  • EU 1935:2021 - on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food
  • EN 1186:2022 - Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs. Plastics

Disclaimer

Please note this information is inteded for guidance only. You should check appropriate standards yourself to make sure your product conforms to all the necessary safety standards for your particular use case.