Unit and Component Testing - Quiltmaking

[Cathe]

If I make a baby quilt, it might have as many as 100 fabrics (plus thread and batting) in it. If I were eligible for Component Testing as endorsed by the NAM proposal, would every fabric have to be tested?

And, I really only make one quilt at a time. Is it true that if I sent that quilt out to be tested as unit, it would be destroyed? (I have been reading some very alarming articles today.)

I am not looking for an exemption because I produce one-of-a-kind articles instead of a "line". I just want to know how it will affect me in my own situation, and if I should just give it up. I have been doing it for 20 years, and I have enjoyed it, but I won't knowingly break the law.

Is it even possible for me to comply with this new law as a quiltmaker?

[J C Sprowls]

Yes to both questions.

Component testing means that you will test all the components that go into the product (e.g. fabrics (each), batting, binding (if not previously tested), lining/backing (if not previously tested).

Unit testing means that you would need to make up a quilt precisely as you plan to sell it. You'd send it off for testing - it would probably be destroyed in the process - and, if it tests clean, you can safely sell that product.

Of course, what gets hairy about unit testing is that you can't change a single detail. The 2nd quilt you sell must be precisely the same as the one you tested. Let's say you run out of thread and get more - the lot # is different. This is a completely different product than the one you had tested and the test results cannot carry over to it.

That's why many of us are hopeful that component testing is allowed. We'll ask our suppliers for their output test results or perform intake testing and be done with it. Then, all the downstream processes are free to operate.