Cotton is a fabric whose history goes back to the distant past. Seven thousand years ago, cotton was cultivated on the banks of the great Indus River. Currently, the production of cotton materials is about 40% of the total number of textile products. More than 50 types of tissues of this type are counted. To date, the most popular and sought-after fabric is cotton. The photo shows how beautiful the cotton plantations that produce raw materials in more than 40 countries around the world.
Properties of Cotton Fabrics
Natural materials for the production of clothing and bedding firmly hold the palm. Cotton clothes and underwear are especially appreciated. And this is not surprising, because cotton fabric has a lot of advantages:
- Perfectly absorbs moisture.
- Pleasant to the touch.
- It does not cause allergies.
- It is easy to look after her.
- Does not accumulate static electricity.
- It has heat-insulating properties.
- It is well painted.
- It behaves perfectly when sewing products.
- Cotton is plastic during heat treatment of the fiber.
Cotton clothes also have negative sides:
- Crumpled up quickly.
- When washing, it shrinks.
- It wears out, especially when exposed to direct sunlight.
- Cotton is rotten in a humid environment.
The assortment of fabrics produced from cotton fiber is unusually wide.
Cotton Fabrics: Types
Cotton fiber is a natural cellulose fiber. There is a long fiber, short fiber, medium fiber cotton, the fabric of them will be different. Also, the properties of the fabric depend on the way weave the fiber.
In general, the following groups of materials are distinguished for orientation on the consumer market:
- Linen fabrics: chiffon, cambric, madapolam, greensbon, muslin, nansuk and teak-eraser, mal-mal and turban.
- Dress-shirts: chintz, satin, calico, eraser, a group of dress and pile fabrics (velveteen hem, velvet, semi-velvet, velvet cord).
- Summer dresses: cambric, veil, maya, volta, gunny, voile.
- Demi-season : poplin, rep, plaid, garus, crepe, pongee, wool, pique.
- Winter : bike, bumazeya, flannel.
Consider the most popular materials.
Thin cotton fabrics
Cotton fabric of chintz or linen weave is used for sewing underwear and bedding, summer clothes.
- Chintz is an inexpensive printed or one-dyed plain weave fabric . Does not stretch, after washing you can not iron. The material quickly launders and fades.
- Satin is produced by weaving strongly twisted double strands. Due to this, the material has a silk sheen. It is steady against washing, is rather durable.
- Coarse calico is very popular for the production of bed linen. The weaving of the thread 1: 1 provides sufficient material strength, but the fabric is inferior to satin in this parameter. Accordingly, the cost of calico is lower.
- Chiffon is a translucent flowing matter, can be made not only from cotton, but also from silk and viscose. Cotton chiffon is used for tailoring shirts, ball gowns, scarves and summer sundresses.
- Batiste is made of thin twisted cotton, it is a very light and delicate fabric that requires special care.
Thick cotton fabrics
Cotton is also used for sewing warm or outerwear, upholstery for furniture, bedspreads. The fabric is denser, sometimes with one-sided or two-sided pile.
- Corduroy . It has a fleecy surface in a rib, in structure resembles velvet. Used for sewing clothes and shoes.
- The bike . Soft, dense fabric with a thick and long double-sided pile of twill or plain weave.
- Flannel . The fabric with a rare fleece, soft and comfortable, perfectly saves heat. Does not fade, withstands repeated washing, is easy to iron. It is used for tailoring children's and women's clothing, bedding for the smallest, bath accessories and men's shirts. Pile soft, one-sided or double-sided, short.
- Plush . Fabric with an extended one-sided pile. At present, the pile can be made of cotton, wool or viscose, but the base is always cotton. The fabric is very soft and pleasant to the touch. It is used for sewing dresses and for decorative purposes - for furniture upholstery, production of bedspreads.
- Jeans and denim. Very dense twill fabrics for sewing jeans, shoes and accessories. It was from denim that the first Levi Strauss jeans were sewn.
How to care for cotton?
Observe the simplest rules:
- Wash at a temperature of 40 degrees. If higher, then the thing shrinks.
- Iron the cloth slightly damp.
- Do not keep in direct sunlight, otherwise the material will burn out.
- Colored items are undesirable to bleach.
From ancient times to this day, cotton has been the favorite material for many people. The fabric from this natural material is very hygienic and comfortable to wear. To eliminate some of the shortcomings, manufacturers add 5-20% synthetic fibers to cotton .