| Choosing the fabric your clothing is made with is | | | | version of the cotton gin where the cotton seeds are |
| important. This choice can make the difference in the | | | | removed and the cotton fibers, called lint, are bailed |
| look, comfort, durability, or practicality of the purpose of | | | | and sent to the factories. At the textile mill machines |
| the particular article of clothing. The choice of fabrics is | | | | open the bails and clean and mix the cotton lint. This is |
| never more important that the clothes you wear every | | | | done by blowing and beating the lint. The cotton fibers |
| day at work. Your work uniform must be comfortable | | | | are separated into long and short fibers. The short |
| yet durable. It must be stylish yet practical. The | | | | fibers, usually shorted than one inch, are sent out for |
| average person will spend more time wearing their | | | | use in other industries. The long fibers, measuring from |
| uniform than any other article of clothing with maybe | | | | 1" to 1 ¾ " long are fluffed up and deposited into |
| the exception of sleep clothing. The fabric your uniform | | | | the carding machine. The carding machine further |
| is made from is important and with today's fabrics you | | | | cleans the cotton fibers and lines them up side by side |
| have a wider choice than ever. | | | | in the same direction. By combing and cleaning the |
| Every fabric used to manufacture clothing today has | | | | fibers, the carding machine makes the fibers into a soft |
| its own characteristics and uses. When choosing | | | | untwisted rope called a sliver. |
| clothing as important as your uniform, it is important | | | | The cotton sliver then is fed into the spinning frame |
| that you understand the characteristics of the different | | | | where it is spun into cotton yarn. Modern day spinning |
| fabrics. This is the first in a series of articles where we | | | | devices can rotate up to 2,500 revolutions per second. |
| will explore the different fabrics and manufacturing | | | | The spinning process spins the cotton sliver into the |
| process of common fabrics. | | | | yarn that will be woven or knitted into fabric. |
| We will discuss fabrics such as cotton, wool, nylon, | | | | Characteristics: |
| polyester and many other natural and synthetic fabric | | | | Fabric made from cotton is still today the mainstay of |
| materials. Information will be presented about the | | | | material used to make clothing especially uniform |
| history, manufacturing methods, characteristics, and | | | | garments. This is mostly due to its generous |
| uses of the different fabrics. Information concerning | | | | characteristics. Material and apparel made from 100% |
| the cares of fabrics will also be presented. | | | | cotton will have the following characteristics:o Soft and |
| Cotton | | | | comfortable to wearo Durable and lastingo Weather |
| It only seems reasonable to start at the beginning. | | | | resistanto Strongo Absorbento Easily washed and |
| Cotton is considered the oldest and first known fabric | | | | driedo Flame retardanto Hypoallergenico Wrinkles |
| used to make material. Over the last 1000s of years | | | | easily (some garments today are blended with |
| cotton has been the staple of all fabrics. Today it is still | | | | polyester to prevent wrinkling) |
| produced and used basically as it was in the beginning. | | | | Uses: |
| History: | | | | Cotton fabric is still widely used in the garment industry |
| The exact date of the beginning of cotton is unknown, | | | | today. Sometimes called the mainstay of the garment |
| however pieces of cotton fabric cloth found in | | | | industry cotton fabric is used either alone (100% |
| Mexican caves dates back at least 7,000 years old. | | | | cotton) or is blended with other natural or synthetic |
| The cotton was found to be much like the cotton we | | | | fibers. Some common uses of cotton fabric are:o |
| grow today. Cotton was being grown and spun into | | | | Industrial clothingo Uniformso Formal clothingo Casual |
| fabric in Pakistan as far back as 3,000 BC. It is known | | | | clothingo Home furnishingso Rugs and durrieso |
| that about the same time cotton fabric was being | | | | Draperies and curtainso Bed clothing and productso |
| used by Egyptians in the Nile Valley. By 800 AD cotton | | | | Handbags and luggageo Canvaso Shoeso Medical |
| had spread across Europe by Arab merchants. | | | | productso Bookbinding |
| Christopher Columbus found cotton growing in the | | | | Care: |
| Bahama Islands when he discovered America in 1492. | | | | Cotton material is very easy to care for and can be |
| By the early 1500s, cotton was used throughout the | | | | cleaned and dried under just about any conditions. |
| world for making fabric. In the United States the first | | | | Cotton fabric can be machine washed in the hottest |
| cotton seed were believed to be planted in Florida in | | | | of water. It can be bleached without fraying. Cotton |
| 1556. Shortly thereafter in 1607 farms in Virginia along | | | | fabric can be ironed at high temperatures without |
| the James River were producing cotton. | | | | damage. As always you should refer to the care label |
| Cotton fibers were first spun into fabric by machines in | | | | found on any garment before cleaning or ironing. |
| 1730 in England at the beginning of their industrial | | | | Cotton is one of the major factors in world prosperity |
| revolution. However, a new machine invented by Eli | | | | and economic stability. Actively traded daily in the |
| Whitney revolutionized mass production of cotton for | | | | futures market, cotton is a mainstay of the financial |
| use in the textile industry. In 1793 the Cotton Gin was | | | | industry as well as the textile industry. Cotton is grown |
| patented. This new invention could harvest the cotton | | | | worldwide with the leader in production being China |
| 10 times faster than by hand. The cotton gin made it | | | | followed by the United States. Other major cotton |
| possible to supply the needed cotton and the value of | | | | producing countries include India, Pakistan, Brazil, |
| the U S Cotton crop rose from $150,000 to more than | | | | Turkey, and Greece. |
| 8 million dollars. | | | | I sincerely hoped you enjoyed this article. Please look |
| Manufacturing process: | | | | forward to my next article where we will discuss |
| Cotton is still today harvested by a modern day | | | | another natural fiber - silk. |