FABRIC SOURCE BOOK Wool, Silk, and Cotton
Fabric Source Book by Natalie James Introduction to Textiles FASH 105-01 Spring 2014
Wool History Sheep were one of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, this occurred sometime between 11,500 to 9,500 BCE. This early domestication is thought to have occurred in Central Asia. Central Asia was full of pastoral nomads that brought their flocks of sheep with them as they moved through the region. It was not until 6,000 BCE that sheep were bred to produce finer quality wool. Sheep rearing became a major industry in the ancient world from the Caspian Sea to as far north as modern-day Germany and as south as Sumeria. Sheep were in Ancient Egypt between 6,000 to 5,000 BCE and the male sheep, the Ram, was highly revered in Egyptian society. In Europe the sheep industry continued to grow. The Romans used sheep for sacrifices and farmed them. They are credited for spreading sheep through the rest of Europe and the Roman Empire.
Raw wool
The Phoenicians took sheep from Asia Minor to Northern Africa; this would be the start of the wool industry in Spain. The Vikings also took the indigenous sheep of Norway with them were they traveled and settled in, such as Iceland and Greenland. By 55 BCE the Britons had already developed a wool industry. When the Romans invaded the British islands they encouraged the wool industry and crossed bred their hornless, whiteface short wool sheep with the indigenous Soay breed. The Saxon invasions started in the fifth century they almost destroyed the industry. In the eighth century Britain was exporting wool fabrics to the rest of Europe. By the twelfth century wool was England’s biggest asset. Wool was made throughout the country. England’s greatest wealth came from exporting raw wool. Anything having to do with wool production and sells was heavily taxed, which made the Kings of England very wealthy.
Merino Sheep
While England was getting wealthy off their sheep and wool production, Spain was developing the Merino breed of sheep. The Merino is known for its soft and fine fleece. Spain controlled a strict monopoly of the breed. Each Merino sheep had more rights then some citizens of Spain and if someone was caught trying to take a Merino across Spain’s boarders they could be punishable by death. The great wealth Spain acquired from their Merinos was able to fund the explorations of the New World. Christopher Columbus brought the first domesticated sheep to the Caribbean and Mexico; this breed was called the Churra. The natives in South America were already using llama and alpaca to create wool. Not only did Spanish spread their wool industry, the British and Dutch extended their wool industries to their colonies in America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Breeds of sheep
America had their first woolen mill in 1662 and Australia had their first flock of sheep in 1788. Australia would get a few Merino sheep that started their wool industry in 1797. Australia today has 120 million sheep. There are more than 200 breeds of sheep in the world today. Each breed has been bred for certain wool fabrics. Sheep’s wool is still the most commonly used type of wool. China, Australia, India, and Iran have the largest flocks of sheep and Australia, New Zealand, Nations in South and Central American, and the British Isles are the major centers for wool production.
Manufacturing When the wool is ready to be harvested in the springtime the sheep is sheared. Most sheep are still sheared by hand and a veteran shearer can
The grading process
shear up to two hundred per day. The fleece from once sheep can weigh between 6 and 18 pounds. It is important to keep the fleece in one piece as much as possible. Lamb’s wool is made from the fleece the first time a lamb is sheared. After the sheep’s first shearing its fleece can no longer be call lamb’s wool. The fleece is then graded; this is the separating of fleece base on the overall quality. The best quality wool comes from the shoulders and sides of the sheep and the lesser quality comes from the lower legs. Wool directly taken from the sheep is call “raw” wool. This wool is dirty and contains natural grease call lanolin. To remove the dirt and lanolin from the fleece the fleece is scoured several times in alkaline baths that contain water, soap, and soda ash. Rollers then squeeze the excess water from the fleece, but the fleece is not dried completely. The fibers are passed through a series of metal teethed that
Spinning wool into yarn
straightens and blends them into slivers. Any dirt that is still in the fleece is removed during this process. After the carding process if the yarn is intended for worsted yarn the fleece is put through two extra processes, gilling and combing. These two extra processes remove the short fibers and place the longer fibers parallel to each other. After the fleece is cleaned and lying flat the yarn is ready to be spun. Woolen yarns are spun on a mule-spinning machine and worsted yarn can be spun on a number of spinning machines. Spinning the fibers together to form one strand of yarn forms the thread. Yarns can have up to four strands spun together. Wool fibers cling together; this makes it very easy to spin into yarn. The tighter the twist in the yarn the strength and elasticity of the yarn increases. After the yarn is spun, it is wrapped around bobbins, cones, or commercial drums.
Dyeing the yarn
Since wool has a high affinity to dye, it can be dyed at any stage of production. Dyed in the wool or stock dying is dyed while the fiber is sill in the form of fleece. Worsted wool cannot be dyed until after it is combed, this is called top dyeing. Package dyeing is dyeing the wool after it is twisted into yarn. Lastly piece dyeing occurs after the fabric has been woven. Once the yarn is created it is ready to be woven into fabric. The most common weaves are the plain and twill weave. Wool yarns are woven in a plain weave and worsted yarns use a twill weave creating a tightly woven fabric. After weaving both worsted and woolen fabrics go through a series finishes: fulling, crabbing, and decating.
Wool is strong, elastic, and resilient.
Pros and Cons ¨ ¨ ¨
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Strong- is very strong, elastic and resilient Warmth- its natural crimp makes wool an excellent insulator Breathability- is porous, allowing the skin to breathe, making it comfortable to wear in hot or cold weather Cleanliness- sheds dirt and spills lift out and dirt can be brushed away Pills- Small fuzz balls, called pills, can form on the surfaces of some wool fabrics Chemical Sensitivity- is sensitive to alkaline chemicals, chlorine bleach, and most detergents Shrinkage- Hand washing or dry cleaning is required
Fabric Handling and Care ¨
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Give wool garments a 24-hour rest between wearing. Hang on shaped or padded hangers, leaving lots of space. In general, wool fibers will shed wrinkles and return to their original shape Empty pockets, remove belts and hang with closures zipped and buttoned. Fold knits. Brush wool to remove surface soil. Use a damp sponge for knits and finer fabrics. Refresh wool garments quickly after wearing or unpacking by hanging them in a steamy bathroom. Moisture from the steam will remove wrinkles. If wool gets wet, dry the garment at room temperature away from heat. If there's a nap, brush with the nap.
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Remove spots and stains promptly. Keep moths away by storing wool with fresh cedar blocks. Dry clean once a season (or when stained), and especially before storing. Always steam when pressing wool. Use the wool setting. Avoid pressing wool totally dry. When possible, press on the reverse side of the fabric. When necessary to press on the right side, use a press cloth to avoid a shine. Lower and lift the iron, don't slide it back and forth. Prevent imprinting inside detail by placing a piece of brown paper or tissue paper under folds, seams or darts.
Wool in Carolina Herrera Fall 2014 RTW Collection
Silk The Silk Legend Lei Zu was a Concubine of the Chinese Emperor Xuanyuan. One day when she was drinking her tea in a mulberry bush when some wild cocoons fell in her bowl. She tried to remove the cocoons; she noticed it stretched into a never-ending line. She then started to cultivate silk to weave with.
History Silk has been a sought out commodity for thousands of years. The exact start date of the silk trade is unknown, but a female mummy was found with silk in the village of Deir el Medina, Egypt dated 1070 BC and the Chinese emperor, Han Wu Di’s ambassadors traveled to Persia and Mesopotamia bearing gifts of silk during the second century BC. Greek and Roman history talks about Seres, the Kingdom of Silk. After the battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, the bright silk banners of the Syrian Parthian troops frightened the Roman soldiers fled in panic, Chinese silk became widely worn by the rich and noble families of Rome.
The Silk Road
The best Chinese silk cost as much as 300 denarii, the amount of a Roman’s soldiers salary for an entire year. The Silk Road started in 130 BC, when the Han Dynasty opened trade to the west, until 1453 CE, when the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade with the west resulting in shutting down the routes.
Cultivation There are many varieties of silk moths found throughout several countries. China has been the dominant silk producer for thousands of years because of the Bombyx mori, a blind and flightless moth. These moths lay about 500 or more eggs over a week period and dies soon after. The eggs are extremely tiny, 100 of eggs weigh only one gram. Once the eggs hatch the worms eat leaves constantly while growing. The worms then spend three to four days spending a cocoon around themselves.
Silk worm cocoons
The worms then spend three to four days spending a cocoon around themselves. Silkworms are now farmed and their silk harvested from their cocoons for mass production. The worms have strict temperature setting and eating times to keep the moths from hatching too soon and eating the enough to produce the most silk. The Chinese perfected these controls and kept them secret to control the silk market. After the worms have wrapped themselves in their cocoons, in eight to nine days the silk is ready to be harvested. The cocoons are first steamed or baked to kill the worms inside. The cocoons are then dipped in hot water to loosen the silk filaments. The filament from the cocoon is unwound onto a spool in one long continuous strand. Each filament can be between 600 to 900 meters long. It takes about five to eight on these long filaments twisted together to make one thread of silk. Finally the silk threads are ready to be dyed or woven for their intended use.
Silk takes the dye very well, creating gorgeous colors
Pros and Cons ¨
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Lustrous- The smooth silk fiber reflects light, creating a luster and sheen unmatched by other natural fibers. Natural fiber Strong- the strongest natural fiber for its weight Elasticity- can stretch up to 20% without breaking Breathability-Silk is porous, allowing the skin to breathe. The absorbent fiber wicks moisture away from the body. Warmth- warmth without the bulk of wool. Color- Cultivated silk is easy to dye, so, fabrics are often brightly colored or iridescent. Perspiration- Perspiration and body oils can stain silk and cause deterioration. Hard to care for- can be damaged by most laundry detergents
Fabric Handling and Care ¨ ¨
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Only pre-washed silk is washable. Read the label! Dry cleaning is generally preferred, since laundering detergent and dyes in other clothes may adversely affect silk fabric. For washable silk, follow the care instructions carefully. For items without linings and without embellishments attached, careful hand washing is permissible, with mild soap and lukewarm water. Chlorine bleach should never be used on silk. For long-time storage, silk should be sealed against light, air and insects. For specific instructions, always refer to the garment's sewn-in care label.
Silk in Ralph Laruen Fall 2014 RTW Collection
Cotton History It is unknown how old cotton is, but scientists have found bits of cotton cloth in Mexican caves that have been proven to be at least 7,000 years old. Cotton was also being grown and harvested to use as a textile in the Indus River Valley in Pakistan in 3,000 BC. At the same time natives in Egypt’s Nile valley were making and wear cotton clothing. In 800 CE Arab merchants brought cotton cloth to Europe. When Columbus arrived in America in 1492, he found cotton growing in the Bahamas. By the beginning of the 1500’s cotton was known throughout the world. By 1616 colonists were growing cotton along the James River in Virginia. The industrial revolution in England and the invention of the cotton gin in the U.S shaped the importance of cotton in the world today. The cotton gin could the work 10 times faster than by hand and made it possible to supply large quantities of cotton fiber. In 10 years the value of the U.S cotton crop rose from 150,000 to more than 8 million dollars.
A cotton plant ready for harvesting.
Making the Textile After the cotton is picked from its plant, it is sent to a cotton gin where the gin removes the seeds from the cotton fiber. The seedless cotton is packed into bales and sent to the textile mills. The cotton fiber is now called lint. The bales are opened and the lint is mixed up and cleaned by blowing and beating. The best lint consists of fibers that are about 1 inch to 3Âź inches long. The mixed cotton then goes through a carding machine that cleans the fibers some more and makes them lie side by side in the same direction. Carding straightens the fibers and makes them soft, to create an untwisted rope called sliver. The yarn is made directly from the sliver on spinning frames. The spinning frame takes the fibers from the sliver and rotates it up to 2,500 revolutions for a twist that makes the fibers into a yarn ready to be woven or knitted into fabrics.
The modern loom
Mechanized looms weave cotton yarns into fabrics the same way a hand-weaving frame did. Mechanized looms work at fast speeds interlacing the warp and filling yarns. The woven fabric is then sent to a finishing plant. At the finishing plant is fabric is bleached, pre-shrunk, dyed, printed, and given special finishes were it is ready to be used to make clothing or products for the home.
Cotton allows air to flow through the fabric, being the ideal summer fabric.
Pros and Cons ¨
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Washability- can be washed in cold or hot water with strong detergents and can be bleached Strength- it is a moderately strong fiber that gets stronger when wet Absorbency- can absorb up to 15% of its weight in moisture Coolness- is porous which allows the skin to breath, perfect for summer weather
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Drapeablity- does not have the body for good drapeablity Shrinkage- can shrink when was if not careful
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Wrinkles- will wrinkle very easily
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Fabric Handling and Care ¨
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Cotton can be easily laundered. It can withstand high temperatures (boiling water does not hurt the fiber). Any good detergent can be used to wash cotton. Chlorine bleach can be used safely on cotton whites. Use color safe bleach on dyed cottons. Since cotton fibers are fairly inelastic cotton fabrics may wrinkle easily. And, fabric may need frequent pressing. However, cotton fabric can be treated with a wrinkle resistant finish to create a more resilient fabric/garment. The label will tell you if this finish has been applied. A higher heat setting is needed in the dryer to dry cotton. Cotton will take much longer to dry than less absorbent fibers.
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Cotton can be ironed with a hot iron, and does not scorch easily
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For specific instructions, always refer to the garment's sewn-in care label.
Cotton in Calvin Klein Spring 2014 RTW Collection