"a prominent industrial fiber in a short time frame, permanently replacing silk in many applications. In the present day, imitation silk may be made with rayon, mercerized cotton, polyester, a blend of these materials, or a blend of rayon and silk. Despite a generally similar appearance, genuine silk has unique features that are distinguishable from artificial silk. However, in some cases art silk can be passed off as real silk to unwary buyers. A number of tests are available to determine a fabric's basic fiber makeup, some of which can be performed prior to purchasing a fabric whose composition is"
"Mercerised cotton Mercerisation is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric and yarn, mainly cotton and flax, which improves dye uptake and tear strength, reduces fabric shrinkage, and imparts a silk-like luster. The process was devised about 1844 by John Mercer, who treated cotton with solutions of 55–65°Tw (20–30%) sodium hydroxide, followed by washing. Mercer observed that the treated fabrics shrank, had increased tensile strength, and an increased affinity for dyes. In the original process of Mercer, no tension was applied. The product was termed ""fulled cotton"", a nod to the process of fulling in woven wool fabric. Mercer regarded"
"to the production of nearly circular cotton fibres under tension. Another characteristic feature is the untwisting (deconvolution) of the cotton hair. In dry mercerization, the process is carried out while drying the fabric on a stenter. Mercerised cotton Mercerisation is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric and yarn, mainly cotton and flax, which improves dye uptake and tear strength, reduces fabric shrinkage, and imparts a silk-like luster. The process was devised about 1844 by John Mercer, who treated cotton with solutions of 55–65°Tw (20–30%) sodium hydroxide, followed by washing. Mercer observed that the treated fabrics shrank, had increased tensile"
"Weighted silk Weighted silk is silk which has been treated to restore or increase the weight lost during the process of degumming. This processing started in the 19th century with vegetable-based solutions such as tannins or sugar. Chemical solutions based upon salts of lead or tin were then used, as well as silicate, phosphate of soda, and astringent extracts. These increased the weight considerably but led to accusations of adulteration as the properties of the silk were impaired. Unlike most fabric/yard goods which are sold by the yard (or metre), silk is sold to the wholesaler by weight. The first"
"Art silk Artificial silk or art silk is any synthetic fiber which resembles silk, but typically costs less to produce. Frequently, ""artificial silk"" is just a synonym for rayon. When made out of bamboo viscose it is also sometimes called bamboo silk. The first successful artificial silks were developed in the 1890s of cellulose fiber and marketed as ""art silk"" or ""viscose"", a trade name for a specific manufacturer. In 1924, the name of the fiber was officially changed in the U.S. to rayon, although the term ""viscose"" continued to be used in Europe. The material is commonly referred to"
"and red. Mercerization is a treatment for cotton fabric and thread that gives fabric or yarns a lustrous appearance and strengthens them. The process is applied to cellulosic materials like cotton or hemp. A further possibility is mercerizing during which the fabric is treated with sodium hydroxide solution to cause swelling of the fibres. This results in improved lustre, strength and dye affinity. Cotton is mercerized under tension, and all alkali must be washed out before the tension is released or shrinkage will take place. Mercerizing can take place directly on greige cloth, or after bleaching. Dyeing is the process"
"process by varying different parts. The main different types of finishes are ""beetling"", ""watered"", ""embossing"" and ""Schreiner"". Beetling is a finish given to cotton and linen cloth, and makes it look like satin. In the beetling process the fabric goes over wooden rollers and is beaten with wooden hammers. The watered finish, also known as moire, is produced by using ribbed rollers. These rollers compress the cloth and the ribs produce the characteristic watermark effect by moving aside threads as well as compressing them. This leaves some of the threads round while others get compressed and become flat. In the"
"was by Sampson Gamgee at the Queen's Hospital (later the General Hospital) in Birmingham, England. Shiny cotton is a processed version of the fiber that can be made into cloth resembling satin for shirts and suits. However, it is hydrophobic (does not absorb water easily), which makes it unfit for use in bath and dish towels (although examples of these made from shiny cotton are seen). Long staple (LS cotton) is cotton of a longer fibre length and therefore of higher quality, while Extra-long staple cotton (ELS cotton) has longer fibre length still and of even higher quality. The name"
"questionable. Tests include rubbing the pile in the hand, burning a small piece of the fringe to smell the ash and smell the smoke, and dissolving the pile by performing a chemical test. The burn test and other methods for fiber identification: Art silk Artificial silk or art silk is any synthetic fiber which resembles silk, but typically costs less to produce. Frequently, ""artificial silk"" is just a synonym for rayon. When made out of bamboo viscose it is also sometimes called bamboo silk. The first successful artificial silks were developed in the 1890s of cellulose fiber and marketed as"
"applied several times in alternation, and patterns may be created by locally applying a resist before or between treatments. At every stage the treatment is stopped by washing and neutralizing the fabric. After acid treatment and washing, a heavy calender, sometimes heated, can be applied to the wet or dried fabric to vary its translucency. Parchmentising Parchmentising is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric, mainly cotton and flax, which stiffens the fabric and imparts a degree of translucency. The process was described in 1850 by John Mercer, who treated cotton with solutions of 110–125°Tw sulfuric acid, at room temperature,"
"Tanning (leather) Tanning is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Tanning hide into leather involves a process which permanently alters the protein structure of skin, making it more durable and less susceptible to decomposition, and also possibly coloring it. Before tanning, the skins are unhaired, degreased, desalted and soaked in water over a period of 6 hours to 2 days. Historically this process was considered a noxious or ""odoriferous trade"" and relegated to the outskirts of town. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical"
"Moire (fabric) Moire ( or ), less often moiré, is a textile with a wavy (watered) appearance produced mainly from silk, but also wool, cotton and rayon. The watered appearance is usually created by the finishing technique called calendering. Moire effects are also achieved by certain weaves, such as varying the tension in the warp and weft of the weave. Silk treated in this way is sometimes called watered silk. Moire is produced from two distinctly different methods of finishing. Calendering produces the true moire, known as ""moire antique"" and ""moire Anglaise"", which is a purely physical phenomenon. In calendering,"
"Liniment Liniment (from the Latin ""linere"", to anoint), or embrocation, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Sometimes called balms or heat rubs, liniments are of a similar or greater viscosity than lotions and are rubbed in to create friction, unlike lotions, ointments or creams, but patches, sticks and sprays are also available. Liniments are typically sold to relieve pain and stiffness, such as from sore muscular aches and strains, or arthritis. These are typically formulated from alcohol, acetone, or similar quickly evaporating solvents and contain counterirritant aromatic chemical compounds such as methyl salicilate, benzoin resin, menthol,"
"Sanforization Sanforization is a treatment process, mainly applied to cotton fabrics and textiles made from natural or chemical fibres, patented by Sanford Lockwood Cluett (1874–1968) in 1930. It is a method of stretching, shrinking and fixing the woven cloth in both length and width before cutting and producing, to reduce the shrinkage which would otherwise occur after washing. The cloth is continually fed into the sanforizing machine and therein moistened with either water or steam. A rotating cylinder presses a rubber sleeve against another, heated, rotating cylinder. Thereby the sleeve briefly gets compressed and laterally expanded, afterwards relaxing to its"
"Moleskin Moleskin is a heavy cotton fabric, woven and then sheared to create a short, soft pile on one side. In feel and appearance its nap is similar to felt or chamois, but less plush than velour. The word is also used for clothing made from this fabric, as well as adhesive pads stuck to the skin to prevent blisters. Clothing made from moleskin is noted for its softness and durability. Some variants of the cloth are so densely woven as to be windproof. Its name is due to the soft brushed hand of the fabric, similar to the skin"
"Lawn cloth Lawn cloth or lawn is a fine plain weave textile, now chiefly of cotton. Terms also used include batiste and nainsook. Originally the name applied to plain weave linen, and linen lawn is also called ""handkerchief linen"". Lawn is designed using fine, high-thread-count yarns, which results in a silky, untextured feel. The fabric is made using either combed or carded yarns. When lawn is made using combed yarns, with a soft feel and slight luster, it is known as ""nainsook"". The term ""lawn"" is also used in the textile industry to refer to a type of starched crisp"
"to straighten out these fibres, with the aid of machinery, and then to so join them that they become a thread, which is known as spun silk. All silk produced by the worm is composed of two substances: fibroin, the true thread, and sericin, which is a hard, gummy coating of the fibroin. Before the silk can be manipulated by machinery to any advantage, the gum coating must be removed, really dissolved and washed away. Where the method used in achieving this operation is through fermentation, the product is called schappe. The former, schapping, is the French, Italian and Swiss"
"demise, Ainsworth Mill continued in business as a bleaching and dyeing work until the dyeing company that went into liquidation in 2006. The works is derelict, but surveys have been done showing an intention to bring the mill back into industrial use. Mercerisation is a treatment for cotton fabric and thread that gives fabric a lustrous appearance. The process is applied to materials like cotton or hemp. The process was devised in 1844 by John Mercer of Great Harwood, Lancashire, who treated cotton fibres with sodium hydroxide. The treatment caused the fibres to swell, which in Mercer's version of the"
"U.S. regulations can cause their product to be rejected as organic corn, and for which they have no recourse against GMO growers. The moisture of freshly emerged corn silk sometimes attracts insects, which can cause silk clipping, which can interfere with kernel formation. Corn silk contains a variety of pharmacologically-active compounds, and as such is used in many types of folk medicine, including as a diuretic and as an inhibitor of melanin production. Corn silk Corn silk is a common name for the shiny, thread-like, weak fibers that grow as part of ears of corn (maize); the tuft or tassel"
"Ahimsa silk Ahimsa silk, also known as peace silk, is a type of silk that is purported to be made in a fashion that is much more humane to the creatures creating the silk than many traditional methodologies. Kusuma Rajaiah, a government officer from India's Andhra Pradesh state, applied the theories behind the ahimsa way of life to the making of silk and found that it was possible to create silk without killing the creatures that created it. Traditional silk manufacturing methods involve boiling the cocoons of the silkworm and then sorting out the threads to be used later in"
"it wrinkle-resistant. By 1950s fabrics made from synthetics and treated cotton were described as “wash-and-wear” to point out that there was no need to iron them.The claim was though somewhat dubious in the sense that they did require some touch-up ironing. In the 1960´s and 1970´s, the developments in the chemistry of textile-treatments led to the discovery of DMDHEU, a chemical agent that made possible a low-cost but superior-quality production of ""permanent-pressed fabrics"", which are now known as durable-pressed finishes. However, these processes weakened clothes; as a result, they wore out faster. Cross-linking is the chemical process to produce textiles"
"the light reflecting is not scattered as much by the fibres, which have fewer tucks. Satin is usually a warp-faced weaving technique in which warp yarns are ""floated"" over weft yarns, although there are also weft-faced satins. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, polyester or nylon, the corresponding fabric is termed a ""satin"", although some definitions insist that the fabric be made from silk. If the yarns used are short-staple yarns such as cotton, the fabric formed is considered a sateen. A satin fabric tends to have a high luster due"
"Parchmentising Parchmentising is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric, mainly cotton and flax, which stiffens the fabric and imparts a degree of translucency. The process was described in 1850 by John Mercer, who treated cotton with solutions of 110–125°Tw sulfuric acid, at room temperature, followed by washing. Mercer observed that the treated fabric was soft like fine wool when treated at 110°Tw, shrank and stiffened at 114°Tw, or shrank, stiffened, and became semi-transparent from 116–125°Tw. In general, treating indefinitely with concentrations below 110°Tw (64%) only swells and shrinks the fabric, while higher concentrations produce the stiff, translucent parchment-like effect"
"Linen Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is laborious to manufacture, but the fiber is very strong, absorbent and dries faster than cotton. Garments made of linen are valued for their exceptional coolness and freshness in hot and humid weather. The word ""linen"" is of West Germanic origin and cognate to the Latin name for the flax plant, ""linum"", and the earlier Greek λινόν (""linón""). This word history has given rise to a number of other terms in English, most notably ""line,"" from the use of a linen (flax) thread to determine a"
"fibers which adhere to the seeds of the cotton plant after ginning. These curly fibers typically are less than long. The term also may apply to the longer textile fiber staple lint as well as the shorter fuzzy fibers from some upland species. Linters are traditionally used in the manufacture of paper and as a raw material in the manufacture of cellulose. In the UK, linters are referred to as ""cotton wool"". This can also be a refined product (""absorbent cotton"" in U.S. usage) which has medical, cosmetic and many other practical uses. The first medical use of cotton wool"
"in the industry as ""viscose rayon"". In 1931, Henry Ford hired chemists Robert Boyer and Frank Calvert to produce artificial silk made with soybean fibers. They succeeded in making a textile fiber of spun soy protein fibers, hardened or tanned in a formaldehyde bath, which was given the name Azlon. It was usable in the making of suits, felt hats, and overcoats. Though pilot production of Azlon reached per day in 1940, it never reached the commercial market; DuPont's nylon was the winner in the quest to produce artificial silk. Although not sold under the name ""art silk"" initially, nylon,"
"lowered. Kimono textiles can to be classified into two categories: Gofuku(呉服), which indicates silk textiles in general, for luxuries and cotton/hemp Futomono(太物) for everyday wear. Gofuku was named after 呉 (Wú) in ancient China, where the technology of silk fabrics originated from. Cotton clothing is called Momenfuku (木綿服) whereas hemp clothing is called Asafuku (麻服) in Japanese. Cotton/hemp fabrics are generally called as Futomono (太物, Thick materials) as the fiber of these materials are thicker compared to that of silk. Till the end of the Edo period, tailoring of these fabrics were handled respectively at Gofuku store (Gofuku Dana) and"
"clothing, such as mosquitoes and horseflies. Fabrics that are often made from silk include charmeuse, habutai, chiffon, taffeta, crepe de chine, dupioni, noil, tussah, and shantung, among others. Silk's attractive lustre and drape makes it suitable for many furnishing applications. It is used for upholstery, wall coverings, window treatments (if blended with another fiber), rugs, bedding and wall hangings. Silk had many industrial and commercial uses, such as in parachutes, bicycle tires, comforter filling and artillery gunpowder bags. A special manufacturing process removes the outer sericin coating of the silk, which makes it suitable as non-absorbable surgical sutures. This process"
"is important to them which is called the Batik and Ikat. The Batik is dyed cotton cloth decorated through a technique known as wax-resist dyeing. To how the process works for Batik, the workers start with a plain piece of cotton and then carefully draw patterns with melted wax. Then, the cloth is dipped in dye. It exposes the fabric while it soaks up the color while ares covered cloth is dipped in different color. This continues until the pattern is complete. In the past, only certain of people were allowed to wear certain batik pattern and others had to"
"cotton and Ahimsa silk, a type of wild silk made from the cocoons of wild and semi-wild silk moths. Since silk cultivation kills silkworms, possibly painfully, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urges people not to buy silk items. Silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm ""Bombyx mori"" reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering"
"professional fabric expert. The lining is also sewn into the hem so if the lining is altered, the fabric will be damaged. It is usually an upholstery-weight fabric and can be made using silk, rayon or acetate in the warp and coarser cotton or manmade fibers in the weft (filling). It is a satin-faced version of shantung or duppioni. The name refers to the fabric's handspun and hand woven appearance. Antique satin was developed in the 1950s by combining acetate (warp threads) and rayon (weft threads) mainly as a decorative fabric used primarily for draperies. Unlike wedding satin with the"
"composite cloth garments (as for example jackets) was traditionally made of linen, hence the word ""lining"". Textiles in a linen weave texture, even when made of cotton, hemp and other non-flax fibers, are also loosely referred to as ""linen"". Such fabrics generally also have their own specific names, for example fine cotton yarn in a linen-style weave is called Madapolam. Linen textiles appear to be some of the oldest in the world: their history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns, and various types of fabrics dating to about 8000 BC have been found in"
"either by tanning (cross-linking) or by mineral reinforcements (e.g. calcium oxalate). Recently, a new method has been developed, demineralizing, which can remove the mineral reinforcements present in wild silks and enables wet reeling like the commercial silkworm ""Bombyx mori"". Wild silks are often referred to in India as 'Vanya' silks: The term 'Vanya' is of Sanskrit origin, meaning untamed, wild, or forest-based. Muga, Tasar, and Eri silkworms are not fully tamed and the world lovingly calls the silks they produce as 'wild silks'. India produces four kinds of silk: mulberry, tasar, muga and eri. The silkworm ""Bombyx mori"" is fed"