Cotton: fabric for all occasions

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

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 river Indus. At present, the production of cotton materials accounts for about 40% of the total number of textile products. There are more than 50 types of fabrics of this type. To date, the most popular and sought-after fabric is cotton. The photo shows how beautiful cotton plantations are, which produce raw materials in more than 40 countries.

Properties of cotton fabrics

Natural materials for the production of clothing and bed linen firmly hold the palm. Cotton children's clothing and underwear are especially valued. And this is not surprising, because cotton fabric has a lot of advantages:

• Excellently absorbs moisture.
• Soft to the touch.
• Does not cause allergies.
• She is easy to care for.
• Does not accumulate static electricity.
• It has thermal insulation properties.
• Colours well.
• Behaves great when sewing products.
• Cotton is plastic when the fiber is heat treated.

Cotton clothes also have negative sides:

• Fastwrinkled.
• Shrinks when washed.
• Wears, especially when exposed to direct sunlight.
• Cotton is prone to rotting in damp environments.

The range of fabrics produced from cotton fiber is unusually wide.

Cotton fabrics: types

Cotton fiber is a natural cellulose fiber. There are long-staple, short-staple, medium-staple cotton, the fabric of them will be different. Also, the properties of the fabric depend on the way the fiber is woven.

In general, the following groups of materials are distinguished for orientation in the consumer market:

• Linen fabrics: chiffon, cambric, madapolam, greensbon, muslin, nansuk and tick-rubber, mal-mal and turban.
• Dress and shirt: chintz, satin, calico, elastic, a group of dress and pile fabrics (velveteen rib, velvet, semi-velvet, velveteen cord).
• Summer dresses: batiste, veil, Maya, Volta, matting, voile.
• Demi-season: poplin, reps, plaid, garus, crepe, pongee, wool, pique.
• Winter: baize, flannel, flannel.

Let's look at the most popular materials.

Thin cotton fabrics

Cotton fabric of chintz or plain weave is used for sewing underwear, bed linen, summer clothes.

• Chintz is an inexpensive printed or dyed plain weave fabric. Does not stretch, after washing you can not iron. The material washes out quickly and fades.
• Satin is produced by weaving strongly twisted double threads. As a result, the material hassilk sheen. Wash resistant, durable enough.
• Coarse calico is very popular for the production of bed linen. The weave of the thread 1:1 provides sufficient strength of the material, but the fabric is inferior in this parameter to satin. Accordingly, the cost of coarse calico is lower.
• Chiffon is a translucent flowing fabric that can be made not only from cotton, but also from silk and viscose. Cotton chiffon is used for shirts, ball gowns, scarves and summer sundresses.



• Baptiste is made from thin twisted cotton, it is a very light and delicate fabric that requires special care.

Thick cotton fabrics

For sewing warm or outerwear, furniture upholstery, bedspreads, cotton is also used. The fabric is denser, sometimes with one-sided or two-sided pile.

• Velvet. It has a fleecy surface in a rib, the structure resembles velvet. Used for sewing clothes and shoes.
• Bayka. Soft, thick fabric with thick, long, double-sided pile in twill or plain weave.
• Flannel. Fabric with a rare pile, soft and comfortable, perfectly saves heat. Does not shed, withstands repeated washing, easy to iron. It is used for sewing children's and women's clothing, bed linen for the smallest, bath accessories and men's shirts. The pile is soft, one-sided or two-sided, short.



• Plush. Fabric with an elongated one-sided pile. At present, pile canbe 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, making bedspreads.
• Jeans and denim. Very dense twill fabrics for denim, shoes and accessories. It was from denim that the first Levi Strauss jeans were sewn.

How to care for cotton?

Follow the simplest rules:

• Wash at 40 degrees. If higher, then the thing shrinks.
• Iron the fabric slightly damp.
• Do not expose to direct sunlight or the material will fade.
• Colored items should not be bleached.

From ancient times to this day, cotton has been a favorite material for many people. The fabric made from this natural material is very hygienic and pleasant to wear. To eliminate some of the shortcomings, manufacturers add 5-20% synthetic fibers to cotton.