All About Looks

            The field trip to “All About Looks” was very interesting and by far my favorite so far. The shop had a very wide range of fabrics that looked really great and new things I had never seen before.  One of my favorite things was the hide with newspaper. It looks so different and interesting which intrigued me. The newspaper was applied by laser and the hide that showed acted more as an accent to the paper. I also loved the cork pillow, it was thin cork that was soft and definitely didn’t feel at all like cork but it did look like it. We were shown a book on wall coverings that were all white with a gritty raised pattern on them that I found to be a very inventive idea. You would simply pick out the pattern you wanted and paint it whatever color you wanted. For a person that typically hates wallpaper I thought this was a great solution to a design problem. I also enjoyed learning about the new ideas in fabric such as being able to print practically anything on linen, the other uses of mohair, the advancements in the look of polyester, and many other new ideas.  The ladies had obvious experience and did wonderful custom work including betting, drapery, chair covers and much more. The custom upholstery was also quite interesting. We learned that the couches or chairs are recushioned and can be reframed to make a more secure and better quality couch or chair. All in all I thought it was a valuable experience and it is very likely that it will also be a very useful resource for the future. 

Field Trip #1 To The Texas Tech Biopolymer

and Fiber Research Institute

               The field trip the research center was very interesting and eye opening. You would never have thought that it took a million steps to get just a plain t-shirt! From the bale of cotton full of twigs and others trash, to a gauze-like cloth, then a simple fiber, and finally a masterpiece of fabric.

               The tour started with showing us what cotton was like in the raw form and how every bale is tested individually to find the fiber’s length and strength. After the information about the bale is recorded it begins the long process to becoming fabric. It starts with cleaning the cotton and trying to rid it of any debris or plant left in the cotton. At this point in time the cotton feels very coarse, nothing you would want to use.  Next, it heads to the “tuft-o-matic” to be pulled apart, further cleaning out the cotton. The cotton is then stretched out into a sheet like form and then condensed into a thick rope like form. Although the cotton is more pure it still hasn’t reached the “soft-feel” form. The rope is then put through a machine that can be used for mixing other fibers such as polyester and it comes out smooth and soft. Next it is spun tightly into a thick yarn form which is put onto a large spool.

 When the spool is full it is taken to be spun again to make it smaller, stronger and to remove the “fuzz”.  All of these spools are put into an assembly line type of machine that combines multiple spools and puts them onto a much larger spool that can be sold for commercial use.  The spools are then woven into the beautiful fabrics that we use today.

               From the bale to the buyer the process of cotton is much more complex than most people would assume. To see the process and to realize the amount of work that goes into something as seemingly simple as cotton is an eye opening experience and quite an educational experience to be appreciated.  That little plant is much more complex than it looks. 

Hide your LINENS young lady! The term “linens” derived traditionally as a name referring to light undergarments, shirts, and lingerie. Linen used to be the exclusive fabric choice for shirt collars and cuffs but nowadays it is used for a wide variety of things such as drapery, tablecloths, pants, and bedding.

 Linen comes from the flax plant it is very labor-intensive to manufacture. The flax fibers vary in length from about 25 to 150cm. These fibers can usually be spotted by their main identifier which is the “nodes”, they add to the texture and flexibility of the fabric. Some of the characteristics of linen are that it is a good conductor of heat, it’s lightweight fabric feels cool to the touch, highly absorbent, and 2-3 times stronger than cotton. Linen also has a long “staple” in comparison to the other natural fibers such as cotton. Due to it being a more expensive fiber it is produced in smaller quantities. This fabric has a natural high luster in colors ranging from ivory to brown and a texture that  can vary widely from stiff and rough to soft and smooth. Although linen is very absorbent, it also has the capability to loose water rapidly so it feels clean and dry quicker. Interestingly, Linen is one of the few fabrics that is actually stronger when it is wet.  Nevertheless linen does has it shortcomings. Linen has poor elasticity which causes it to not be able to spring back which in return makes it very wrinkle prone.

Linen has withstood the test of times from the Egyptian mummy wraps to the high paced fashion of today and of course the many uses in home furnishings. There aren’t many fibers that can actually gain strength from our sweat so kudos to linen. This natural fiber can be used for such a wide range of textile goods and that is why we love it.