Types of Cotton

Low to Medium Grade Cotton: These types of cotton are found in mass produced goods and cotton blend goods.

Better Grades: Higher grades of cotton, which includes longer-staple cotton, are used in fine quality shirtings and bedding fabrics. Egyptian cotton, a high quality cotton, has been produced in the Nile River Valley for many centuries. This type of cotton has long been known for its soft luxurious hand and luster. Other types of high quality cotton include Pima, Supima, American Egyptian and Sea Island cotton.

Organic Cotton:

Organic cotton is grown without the use of commercial pesticides and fertilizers.

Characteristics of Cotton

Aesthetics

Cotton’s aesthetics vary depending on the applied treatments, the fiber blend (if blended) and the grade of the fiber. A typical 100% untreated cotton fabric has a pleasant matte luster, a soft drape and a smooth hand.

Comfort

Cotton fabrics are very comfortable to wear due to their soft hand and other characteristics. Cotton fabrics have excellent absorbing capabilities. Cotton garments absorb perspiration, thus keeping the person more comfortable.

Appearance Retention

Cotton wrinkles very easily. However, there are many cotton garments on the market that have been treated with wrinkle resistant finishes. These finishes reduce the need to iron cotton clothes. Consequently, our fast paced society can look good in cotton garments without investing a lot of time in preparing them.

Care

Always read the care label in the product. Cotton products can typically be machine washed and dried. Colored cotton garments retain their color longer if they are washed in warm or cool water. Cotton fabrics can be bleached but too much bleaching could weaken the fibers. Acids harm cotton fabrics; consequently, juice stains should be treated immediately with cold water. Sunlight does harm cotton by causing it to oxidize and turn yellow. Fabrics that are 100% cotton do shrink if they have not been treated with a durable-press or a shrinkage-resistant finish.

Effects of Weather on Cotton Crops

Obviously, the weather is a big factor in the success of cotton crops. Two prime examples of weather problems in 1999 were the drought and Hurricane Floyd. These two factors decreased the cotton output in the U.S. by more than one million bales.

New Technology

Dry Fibre, Inc. and The REHANCE Group developed TRANSPOR Cotton 2000. TRANSPOR Cotton 2000 was designed to take moisture away from the skin and allow it to evaporate in the air in seconds. The garment dries on the inside near the skin first instead of drying on the outside first.

Sources:

Sara J. Kadolph, Anna L. Langford, Textiles/...{et al} (8th ed. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Simon & Schuster/A Viacom Company) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458, pages 33-42.

Kathryn Hatch, Textile Science (West Publishing Company) St. Paul, MN, 55164, page 169.

"The Story of Cotton", National Cotton Council of America, PO Box 12285, Memphis, TN 38182. pp. 1-12.

"Drought, Storm Shrink Soy, Cotton Crops", Charles Abbott. From the news site of www.go.com

"Two Amazing Apparel Technologies Combine to Keep You Comfortable and Colorful". (business wire Sept. 7, 1999 from the news site of www.go.com. )

Kenneth Pomeranz, "Fiber of Fortune". World Trade August 1997 p. 94.



Textile Fabric Consultants, Inc. manufactures fabric swatch kits for students who study textiles in colleges and universities. These kits are also sold to professionals in the industry. We also sell to high schools, department stores, interior designers and costume designers. The kits are designed to help educate people about a variety of fabrics and to be a permanent hands on reference for the user.