Article #3...In Praise of Cotton!
Written July 2004
Happy Summer everyone!
Here in New England we are having an unusually
nice summer. It has been dry, sunny and warm
. Just Splendid I say! All this lovely weather
has me thinking about my favorite summer
fabric, Cotton. Did you know that cotton
actually draws heat and moisture from the
body? That is why it is so comfortable in
the warmer weather. No other fiber feels
as good against the skin.
Did you also know that there are different
qualities of cotton? Cotton is a cellulose
fiber which comes from a bushy plant. The
part of the plant used to spin thread is
the cotton boll. This is the seed pod of
the plant and inside is a clump of off white
fluff. This fluff is picked and spun into
threads which are then woven into material.
Now not all cotton bolls are equal. If the
fibers of the boll are short and course (short
staple cotton) you end up with a lower quality
cotton. A trick to determine if a cotton
garment is made from lower quality cotton
is to inspect the surface closely. If it
is a bit fuzzy or rough and not smooth you
can be sure the cotton is a lower grade.
On the other hand a fine cotton comes from
plants with longer silkier fibers in the
boll (long staple cotton). The most desirable
types of cotton were (and still are) Sea
Island, Egyptian and Pima cottons. Some of
the fabrics from these plants are so fine
and smooth they feel almost like silk. They
have a lustrous and ultra smooth feel and
were used in the finest garments. During
the 1950s and again in the 80s some designers
actually used cotton sateen for evening wear.
Cotton is the MOST versatile natural fiber
we have. From the heavy duty canvas sails
on boats to the finest batiste for baby,
cotton has endless use. AND It is environmentally
friendly!