Cotton

Cotton is the thinnest fibers covering the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub one meter or slightly higher in height.

The natural strength, functionality, practicality, safety of cotton, and the composition of the fabric born from it are the basis for the thousand-year popularity of the material. Most often, cotton fibers are used to create the ideal material for clothing. But fishing gear, fire hoses, coffee maker filters, exclusive stationery, banknotes are also derivatives of the fluffy boxes of an unusual plant.

Birth of fabric

When the plant fades, the place of the flower is taken by a capsule with seeds. Each seed develops 7-15 thousand hairs. If we examine the fiber of the bolls in detail, it turns out that each of them is one plant cell grown from the cells of the seed coat. The strength of the hairs is related to the degree of their maturation.

As they “grow up,” cellulose is deposited on the walls of the hairs (from lat.cellula - “cell”), their thickness increases, the fiber tubules narrow, and the cotton receives a specific spiral crimp in the form of a twisted ribbon with a width of 0.01 to 0.03 mm. In terms of the chemical composition, almost 96% of high-quality cotton is cellulose, the rest is impurities: fatty, waxy, coloring, mineral. The fiber cuticle is the superficial cellulose-fat layer. It is in the cuticle that the creamy white coloring pigment is contained.

This is raw cotton, which is subsequently cleaned of seeds, litter, and impurities, sent under the press and for subsequent processing. When choosing a future cotton product, the length and thickness of the fiber are important, depending on the type of cotton:

• short-staple cotton (from 10 to 22 mm) is suitable for the production of thick and fluffy yarn (flannelette, flannel, cotton wool);
• medium-fiber (from 22 to 33 mm) raw materials are processed for the subsequent production of chintz, coupon sateen, etc.;
• fine-fiber (from 33 to 55 mm) raw material is suitable for the production of thin, smooth yarn, from which high-quality cotton fabrics are created: cambric, voile or combed satin.

Finished raw materials for fabrics and knitwear go through the stages of cleaning, carding (dividing the contents of the boxes into individual fibers), spinning, and weaving. Depending on its further purpose, cotton material also undergoes other processing processes: steaming, degreasing, bleaching, mercerization, dyeing, etc.

Advantages of cotton

Cotton material is used in various industries, but the largest number of goods is produced by the textile industry, in which it is in demand as the basis for knitting and weaving.About 60% of the world's cotton harvest is used to make clothing, linen and towels. The rest goes to the production of awnings and tents, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, medical products, and is used in astronautics and the automotive industry.

The environmental purity of cotton fabric is complemented by other beneficial properties:

1. Cotton is a durable material, easy to wash, resistant to high temperatures, hygroscopic, and not subject to electrification.
2. This is an ideal breathable fabric for summer clothing. But brushed cotton can be used for colder seasons because it has low thermal conductivity.
3. Pleasant to the touch, hypoallergenic material - ideal for people suffering from skin sensitization.
4. Cotton has a very low elasticity coefficient, so it is almost not deformed.
5. The material is easy to paint and bleach.
6. Cotton is grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which significantly reduces the price of cotton fabrics.

Softness, ease of use and maintenance significantly expand the range of applications of cotton, including bed and underwear, women's, men's and children's clothing, and various accessories. The disadvantages of the material include:

1. Instability to acids and alkalis. After prolonged exposure, it becomes discolored and tears like tissue paper.
2. Cotton material wrinkles easily and shrinks when washed. The only exceptions are those with the addition of synthetics.
3. White cotton fabrics turn yellow over time, while colored ones fade or fade when washed.

To avoid negative changes in the appearance of a beautiful and comfortable fabric, it is necessary to care for it in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.Using appropriate powders, white cotton fabrics can be washed in a washing machine at 95°C, colored ones - at 40-60°C. It is preferable to dry naturally, and iron wet using the “linen/cotton” mode. When working using the patchwork technique, before sewing with other fabrics, you must wash and iron the cotton scraps.

The many faces of cotton

A small addition (3-5%) of synthetic fibers to cotton fiber, or mercerization, changes some properties, making it wrinkle-resistant, more durable, shiny and beautiful. The question of what mercerization is will be answered by the updated appearance of the fabric, which has received extraordinary smoothness, the shine of satin and the tenderness of silk after chemical treatment with a solution of copper hydroxide in ammonia. This is the most expensive type of cotton yarn with long, smooth and thin fibers. By combining weave options, manufacturers change the thickness of the finished product, creating original samples of cotton fabric:

1. Interlock is an elastic, smooth cotton jersey (fine elastic) on the front side and back, which has strength, slight elongation, and low unraveling. This is a soft, comfortable fabric with good heat-shielding properties. When washing it, you should choose manual or delicate modes and a water temperature of 40°C.
2. Cooler (kulir stitch) is a thin and smooth, 100% cotton knitted fabric. Being light and airy, the fabric is used for sewing clothes.
3. Terry (plush) is a fleecy material made from loops of warp threads on both sides of the fabric or one of them; soft, hygroscopic, breathable, hypoallergenic. Can be made from 100% cotton or linen.It is recommended to wash terry clothes at a temperature of 60°C separately from other laundry, especially those with hooks and buttons, rinse well, do not twist or iron.
4. Footer/combed fabric is a dense but breathable cotton fabric, smooth on the front side, but with a soft, warm fleece on the back. Does not form pellets and retains its shape for a long time.
5. Velor (velvet) – natural cotton with the addition of viscose with a small thick and shiny pile. Strong, mechanically resistant fabric that is not subject to changes in shape and appearance. It is recommended to wash at 30°C, and iron only from the inside out.
6. Selyanik is a thickened knitted fabric made of natural cotton, the front side of which is made with a weave of fibers like satin, and the back side is made with a slight combing. The fabric is supplemented with synthetic fibers, does not shrink or deform, therefore it is used in the production of sportswear.
7. Ribana is an elastic cotton jersey with woven rubber thread, durable, practical, and does not shrink. When washing, do not twist, preferably machine spin and dry in the shade.

The usual: poplin, calico, satin, chintz, corduroy, denim, madapolam; delicate veil, soft flannel, thin cambric, silky voile, curtain lettuce, incredibly popular chambray fabric - all this is the same one hundred percent eternal cotton, which allows the smallest admixture of silk, wool, synthetics to become a more comfortable, practical and beautiful thing.