Fashion Fine Points: Materials - Cotton

The longer the fiber the better the quality. Lengths vary from less than one-half inch to more than two inches.

• Pima Cotton is a cross between Sea Island and Egyptian cotton. Brownish in color, it is fine strong cotton with averages from 1 3/8” to 1 5/8” in length.
• Egyptian cotton is fine lustrous long staple cotton usually brown in color. 1 2/5” in length.
• Sea Island cotton is the finest of all cotton, very white and silk-like with staple of 1 ½” or better.
• Carded Cotton: From the picker, the lap goes to the carding machine which straightens the mass of fibers and lays them in parallel rows by drawing them over a revolving cylinder with teeth. The emerge as wide thin web, which still resembles absorbent cotton, The web is then gathered together into a rope or strand known as a sliver.
• Combed cotton; Some fabrics are made from carded yarns, but if a higher quality is desired the fiber goes from the carder to the combing machine. Here the fiber is again straightened by fine-tooth combing until all the short length are removed. It is then formed into a comber slivers.
• Mercerized cotton; Treatment used to increase the luster, improve strength and dye affinity. The treatment consists of impregnating the fabric with a cold concentrated sodium solution. Best results are obtained on combed goods.
• Sanforized cotton A checked measure of shrinkage. This trade mark is applied to fabrics that have been shrunk by the compressive shrinkage process and indicates that the residual shrinkage of the fabric is 1% or less.