Needle Arts Corner
By Madonna A. Terlizzi
Needle Arts Corner
Welcome! I want to talk about one of my favorite products, it may be one of yours too. It is cotton! Cotton is a quilters best friend for many reasons.
It is all natural and can breathe, it tends to hold color pretty well too. The more you wash it the softer it gets. Cotton thread is durable and color fast. Perfect for quilting! It can also be blended with other textiles, like polyester and wool.
Cotton is know as the king of fibers, it is known for its flexibility and strength.
Cotton is a natural fiber that grows on plants from the genus "Gossypium". You will be able to identify cotton because of its fluffy and soft structure. It grows on a protective shell that is called "boll".
Cotton is one of the most essential fibers in the textile industry.
The applications of this textile are limitless. It is suitable for sensitive skin. Also, it is a good conductor of heat. With this property, cotton can keep us cool in warm weather, whereas it can also keep us warm in cold weather.
Due to these qualities, cotton has become the most popular fabric to be used in items of clothing all around the world.
The origin of the word "Cotton"
The English word 'Cotton' has come from the Arabic word 'Qutun or Qutn'. During medieval times, this word meant 'Linen'. However, 'Qutun or Qutn' was used to refer to cotton in Arabic in those times. Sometime around 1200 AD, this Arabic word entered the Romance language. And, in the 1300 AD, the word entered into the English language and changed into 'Cotton'.
What color is cotton naturally?
You might know that cotton is either white or whitish color. However, there are many other colors of cotton out there as well.
Wild cotton plants are found in Mexico, Africa, and Australia and those cotton fibers can be in pink, brown, green, and even chocolate color. But in fear of contamination to the genetics of white cotton, the colorful cotton is not grown on a larger scale.
There is a movement of organic farmers planting these colored plants to make colored cotton fabric without dying it. These products are available, but at a hefty price.
Cotton is very absorbent
You might notice that the best quality towels are made with cotton. Why, though? Simply because cotton is one of the most absorbent fibers available. Because cotton fibers have innumerable spaces in between them. As a result, they can absorb up to 27 times of water compared to their weight.
Yet, remember that the shiny cotton is not that absorbent.
Another unique use of cotton is to make banknotes. Most of us think that banknotes are made with paper. However, this is not the case. Paper would not hold up very well if it was to get wet!! Most of the countries in the world use cotton paper for making banknotes.
For instance, The United States uses a mixture of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen to make our banknotes. Some other countries use cotton with other materials like abaca, linen, tallow, etc.
What else could cotton be used for?
Cotton is so versatile that it has been used from antiquity even outside of the textile industry. Here are some examples of that...
The best species of cotton are those that are longer yet strong at the same time. However, there are not many species that can produce such cotton fiber. Some of the most notable longest cotton species are Pima, Egyptian, Sea Island, etc. On average, the fiber length of this type of cotton can go up to 1. 7 inches.
Unfortunately, it is not easy to grow these types of cotton plants, because they require a very high temperature to grow. And this type of cotton is also cultivated from a special type of seeds.
As a result, even though the demand for these types of cotton is high, they are not produced enough.
How is cotton processed?
By machines called Cotton Gins of course!! 'Cotton Gin' actually refers to 'Cotton Engine', a machine that can separate the cotton fibers and the seeds very fast. That means it can speed up the production of cotton compared to the manual cotton separation process.
Interestingly, the invention of the cotton Gin was a huge milestone in making cotton the most widely used natural fiber all around the globe.
There are many types of cotton gins available right now. Most of them are designed in ancient times. And their design hasn't changed a bit since then. Eli Whitney, an American inventor invented a modern model of the mechanical cotton gin in 1793.
How is cotton measured?
In the USA, cotton is measured in 'bales'. So what is a bale of cotton? For the record, a bale of cotton measures about 17 cubic feet or 0.48 cubic meters. And, the weight of a bale of cotton would be about 500 pounds or 226.8 kg.
How old is cotton?
The exact age of cotton is unknown, however, we know that humans have been using cotton for over 7000 years.
Interestingly, cotton has been used as a fabric since the prehistoric times. Archaeologists have found fragments of fabrics made with cotton that dates back to 5000 BC in the 'Indus Valley Civilization'. They have also found traces of similar types of cotton in Peru that dates back to 6000 BC.
Cotton was used for making clothes in 3000 BC in the Indus Valley River Valley (Currently Pakistan). At the same time, people in Egypt would also wear clothes made of cotton and linen. During 800 AD, cotton came to Europe because of the Arab merchants. And, by 1500 AD, cotton had been growing all over the world.
Peace - Madonna
Blackstone Valley Needle Arts Studio, Madonna Terlizzi 508-294-5721
