What is Cotton Fabric

Cotton is a natural fiber harvested from the cotton plant. Cotton is one of the oldest fibers under human cultivation, with traces of cotton over 7,000 years old recovered from archaeological sites. Cotton is also one of the most used natural fibers in existence today, with consumers from all classes and nations wearing and using cotton in a variety of applications. Thousands of acres globally are devoted to the production of cotton, whether it be new world cotton, with longer, smoother fibers, or the shorter and coarser old world varieties

What is Organic Cotton Fabric

Organic cotton is 100% cotton which is grown in fields without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and harvested without defoliants. To be certified organic cotton, the cotton plants must have been grown in a field that has not been chemically fertilized or sprayed with pesticides for the past 3 years. As you can imagine, it costs a bit more as insect problems are treated by mechanical, not chemical means. Most of the organic cotton we buy is grown right here in the Texas panhandle, and we're pretty dang proud of this Texas-grown product.

It is a bit more expensive, but organic cotton may be very helpful for people with chemical sensitivities or allergies. Silk Road carries a wide variety of organic cotton in inventory.

Organic cotton comes in natural (light cream) color or a whitened stock (the bleaching agent is hydrogen peroxide, not chlorine). Natural corn starch is used for sizing, and this washes right out.

Note that none of the colors of organic cotton we carry is dyed. Instead, the cotton plants are hybridized to be a natural light brown or a light green. Other colors of organic cotton are undoubtedly on the way. The picture at the left is natural brown organic cotton we grew right in our front yard on Lamar Blvd, in Austin, TX. Probably the smallest cotton patch in Texas, but the traffic keeps the Boll Weevils down pretty well. If you drive by our store, we would be grateful if you could throw your ice (no cups, thanks) on the cotton patch.

What is Pique Fabric

Cotton pique is a medium weight cotton with a raised woven design, and the resulting pattern may be squares or other geometric shapes. Silk Road carries a super quality combed cotton pique made with extra warp threads called stuffer yarns. Colors below.

Cotton pique has a great deal of body, drapes pretty well, and is very durable. Use it to make summer dresses, blouses, and kids' clothes.

To protect the Fabrick, machine wash and dry. Press on the inside of the fabric to keep the design on the outside looking fresh.

What is Jersey Fabric

Jersey fabric is a type of knit textile made from cotton or a cotton and synthetic blend. Some common uses for jersey fabric include t-shirts and winter bedding. The fabric is warm, flexible, stretchy, and very insulating, making it a popular choice for the layer worn closest to the body. Jersey also tends to be soft, making it very comfortable.

The textile is named for the island of Jersey. Jersey is the largest of a group of islands known as the Channel Islands, located between England and France. The island has a long history of human occupation, and is also well known for Jersey.

What is Fleece Fabric

Berber fleece is a textile material which is very lightweight, warm, and soft. It is often compared to fur, because of the incredibly soft texture when it is well cared for, along with the insulating properties. Many household items are made from Berber fleece including wraps and throws, jackets, and warm socks to wear around the house. Many people use Berber fleece garments for layering, since the textile is lightweight, but very insulating.

To make Berber fleece, yarn is knitted into fabric, which is brushed with wire brushes to pull the material together and to fluff it up. The resulting material has a looped, soft pile, with large air pockets, which improve the insulating properties of the fabric. The pile is sheared to create an even length, and the Berber fleece is ready for use. Synthetic materials such as polyester are most frequently used to create Berber fleece, which tends to be strong, stretchy, and colorfast.

What is Wool Fabric

Wool is the dense, warm coat of sheep, also called a fleece. The hair of sheep has many unique properties that make it well suited to textile production, something humans realized approximately 8000 BCE, when sheep first began to be domesticated. Wool is used in a variety of textiles and can be found woven or knitted.

Wool is highly flame resistant, and frequently used for mattresses and rugs for that reason. It is also highly durable, able to stretch up to 50% when wet and 30% when dry. In addition, wool has excellent moisture wicking properties, pulling moisture into the core of the fiber so that it doesn't feel wet or soggy to the wearer.

What is Nylon/Mesh Fabric

Nylon is a synthetic fabric made from petroleum products. It was developed in the 1930s as an alternative to silk, although it quickly became unavailable to civilian consumers, because nylon was used extensively during the war. Nylon, like many synthetics, was developed by Wallace Carothers at the Dupont Chemical company, which continues to manufacture it today. Nylon is valued for its light weight, incredible tensile strength, durability, and resistance to damage. It also takes dye easily, making nylon fabrics available in a wide array of colors for consumers.

What is Ringn Spun Fabric

Rings pun fabric has been a common practice in the production of textiles since even before the days of mass production within the industry. Here are some basics about rings pun fabric, how it is produced, and some of the many products that are produced using this type of material.

Rings pun fabric originated in the middle ages, as a means of taking the rougher feel of raw cotton and making it smoother to the touch. Essentially, the process for producing rings pun fabric involved using a spinning method, such as on a spinning wheel, to create a slightly finer thread.

What is Polyester Fabric

Polyester is a manufactured product made from synthesized polymers. It tends to be very resilient, quick drying, resistant to biological damage such as mold and mildew, easy to wash, and able to hold forms well. While polyester is often maligned as a textile, it has many useful applications. Polyester is, however, highly flammable, so care should be taken when wearing it. Most synthetic fabrics are subject to flammability by nature, because they are made from polymers.

What is Preshrunk Fabric

Preshrunk garments are items of clothing that have already been washed, or “compacted,” so additional washings will not shrink the garment significantly. In many cases, when you have natural fibers like wool, cotton, or linen, the fabric may be stretched, since it is more economical to use less fabric if you can get away with it. Washing these garments, and the tumbling action in the dryer will cause the garments to go back to their unstretched form, resulting in smaller clothes.

What is Prewashed Fabric

Prewashed garments are articles of clothing made of material that has been washed prior to the manufacturing of the garment. T-shirts are common articles of clothing made from prewashed fabric, as well as some collared shirts, blouses, and other types of garments. While many articles of clothing are not manufactured from prewashed fabric, many are and there are several advantages to buying prewashed garments.

One of the biggest advantages of prewashed garments is retention of size and shape. Articles made from pure cotton or a high percentage of cotton will shrink when first washed. Prewashed garments are more likely to retain their size and shape because any shrinking of the material was done prior to manufacturing.