Assignment 3: Fibres: Types, Behaviors, Uses and Care
Laura Murphy 100067755
FIBRE 1
Laura Murphy 100067755
FIBRE 1
Dishcloth: I believe this is 100% cotton because it is soft and absorbent but dries quickly. When I did the burn test there was white smoke, it burned very quickly and there was almost nothing left when it was done burning. The small amount of Ash left was greyish and could float away it was so light. All of this is consistent with my cotton guess. The burn test tells me this is a cellulose fabric. There was a yellow discharge and a yellow liquid left behind that was interesting to me because the cloth had more blue dye in it than anything else. There was some beige colour so I’m assuming the yellow discharge came from the dye that made the beige part of the dishcloth. This type of fabric could be used for absorbency tests in the classroom, for basic cleaning, as well as could be sewn into the centre of a cloth diaper for added absorbency. I find cotton shrinks in heat so if I was concerned about not wanting this item to shrink I would wash it in cold water and not use a dryer. As it is a dishcloth I’m not worried about stains however if I get stains in any other cotton fabric such as a cotton t shirt I have a few techniques handed down by my grandmother that work quite well. She would use vinegar and baking soda, or white toothpaste, or dawn dish soap. All of these methods I have found quite useful in getting stains out of my clothes which are mostly cotton or polyester.
FIBRE 2:
FIBRE 2:
Sweater: I believe this is either cashmere or wool because it is soft and you can almost see the hairs in it if you look closely. This piece smelled like hair when it was burning (like when I accidentally burn my hair with the curling iron). There was not much smoke to observe and I didn’t really get a chance to tell what colour it was if it was there because it was hard to see. It also stuck to the bottom of the bowl as it burned. It went out very quickly after I took away the lighter. The piece that was left was much harder than before burning it. These observations are consistent with this being a protein fibre like cashmere or wool. This material is soft and warm and therefore great to use for sweaters or socks or anything which I refer to as hygge (a super cool Danish term that refers to all things that give you that warm cozy feeling). Wool is also considered a great absorbent material for diapers and is often used for overnights for those who cloth diaper. I also learned in my time cloth diapering that lanolin is a great item to use with wool. Lanolin is a natural wax made by sheep that protects their wool and therefore using it on wool products helps keep them at their softest and best. In terms of care I find that wool can stretch quite badly, especially when wet and therefore this is a fabric I would lay flat to dry. Due to its high absorbency it can also take a long time to dry which is important to consider in washing and caring. In terms of stain removal “Biological detergents contain enzymes that effectively “eat” their way through protein-based stains (pleasant things like sweat, blood, and spilled food). Unfortunately, wool fibres are also made of proteins” (The Ultimate Guide) therefore non biological detergents are best for this type of fabric.
FIBRE 3:
FIBRE 3:
Dress Pants: I believe this is a cotton/polyester blend because it doesn’t wrinkle easily so that makes me think it’s not 100% cotton but the softness makes me think it has some cotton in it. I know cotton/polyester is a common blend so that’s why I’m assuming that’s the blend here. This fabric smelled like plastic while it was burning and produced thick black smoke. The Ash in the end was hard, crunchy and black. This smell and smoke is consistent with this being a synthetic fibre as I guessed although the plastic smell means it’s more likely to be nylon than polyester. It’s possible it doesn’t include cotton as I guessed because I didn’t see signs of cellulose in the burn test. This material is great for any product/project that you don’t want to wrinkle. I would always wash these pants and then just hang them to dry and I never had to iron them. If this fabric is indeed polyester it is very quick to dry and therefore hanging to dry saves energy from using your dryer. As a lot of my clothing contains polyester and my grandmothers tried and true stain removal methods have worked well for me I would recommend vinegar and baking soda, or white toothpaste, or dawn dish soap to remove stains from this fabric
FIBRE 4:
FIBRE 4:
Green tank top: I’m guessing this is a cotton/spandex blend. It feels like a cotton t shirt to me but it’s stretchier so that’s why I think it probably has some spandex in it. The burn test on this fabric produced white smoke at first then black smoke and then white again in the end. The change in the Colour of the smoke is consistent with this being a blend of multiple fibre types. It smelled like clean laundry when it first started burning and then it started to get a chemical smell. This tells me that instead of being a cotton/spandex blend it might be a cotton/polyester blend. The Ash in the end was a dark green. A lot of the dye stayed in the material even throughout burning. The stretch in this fabric makes it a great fabric to use for any sort of case or covering. For instance, if you wanted to make a pillowcase with this fabric you could stuff it as much or as little as you’d like as the material would stretch nicely to fit different amounts of filling. Due to its elasticity I would not put this fabric in the dryer as that might affect the elasticity and cause shrinkage.
FIBRE 5:
FIBRE 5:
Fancy shirt: I’m guessing this is silk or a polyester that has a silk type of feel. Polyester seems to be in everything I buy that has a slippery silky feel so that’s why I’m guessing that. During the burn test this piece curled up as we burned it and would not stay lit. It produced a solid chunk of hard black Ash in the end. This makes me think it may have actually been silk and not polyester as I had thought. I find silk is a great material for “fancy” projects. A going out shirt or dress for instance. The shininess of the fabric adds a sense of glamour. I know very little about how to care for silk and therefore I did some research on this. Silk should be tested for dye bleeding before washing by testing a small area of the inside of the fabric and rubbing it with a wet cloth, if the dye bleeds the material should be dry cleaned. (Marlow, 2018). It was also recommended that you treat the entire garment for the stain and not just spot treat due to possible minimal color and fabric damage that would show up if only applied to one spot. (Marlow, 2018). Also mentioned in the care of silk was cold water, no dryer, no bleach, distilled vinegar, low heat ironing without steam and hanging to store to prevent creases. (Marlow, 2018).
Two sources I found helpful for fibre care:
The Ultimate Guide to Washing and Getting Stains Out of Wool. Retrieved from:
https://www.omo.com/au/laundry/laundry-tips/stains/how-to-wash-wool-and-remove-stains.html
Leverette, Mary Marlowe. (2018). How to Remove Stains, Wash and Iron Silk Clothes. Retrieved from:
https://www.thespruce.com/remove-stains-wash-iron-silk-clothes-2147028
Class activity idea:
I think I would like to do an activity with Textile Production 10 where I take them shopping (probably second hand shopping) and they have to buy 2-3 garments made of different fabrics. Then they’d be responsible for washing, drying, ironing (or explaining why not to iron) and storing them. They’d have to do this in class, in person with me so they’d be doing hands on learning which would be a great experience! One of the outcomes in Textile Production 10 is to explain the textile care process.
Comments on other peoples blogs:
This blog is closed for comments:
https://stormstudioart.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/fibres/#comments
but if I could comment I would say the history of some of the fabrics given is fantastic! Also I didn't know chiffon was made from silk so I learned something new!
https://studioart3613aitchison.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/assignment-3-fibres/#comments
http://art3613.blogspot.com/2014/07/assignment-3-fibres.html#comment-form
Two sources I found helpful for fibre care:
The Ultimate Guide to Washing and Getting Stains Out of Wool. Retrieved from:
https://www.omo.com/au/laundry/laundry-tips/stains/how-to-wash-wool-and-remove-stains.html
Leverette, Mary Marlowe. (2018). How to Remove Stains, Wash and Iron Silk Clothes. Retrieved from:
https://www.thespruce.com/remove-stains-wash-iron-silk-clothes-2147028
Class activity idea:
I think I would like to do an activity with Textile Production 10 where I take them shopping (probably second hand shopping) and they have to buy 2-3 garments made of different fabrics. Then they’d be responsible for washing, drying, ironing (or explaining why not to iron) and storing them. They’d have to do this in class, in person with me so they’d be doing hands on learning which would be a great experience! One of the outcomes in Textile Production 10 is to explain the textile care process.
Comments on other peoples blogs:
This blog is closed for comments:
https://stormstudioart.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/fibres/#comments
but if I could comment I would say the history of some of the fabrics given is fantastic! Also I didn't know chiffon was made from silk so I learned something new!
https://studioart3613aitchison.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/assignment-3-fibres/#comments
http://art3613.blogspot.com/2014/07/assignment-3-fibres.html#comment-form