Acrylic

<div align="center"> <center><table border="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td> <img border="0" src="../../graphics/Newfrontpage/scissorsNEWsmall.jpg" width="180" height="162"> </td> <td> <img border="0" src="../../graphics/Newfrontpage/newname2.jpg" width="686" height="50"> The Costumer's Manifesto is written by Tara Maginnis, and proudly hosted by William Baker. THE MANIFESTO IS MUTATING!  IT IS TURNING INTO A WIKI THAT CAN BECOME THE HIVE MIND OF ALL COSTUMERS, FINALLY LIVING UP TO IT'S SLOGAN: "COSTUMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!" YOU CAN HELP IN THIS PROCESS BY MOVING PAGES TO THE NEW SITE AT <a href="http://thecostumersmanifesto.com">THECOSTUMERSMANIFESTO.COM</a>, HELPING TO EDIT THE PAGES THAT ARE THERE ALREADY, AND ADDING YOUR OWN ORIGINAL INPUT.  </td> </tr> </center> </table> </div>  </center> COTTON <o:p> </o:p> By Amy Willbanks, VP Marketing and Sales, <a href="http://www.textilefabric.com/"> Textile Fabric Consultants</a><o:p> , Inc. <hr> History: <o:p> </o:p> Cottons exact age is unknown.  Scientists have found pieces of cotton cloth in caves in Mexico that are at least 7.000 years old.  Cotton was grown and made into cloth in the Indus River Valley in Pakistan as early as 3,000 years before the birth of Christ.  Egyptians were also weaving cotton fabrics around the same time.    Cotton arrived  in Europe, through Arab merchants, in approximately 800 A.D.  Cotton eventually replaced flax and wool as Europes leading choice for fabrics.  Christopher Columbus found cotton in the Bahama Islands in 1492.  Cotton was known all over the world by 1500. <o:p> </o:p> The first use of machinery to spin cotton was in England in 1730.  In 1793, Eli Whitney of Massachusetts patented his cotton gin, which was a vital factor in cottons popularity and use today.  Whitney invented the gin after watching workers manually separate the fiber from the seed.  He built the gin in ten days to do the work fifty times faster than separating by hand.   The gin created a way to aid the already fast growing textile industry by supplying it with large quantities of cotton fiber.  The U.S. cotton crop value increased from $150,000 to over $8 million within ten years. <o:p> </o:p> Cottons Importance and Uses  Presently, cotton is the worlds most used fiber.  Every part of the cotton plant is useful.   The fiber is the most important part of the plant because it is used in making cotton cloth.  Cotton is the number one fiber used for apparel in the United States.  In 1994, 63 percent of cotton was used for apparel, 29 percent for home furnishings and 8 percent was used for industrial type products and exportation.   Examples of Items Made from Cotton: <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li>All types of apparel in 100% cotton and in blends  with other fibers</li> <li>Bedding products</li> <li>Draperies and Curtains</li> <li>Upholstery fabrics</li> <li>Rugs</li> <li>Wall coverings</li> <li>Medical, surgical and sanitary supplies</li> <li>Industrial abrasives</li> <li>Book bindings</li> <li>Handbags and luggage</li> <li>Shoes</li> <li>Tobacco cloth</li> <li>Wiping cloths</li> </ul> The short fuzz on the seed, which is also called linters,  supply the cellulose needed for making plastics, explosives,  high quality paper products, batting for mattresses, and furniture and automobile cushions.  The cotton seed is also manufactured into various products.  It is crushed to separate it for use in three different products oil, meal and the hulls.  <o:p> </o:p> Cotton seed oil shortening, cooking oil, salad dressing and a high-protein concentrate for use in food products  Meal and Hull livestock, poultry and fish feed, fertilizer  The leaves and stalks of the cotton plant are also used for soil enrichment by plowing them into the soil.   Countries Where Cotton is Grown  Cotton is grown in warm climates and the United States grows the majority of the worlds cotton.   The following states are the major cotton producers in the United States: Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Georgia Louisiana Mississippi Missouri New Mexico North  Types of Cotton <o:p> </o:p> Low to Medium Grade Cotton:  These types of cotton are found in mass produced goods and cotton blend goods. Better Grades:  Higher grades of cotton, which includes longer-staple cotton, are used in fine quality shirtings and bedding fabrics.  Egyptian cotton, a high quality cotton,  has been produced in the Nile River Valley for many centuries.   This type of cotton has long been known for its soft luxurious hand and luster.  Other types of high quality cotton include Pima, Supima, American  Egyptian and Sea Island cotton.  Organic Cotton: Organic cotton is grown without the use of commercial pesticides and fertilizers. Characteristics of  Cotton <o:p> </o:p> Aesthetics Cottons aesthetics vary depending on the applied treatments, the fiber blend (if blended) and the grade of the fiber.  A typical 100% untreated cotton fabric has a pleasant matte luster, a soft drape and a smooth hand.  Comfort Cotton fabrics are very comfortable to wear due to their soft hand and other characteristics.  Cotton fabrics have excellent absorbing capabilities.  Cotton garments absorb perspiration, thus keeping the person more comfortable. <o:p> </o:p> Appearance Retention Cotton wrinkles very easily.  However, there are many cotton garments on the market that have been treated with wrinkle resistant finishes.  These finishes reduce the need to iron cotton clothes.  Consequently, our fast paced society can look good in cotton garments without investing a lot of time in preparing them.  Care Always read the care label in the product.  Cotton products can typically be machine washed and dried.  Colored cotton garments retain their color longer if they are washed in warm or cool water.  Cotton fabrics can be bleached but too much bleaching could weaken the fibers.  Acids harm cotton fabrics; consequently, juice stains should be treated immediately with cold water.  Sunlight does harm cotton by causing it to oxidize and turn yellow.  Fabrics that are 100% cotton do shrink if they have not been treated with a durable-press or a shrinkage-resistant finish.  Effects of Weather on Cotton Crops Obviously, the weather is a big factor in the success of cotton crops.  Two prime examples of weather problems in 1999 were the drought and Hurricane Floyd.  These two factors decreased the cotton output in the U.S. by more than one million bales.  New Technology  Dry Fibre, Inc. and The REHANCE Group developed TRANSPOR Cotton 2000.  TRANSPOR Cotton 2000 was designed to take moisture away from the skin and allow it to evaporate in the air in seconds.  The garment dries on the inside near the skin first instead of drying on the outside first.   Sources: <o:p> </o:p> Sara J. Kadolph, Anna L. Langford, Textiles/...{et al} (8th ed. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Simon & Schuster/A Viacom Company) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458, pages 33-42. <o:p> </o:p> Kathryn Hatch,  Textile Science (West Publishing Company) St. Paul, MN, 55164, page 169.<o:p> </o:p>  The Story of Cotton, National Cotton Council of America, PO Box 12285, Memphis, TN  38182. pp. 1-12.<o:p> </o:p>  Drought, Storm Shrink Soy, Cotton Crops, Charles Abbott.  From the news site of  <a href="http://www.go.com/">www.go.com</a> <o:p> </o:p>  Two Amazing Apparel Technologies Combine to Keep You Comfortable and Colorful. (business wire Sept. 7, 1999 from  the news site of <a href="http://www.go.com/">www.go.com</a>. ) <o:p> </o:p> Facts About our Fabrics from www.reyns.com/fabric.html  <o:p> (broken link)</o:p> Kenneth Pomeranz, Fiber of Fortune.  World Trade August 1997 p. 94. <o:p> </o:p> <hr> Copyright Amy Willbanks           Courtesy of<a href="http://www.textilefabric.com/"> Textile Fabric Consultants</a><o:p>    <div> The Costumer's Manifesto is proudly hosted by William Baker. </div> <a href="http://www.costumes.org">Home</a>   <a href="../1pages/questions.htm">Questions</a>   <a href="../../store/100pages/giftstore.htm">Buy Books and More</a>    <a href="../../classes/254pages/teacherbio.htm">About Me</a> This Page is part of <a HREF="http://www.costumes.org">The Costumer's Manifesto</a> by <a href="mailto:tara@costumes.org">Tara Maginnis</a>, Ph.D.  Copyright 1996-2010.   You may print out any of these pages for non-profit educational use such as school papers, teacher handouts, or wall displays.  You may link to any page in my site.  </body> </html>