Textile Fibres and Their Characteristics
We are passionate about fabrics and finding the right solutions for our customers. With over 110 years of experience in the textile industry we have compiled some of this knowledge and look forward to sharing it with you over the next year through our blog series – An Educational Yarn. Our first topic explores the different characteristics of textile fibres.
Textile fibres are natural or synthetic structures that can be spun into yarn. Yarns are then woven, knitted or bonded into fabric. The inherent characteristics of fibre properties directly relate to the performance and required care and maintenance of the finished fabric, therefore understanding fibres and yarns will in turn help you to understand the how to apply specific fabrics within your interior schemes.
Natural Fibres: Occurring in nature; which are of animal, vegetable/plant or mineral origin.
COTTON (Plant Origin)
• A strong fibre, even stronger when wet, cotton has good natural durability.
• Can be affected by mildew however a mildew resistant finish can be applied to reduce this issue.
• Generally has reasonable sunlight resistance but should be protected with a quality lining when used as a drapery and protected from direct sunlight when used as an upholstery.
• It is an absorbent fibre which means it can move with changing humidity levels.
• May shrink with laundering but this can be reduced through a finishing process on the fabric known as sanforising.
Sunlight resistance can be greatly reduced in acidic polluted conditions.
SILK (Animal origin; an animal fibre that comes from the silkworm. The silkworm creates its cocoon from very long silk fibres which are harvested from mulberry trees.)
• It is naturally fine in texture, and colours beautifully.
• Its biggest disadvantage in furnishing is its sensitivity to UV light degradation (direct and reflected). Due to its sensitivity, it should not be used in direct sunlight or even bright light.
• An absorbent fibre, it has the potential to move in humid environments.
• Silk is a relatively strong fibre and can withstand a certain amount of abrasion, particularly when used in conjunction with
• a backing fabric.
• Unrivalled in splendour and smoothness, silk is regarded the most exclusive of all natural fibres.
LINEN
Plant origin; derived from cellulose fibres that grow inside the stalks of the flax plant.
• As with cotton it is affected by acidic pollution.
• Can be affected by mildew which will likely cause the fibre to deteriorate over time.
• Considered to be the strongest of the natural fibres; if constructed for upholstery it is very durable, particularly when blended with up to 10% nylon.
• Is regarded as a luxury fibre because of its lustre and texture.
• It is an absorbent fibre which means it can move with changing humidity levels
• Linen has moderate sunlight resistance and should be protected by a quality lining when used as a drapery and protected from direct sunlight when used as an upholstery.
Keep reading: www.curtainclean.co.nz...
National average asking price virtually unchanged for over a year
Since January 2023, the national average asking price has remained stable. At $868,877, it is down a marginal 0.6% on April last year. The national average asking price has remained below $900,000 since December 2022, a significant decrease from the market peak in January 2022 when it exceeded $1 million.
“As we move into the winter months, we typically see a cooling market, and in 2024, this is combined with a softening economy. It will be interesting to see how these factors play out for the property market in the coming months,” says Sarah Wood, CEO of realestate.co.nz
Wanted Working Infared Heat lamp
Hi I am looking to buy an infrared heat lamp on a small stand in working order as cannot locate any in retail stores anymore. Yr welcome to text me on 0274951499 thanks Phil
ANZAC DAY
Half a world away from dawn services in Australia & New Zealand, a small group of dignitaries will meet in Malta this Anzac Day among the neat rows of headstones at sun-baked Pieta Military Cemetery just outside Valletta – as they have since 1916 – to commemorate a moving but largely forgotten chapter of Gallipoli lore.
It is the story of how a tiny, ancient, impoverished and battle-scarred nation in the centre of the Mediterranean opened its arms and hearts to care for thousands of wounded, traumatised and sick young Anzacs, many of them still teenagers, who arrived aboard a flotilla of blood-soaked hospital ships from the battlefields of Gallipoli.
While most of the 57,950 soldiers evacuated to Malta recovered and eventually left, some 202 Australians and 72 New Zealanders did not, and are in war cemeteries across the archipelago.
Apart from their graves hewn from the parched, rocky Maltese earth, there is little other physical evidence the Anzacs were ever in Malta, despite the enormity of their presence over a century ago.
The voyage across the Eastern Mediterranean in these makeshift hospital ships from the Gallipoli Peninsula to Malta was not an easy one. It took the steam ships up to eight days to cover the 1163-kilometre journey.
At the beginning of April 1915, there were 824 military hospital beds in Malta. At the end of May 1915, there were more than 6000 in 14 hospitals spread all over the island. At its peak there were 25,522 beds in 28 hospitals, with the highest number of patients on any one day a staggering 16,004.
We will remember them 🥀 🌺
(article written by Andrew Hornery a senior journalist and former Private Sydney columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald).
Loading…
