- Alpaca - A
natural hair fiber obtained from Alpaca, a domesticated member of the
llama family. The fiber is most commonly used in fabrics made into
sweaters, dresses, coats, bedding batting, and sweaters.
- Bamboo - bamboo is a natural
renewable resource. It can be made into fabrics.
- Cellulose -
A material derived from the cell walls of certain plants.
Cellulose is used in the production of many vegetable fibers, as well as
being the major raw material component used in the production of the
manufactured fibers of acetate, rayon, and triacetate.
- Cotton - can be organic or
conventionally grown.
- Color Grown Cotton - Cotton
plants can grow in different colors. The colors of the cotton range from
white to green, to many colors of tan and brown, and also a charcoal
grey. Commercial production and processing remain a challenge
predominately due to the advances in technology and speed of the spinning
and weaving machinery, the availability of inexpensive dyestuffs and the
development of higher yielding cotton. With the limitations of lower
yields and shorter, weaker fibers, color-grown cotton varieties have had
to go through an extensive breeding program to improve their yield, fiber
quality, color intensity and color palette. Color grown fabrics may
contain certain natural variations in color, light fastness and shrinkage.
FoxFibre.
- Commercial Cotton - same as
conventional cotton.
- Conventional Cotton - Is
ordinarily one of the crops most heavily sprayed with pesticides.
Most cotton grown today is heavily sprayed with chemical defoliants,
insecticides and pesticides. Uses about 3% of the farmland but consumes
approximately 25% of the chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
- Green Cotton
- cotton that has no formaldehydes, dyes, or bleaches, but has not
necessarily been grown without pesticides.
- Organic Cotton - Has the same
characteristics as green cotton and also is grown on fields that
have not used chemical pesticides, or insecticides for at least 3 years.
- Traditional Cotton - same as
conventional cotton
- Damask - A
glossy jacquard fabric, usually made from linen, cotton, rayon, silk, or
blends. The patterns are flat and reversible. The fabric is often used in
sheets, draperies, and upholstery.
- Ecologically Friendly Dyes
- Bleaching - To whiten fabrics,
the most environmentally friendly way to do this is to use hydrogen
peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide can help produce a white fabric, but not a
bright white fabric.
- Low Impact Dyes - Use less
water to disperse the dye, so less dye is used and waste water is
carefully filtered to remove as many of the dye particles as possible.
- Fiber Reactive Dyes - the dye
molecules bond directly with the fiber molecules. These dyes are the best
quality and most ecologically sound synthetic dyes available. They contain
no heavy metals or other known toxic substances. The colors are brighter,
richer, and exhibit superior colorfast properties. Very little residual
dye comes out in the wastewater. Significantly more costly than
using conventional direct dyes but the quality and ecological benefits
make it well work it.
- Naturally Colored - Fiber that is
grown a natural color, without dyes. Some examples of this can be found
with cotton, sheep wool, and alpaca wool.
- Vegetable Dyes - Wide range of
colors that can have subtle muted shades and earthy colors. They are
gathered from natural sources and can be used without heavy metal
mordants, also known as fixatives.
- Flax - The
plant from which cellulose linen fiber is obtained. Linen is used in
apparel, accessories, draperies, upholstery, tablecloths, and towels.
- Hand - The
way the fabric feels when it is touched. Terms like softness, crispness,
dryness, silkiness are all terms that describe the hand of the fabric.
- Hemp - A coarse, durable bast fiber obtained
from the inner bark of the hemp plant. Used primarily in twines and
cordages, and apparel.
- 100% natural latex - is 100% natural
latex. Contains no synthetic ingredients.
- 100% latex - same as latex.
- all natural latex - some
manufactures and retailer use this term to describe the blended latex
they use to confuse customers into believing that they are 100%
natural.
- blended latex - also known as
Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR). produced with petrochemicals and does
not have the resilience properties that 100% natural latex has.
- latex - can be synthetic, blended
synthetic, or 100% natural.
- natural latex - could mean blended
latex or 100% natural. In Europe, anything that has at least 20%
natural latex is considered natural.
- Jusi Banana Fabric - Not all Jusi is
made out of banana leaves. Some Jusi is made out of silk worm cocoons.
- Jute - A
bast fiber, chiefly from India, used primarily for gunny sacks, bags,
cordage, and binding threads in carpets and rugs.
- Kapok - A short, lightweight, cotton-like,
vegetable fiber found in the seed pods of the Bombocaceae tree. Because of
its brittle quality, it is generally not spun. However, its buoyancy and
moisture resistance makes it ideal for use in cushions, mattresses, and
life jackets.
- Mohair - Hair fibers from the Angora goat.
End-uses include sweaters, coats, suits, and scarves.
- Muslin - A
medium weight, plain weave, cotton sheeting fabric.
- Nessel - (Nettle in German) Can
be grown without pesticides or herbicides. Developed from the Brennessel plant. This plant grows in almost
all types of soils and can be harvested for up to 20 years. The Brennessel
is one of the most productive plants. It requires very little
fertilization because the minerals are not leached out of the ground by
these plants. Brennessel is naturally resistant to many parasites: over
100 different kinds of insects. It can be more finely woven than cotton,
can have the gloss of silk, and can have insulation characteristics.
- Quilting - A layer or layers of batting held in
place between two layers of fabric, and then held in place by stitching or
sealing in a regular, consistent, all-over pattern.
- Ramie - A bast fiber, similar to flax, taken
from the stalk of a plant grown in China.
- Resiliency - The ability of a fabric to spring
back to its original shape after being twisted, crushed, wrinkled, or
distorted in any way.
- Sateen - A fabric made from yarns with low
luster, such as cotton or other staple length fibers. The fabric has a
soft, smooth hand and a gentle, subtle luster. Often used for linens,
draperies and upholstery.
- Serging - An overcasting technique done on the
cut edge of a fabric to prevent raveling. This is used in finishing the
natural wool rugs that we offer.
- Sinamay - Fabric weaved out of leaves
from certain varieties of pineapple (Piña) that grow in the Philippines.
- Sisal - A
strong bast fiber that originates from the leaves of the Agave plant,
which is found in the West Indies, Central America, and Africa. End-uses
include cordage and twine.
- Tencel - naturally derived from
cellulose which is extracted from managed trees. It is one of the softest
and most elegant fibers available.
- Terry Cloth -
Typical uses include towels, robes, and apparel. A typical
uncut pile weave fabric. This fabric is formed by using two sets of warp
yarns. One set of warp yarns is under very little tension; when the
filling yarns are packed into place, these loose yarns are pushed backward
along with the filling yarns, and loops are formed.
- Ticking - A
tightly woven, very durable fabric, usually made of cotton, and used for
covering mattresses, box springs, pillows, and work clothes. The fabric
can be made by using a plain, satin, or twill weave construction.
- Viscose - It is the most common
type of rayon, which is composed of regenerated cellulose. Derived from
wood pulp, cotton linters, or other vegetable matter. The other type of
rayon is made by the cuprammonium process.
- Warp - In
woven fabric, the yarns that run lengthwise and is interwoven with the
fill (weft) yarns.
- Weft - In
woven fabric, the filling yarns that run perpendicular to the warp yarns.
- Wickability - The ability of a fiber or a
fabric to disperse moisture and allow it to pass through to the surface of
the fabric, so that evaporation can take place.
- Conventional Wool
- Organic Alpaca Wool - Finer than
cashmere, smoother than silk, softer than cotton, stronger than mohair,
warmer than goose down and synthetic fabrics, and breathes better than
thermal knits. The fibers do not have lanolin or other oils. Luxuriously
soft on your skin. Hypoallergenic. Naturally fire resistant. Dust mite
resistant. Cruelty free.
- Organic Sheep Wool
MORE INFORMATION:
NOTE: A few of our products do
use green cotton, which is cotton that has been processed without
formaldehydes, dyes, and bleaches, but not necessarily grown without
pesticides. We do not have any conventional (standard) cotton on this web
site. If green cotton is used, it is stated in the product information.
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