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Damask:
Damask is a glossy Jacquard fabric. It is typically made from cotton,
linen, rayon, silk or blends (ours is all cotton). The weave is very flat
and the patterns are smooth and reversible. We like to say there is no
right side or wrong side to this beautiful fabric.
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Flannel:
A soft, medium weight plain weave fabric made of cotton with a napped
finish. The raised surface provides a fluffy appearance and super soft,
cozy feel. Great for warmth during the winter months.
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Jacquard:
Jacquard is a fabric that is woven by using a jacquard attachment on the
loom. The jacquard attachment allows the weaver to control each of the
warp yarns, which can result in an endless variety of patterns. This is
the weave of kings and queens.
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Jersey:
A plain stitch knitted cloth. The fabric is knitted on circular, flatbed
or warp knitted methods. Very elastic with good draping qualities. Think
of your favorite T-shirt.
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Percale:
A closely woven, plain weave, spun fabric made from both carded and combed
yarns. Percale sheeting is the finest sheeting available. Percale equals
quality linens.
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Sateen:
A weave construction that has more yarn surface on the face of the cloth
than other basic weaves giving a softer hand and more lustrous look.
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Determining Fabric Quality:
The cotton plant, the cotton yarn and the weaving process
are all essential to the quality of a woven fabric. Ourbed and bath
products are made from 100% certified organic fair trade cotton.
Certified organic cotton is produced without the use of any agricultural
chemicals. The cotton is grown "by hand" on family farms in India. So we
start with the right seeds, the right growing and harvesting conditions
and the right griege. Then great care is taken in the finishing of these
fabrics too. Finishing is the final process in the production of fabrics
and it is a hard one to master. Finishing changes the appearance of the
fabric, its hand and the performance of the griege fabric (the natural,
raw state of the fabric). The finishing process also adds luster,
softness and quality to the fabric. The first step in finishing involves
washing the fabric with an amylase enzyme, which adds softness and
eliminates pilling, and a cationic softener, which gives it a supple,
luxurious hand. The softener is type-allergenic and approved by both OTA
in the US and SKAL, our certifier in India. Next comes sanforizing, a
mechanical process that helps reduces shrinkage. Finally, fabric is run
through a calendaring process, a sort of gigantic iron, which flattens
and polishes it using high heat and tremendous pressure.
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Flax:
Linen is a type of
fiber that comes from the same plant that flax seed comes from.
Linen is a vegetable fiber obtained from the
inside of the woody stalk of the flax plant.
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Griege:
There is so much that goes into making fabrics of high
quality. It starts with griege, the natural, raw state of the fabric,
which is a natural beige color.
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Thread Count:
Thread count refers to the number of horizontal and
vertical threads are in one square inch of woven fabric.
There is no intrinsic value to a higher thread count number, despite
popular belief.
Instead, the hand of the fabric depends on the integrity of the fibers
used, the weave selected, and the quality of the finished product.
Thread count is but one element in determining how a finished piece of
fabric will feel. Knowing us humans, we love numbers and quick, easy
ways of quantifying value, so this little fact still plays a large role
(too large in our opinion) in determining fabric quality.
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Types of Dyes:
There are two kinds of dyes - pigment and reactive dyes.
Pigment dyeing is the process by which color is held onto the surface of
the fabric by a binding agent. Reactive dyeing is the formulation of a
chemical bond between the cotton fibers and the color. We use
low-impact, fiber-reactive dyeing in all our sheets. When dyes are used
in our sheets, the dyes used are very safe, environmentally certified,
and "low impact" which means the chemical bonding and absorption rate
are so high we use less water, less heat, and produce less waste-water
runoff than chemical dyeing processes use. Recent advances have created
fiber-reactive dyes with colors that are brighter and richer than
previously available, and they provide excellent colorfast properties on
cotton. They contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances,
and they meet all European Union criteria for being an eco-friendly
pigment. But, the actual dyes in almost all low-impact fiber-reactive
dyes are still petrochemical based. Fiber-reactive dyes have become the
dye choice for many organic clothing manufacturers who want to be able
to offer a diverse palette of vibrant colors. Depending upon the nature
and degree of their chemical sensitivities, people with mild chemical
sensitivities can often wear organic clothing with fiber-reactive dyes.
Un-dyed, natural color or color-grown fabrics are the best choice for
people who react to fiber-reactive dyes or who want only 100% natural,
virgin fabrics on their skin.
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Types of Weaves:
All woven fabrics use 3 basic weaves:
plain, twill, and satin.
The plain weave is the simplest with an over, under, over, under
structure. Percale is an example of a plain weave. The twill weave is
characterized by its diagonal lines across the fabric.. The satin weave
is formed by a series of floating yarns tied down intermittently in the
weave. This provides different patterns and a sleek, shiny surface. Our
sateen sheets are a good example of the satin weave. All other weaves
are combinations of these basic weaves and are classified as complex (or
novelty) weaves.
- Warp & Weft:
Woven fabrics interlace a warp yarn, a yarn which runs the
length of the fabric, and weft yarns, which run the width of the fabric.
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- Please do not wash these sheets and pillow cases
with other items that have a high lint content, such as towels, etc.
Also, make sure to check your pockets for paper before washing clothing
with your sheets.
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All of our sheets are machine washable. We recommend using
warm water, non-phosphate soap in the washing cycle, and a cool, tumble
dry in a dryer. The best way to dry, in our opinion, is to hang dry on a
clothesline outside and bring the magic of the outside back in. The use
of bleaching agents may diminish the brilliance and depth of the colors,
so we recommend not using any whiteners. But if you must, please use a
non-chlorine bleach.
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