INT323-2021

  Testing Cotton Fiber Quality: Once cotton is harvested it is sent to be tested for quality.  The cotton then goes through multiple tests to determine the quality of the fibers.  First, there are samples taken out of the bails and they are given a barcode.  This barcode stays with the sample through the whole process.  There are a series of standards that the sample has to pass such as: color and leaf grade standards, calibration cottons for length, strength, uniformity index and micronaire, and verification standards for instrument color and trash content.  During harvest season the facilities get busier.  It was really informational to watch a video on the quality tests done in Memphis, Tennessee.  You are able to see how much is done to a bail of cotton before it is even put into a yarn.  These quality tests will decide where the cotton will go and what it can be used for. The barcode of the sample being scanned before the whiteness and the trash content is tested. Long Staple Cot

Supima Cotton Cotton is generally a short staple fiber but, Supima cotton is a rare extra long staple fiber cotton, measuring at least 34 millimeters. This type of cotton is primarily found on family farms in California and the American Southwest. It was developed nearly 100 years ago in Arizona. Its name, which means superior pima, to pay tribute to the special quality seeds used to produce this cotton. This cotton is referred to as "the worlds finest cotton" this is due to the excellent strength and color last of this cotton.  It is used by big cotton producers since it offers such great strength ad holds color well. With having 35% longer fibers, it helps make this cotton softer than short fiber cotton. The twists with this cotton come out cleaner and smoother with less pilling happening. Having such a soft fiber that is strong allows it to be nicely draped.  When growing a high end cotton the process of growing the crops is best to be clean and sustainable. Most farmers w

  The first video I watched gave us visuals about how certain fabrics reacted to fire.  They first showed us the natural fibers.  You could see how cotton and flax are similar in how they react to fire whereas wool has a natural fire resistance built in.  When the wool is taken out of the fire it stops burning and instead creates a bead that can be brushed away with no residue left.  After the natural fibers, they tested the manufactured fibers.  You notice how flammable it is compared to the natural fibers.  The nylon would burn and melt so quickly it wouldn't even catch the flame, and the acrylic fiber would not extinguish the flame.  Knowing how fabrics react to fire is important to an interior designer because we want to know what is the safest option to put in a building.  What fabrics you should stay away from if you are putting it in a restaurant or which fabrics are best in each room of a house.   The Story of Cotton: When you think of cotton everyone thinks of the white fl

  Fiber Identification by Burning Fibers all have different compositions and they all react to fire in different ways. The ways that these fibers react can tell us what type of fiber it is. For instance cotton will burn but it will not melt, it will start to smell like burning wood. It does not leave a dark ash or smoke it is a white color. Since cotton is a natural cellulose fiber, all other natural cellulose fibers will burn with the same characteristics. Natural protein fibers, such as wool and silk, will burn but not melt, very strong burnt hair smell, when its removed from the fire it will stop burning, and leaves dark black beads once it has been burned. Rayon is partially a cellulose fiber and partially an artificial fiber but, it burns the same way as the cellulose fiber where it won't melt and smells like burning wood.  Polyester is an artificial fiber and burns very differentially than natural fibers. This fabric will start to shrink, melt, and burn from fire. Once it has

 Twill Weaving The twill pattern consists of diagonal lines across the fabric but, the direction of the lines means a different pattern. If the diagonal lines go from lower left to the upper right, it is called a right handed twill or a z-twill. When the lines move from lower right to upper left it is considered a left handed twill or an s-twill. There are more distinctions in the twill pattern to help create unique looks to each type. The angle at which the threads are placed changed the look of the twill, normally the angles range between 15-75 degrees. Generally a 45 degree angle is what is considered a traditional twill pattern, these angles depend upon the ratio of warp yarns to fill yarns. Twill angles that are below 45 degrees are considered to be reclining twill and those above are called steep twills. While twills themselves can be defined as a z or s twill, the strands of yarn can also be classified as such. If the angle of the yarn strand matches the slant of the center of t

  my blog this week, I chose to read about the Architecture 2030 goal. This organization is striving towards having a cleaner and healthier environment starting with our buildings. Carbon emissions have become a largely popular topic in recent years, with this being the main cause of global warming and trapped greenhouse gases. They have established three areas that are to be targeted to help cut back the emissions. Controlling new buildings, embodied carbon, and existing building will help reduce carbon emissions. It is stated that population is rising at rapid rates " The world is currently undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in human history. More than half of the global population is now concentrated in urban areas" ( “Existing Buildings: Operational Emissions.”  Architecture 2030 , architecture2030.org/existing-buildings-operation/.) With the amount of housing and other facilities needing to increase in urban areas, CO2 emissions have risen about 1% each year sin

 The Carbon Challenge is making people aware of how much carbon is being produced when new buildings are being constructed.  Bring the matter to the forefront can help prevent permanent damage from happening, and that is why the Carbon Leadership forum is asking for people to become members and help them find answers to this carbon problem.  Reading further into the Carbon challenge they explain that there are two different kinds of carbon.  There is operational carbon and embodied carbon.  Operational Carbon is created through the building sector and can be reduced over the next couple years the more they incorporate renewable energy.  Embodied carbon comes from the manufacturing, transportation, and from the construction materials.  Once embodied carbon has entered the atmosphere it cannot be taken out, it will always be apart of our world.  That should put a sense of urgency pulled to the forefront of our brain when we are designing buildings and interiors.  We should take into our

           The Jacquard Weaving was created in 1801 by Joseph Jacquard.  He created a way for fibers to be stitched together in a faster, more productive style.  There was a plan weave wear the fiber went under every other fiber, and then there was a patterned weave.  The way a patterned was stitch into the fabric had a long process.  The design was originally drawn out on a paper that had small squares.  The paper would then be taken to someone so that they can create a punch card indicating which string wear to go over the fibers and which ones to stay under.  The punch hole cards were then connected together and sent through the machine.  The person in charge of the loom had to stay in rhythm and it took a lot of practice.  I think this was very informational to learn because without this we might still be stitching by hand, but this weaving style propelled us into a new world of patterned fabrics.  The Jacquard loom machine showing the punch cards on top of the machine. https://www