Fine Cloths Make Fine Clothes

There are many different cloths used to make men's clothing and women's clothing. Cloth comes in every imaginable color and most cloth is dyed. Plaids are created when different colored strands are woven together. Printing on cloth is also common.

The thickness of cloth is generally referred to as weight. Light weight fabrics can be sheer or thin and often made of nylon, rayon, cotton, acetate or silk. Medium weight fabrics include fabrics like hopsacking, corduroy and thick fleece. Heavy weight fabrics would include tenting, upholstery material, coating fabrics, and thick knits.

Nearly all cloth is made from plant, animal or synthetic textiles. Only a few mineral textiles are made into cloth, notably cloth of gold, and heat and fire resistant cloths used in ironing board covers and other heat resistant applications.

Animal textiles are normally made from hair or fur. Wool is an animal textile from sheep and used mainly in cold weather clothing such as hunting and military gear. Wool blends are used in suits, coats and dresses. By blending the wool with other textiles, primarily synthetic textiles, the scratchy texture of the wool is minimized. Cashmere and mohair are wools that are known for their softness. Silk is an animal textile made from the cocoons of silkworms. China is best known for its fine silks.

Plant textiles such as cotton and flax are used in cloth. Cotton has been the most used commercial fiber since the turn of the 19th century. Hemp is an excellent fiber for making cloth and lacks the psychoactive properties of the variant marijuana plant but cultivation is still illegal in the United States. It is widely held that the banning of growing hemp was pushed by the newspaper and timber industries. Canada and many other countries have thriving hemp industries making products ranging from cloth to paper to concrete blocks. Instead of being a producer of hemp products the United States is currently the largest importer of hemp products. Many of our founding fathers, including the first president, George Washington, grew hemp.

Animal hides and furs were among the first primary body coverings along with leaves, shells, bones and grasses. Over time humans invented weaving as a means of intertwining hairs and other strands. The Industrial Revolution brought about the invention of machines to spin and weave, automating the previously laborious and time consuming tasks.

Until the invention of the sewing machine tailors and seamstresses made up one of the largest groups in America. Every town of any size had tailors and seamstress to hand stitch clothing for its inhabitants. The invention of the sewing machine began the promulgation of the ready-made clothing industry.

A revolution in the American clothing industry happened in 1853 when a not-yet 25-year-old immigrant from Germany arrived in San Francisco via New York. Levi Strauss intended to open a dry goods store to service the miners who had flocked there for the California gold rush. Strauss brought a supply of canvas to sell as tent and wagon covers but instead he used the canvas to make pants and fill a demand for tough waist overalls. Over the next couple of decades the creation evolved into our modern day blue jean pants.

Since rayon was developed in the late 1800's synthetic textile fibers have had a revolutionary effect on the textile industry. Most synthetic textile fibers are long chain polymers. A polymer is a chemical compound made using a complex process that uses pressure, heat and/or the introduction of a chemical substance that alters the rate of a chemical reaction, called a catalyst. There are naturally occurring polymers including silk, rubber and cellulose.

Synthetic textiles are mainly used to produce clothing. The first polyester fiber called Terylene was invented in 1941. Polyester can be used alone or can be blended with cotton or other fibers while acrylic fiber can be used to make a cashmere-like cloth. Nylon fibers are like silk and are used in thousands of rope, stocking and cloth applications. Polyurethane fiber has become a favorite for making tight fitting activewear. It is known as spandex.

The cloth, textile, clothing and related industries began to recede in the latter part of the twentieth century as manufacturers sought to compete and capitalize on cheap labor costs in third world countries.The textile industry the United States, while not dead, is only a remnant of what it once was.