History of Cotton Fabric

Cotton has a long history that dates back as far as 6000 BC in India and Pakistan and 5500 BC in North America. read more

Cotton has a long history that dates back as far as 6000 BC in India and Pakistan and 5500 BC in North America.

It wasn't until the Middle Ages that cotton fabrics started to spread into the western world. Through Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution its prevalence only grew. Between the 16th and 18th centuries various technological advances, social changes and reforms caused the cotton industry to grow exponentially especially in India and then in America. With the industrial revolution came the rise of the middle class and with it a new concern for hygiene which served to create an ever increasing demand for easily washable fabric available in an array of color.

During the 18th century cotton accounted for 95% of British import from Asia. The connexion between Asia, and especially India and cotton was so strong that it is believed that the ornate cotton clothes worn by the natives of Cuba and the Bahamas might have contributed to Columbus' erroneous belief that he had found the coast of India.

Once called the white gold, cotton is still mainly produced in India, China and Latin America. Don't let this long history make you believe that it is antiquated or out, cotton is here to stay.

Advantages of Cotton Fabrics

• Being a natural fibre it is friendly to even the most sensitive of skins including that of babies. It offers long-lasting wearability in a wide array of finishes. Highly breathable and wicks away moisture making it perfect for garments for the whole family.
• It is an outstanding choice for beginner sewers. Easy to pin and sew with even the most basic of machines or by hand, it works nicely for a wide array of projects, from quilting to apparel. Bandanas, scarves, hair bows, scrunchies, pockets on t-shirts, Christmas stockings and even skirts can all a pinch even for the inexperienced with cotton. Since cotton fabrics are often bargain fabrics you can also kiss your fear and guilt goodbye. For more guilt free sewing options visit our clearance pages.
• Great variety of textures and weights, from heavy weight canvas and denims to light weight gauze, it offer options for all seasons.
• New exciting prints are coming out all the time, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, St. Patrick, hockey season, soccer season, baseball season and so on. There is a cotton for all occasions. Are you more into novelty prints or classic prints? Cats, foxes, trailers, trees, cars, flowers, stripes, polka dots, paisley, gingham or even abstract prints. There is something for everyone.

Prewashing Cotton Fabric

To reduce the risks of shrinking in your finished project it is recommended to always prewash fabric. For most types of cottons the prewash can be done in warm water so as to further reduce the risk of future shrinking. It is also worth mentioning that cotton fabrics are sometimes treated with starch which makes them appear stiffer, washing before using will help free it from the starch and make it easier to work with. We highly recommend using a zigzag stitch or a serge stitch on the cut edges of the fabric to avoid fraying during this process. For longer pieces you can zigzag or serge both ends together to form a kind of tube, doing this will help prevent twisting during the drying process.

Types of Cotton Fabric available at Fabricville and how to care for them:

• Printed Cotton and Quilting cotton: machine wash in warm or cold water depending on color and tumble dry warm
• Twill: Machine wash in cold water, lay flat to dry and only use a cool iron if needed
• Cotton Silk Blend: Hand wash with care, tumble dry cool or air dry
• Gauze: Machine Wash cold or lukewarm, tumble dry cool, lay flat to dry
• Polyester Cotton blend: machine wash cold on delicate setting, tumble dry warm or air dry
• Poplin: machine wash in cold water
• Embroidered Cotton: Hand Wash, do not wring embroidered fabric, roll it between towels to wick away water and air dry
• Seersucker: Machine wash in cold water, air dry
• Canvas: Machine wash in cold water, tumble dry cool
• Flannel (flannelette): Machine wash cold or warm depending on color, machine dry warm