OT word of the day

Epitropic Fibre

Epitropic fibers are fibers that have particles on their surface that
modify some of the properties of the fiber.

The most common example would be polyester or nylon that is coated in
graphite to change it from a fiber that generates a static charge into
one that dissipates a static charge. When these particular carbon
coated fibers are woven into a nylon or polyester fabricalong with
regular fibers, the result is a nearly static free fabric.
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

Sometimes one gets a glimmer of manufacturing techniques, through the
ether; but I have never even been vaguely aware about the coating of
fibres for anti-static properties. Fascinating. I doubt I'll remember
the detail, but I'm chuffed to know that it exists. Thanks Nightmist -
again!
..
In message , NightMist
writes
Epitropic Fibre

Epitropic fibers are fibers that have particles on their surface that
modify some of the properties of the fiber.

The most common example would be polyester or nylon that is coated in
graphite to change it from a fiber that generates a static charge into
one that dissipates a static charge. When these particular carbon
coated fibers are woven into a nylon or polyester fabricalong with
regular fibers, the result is a nearly static free fabric.

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Turkey Work
Smyrna Stitch

I hold turkey work to be a distinct thing on it's own and entirely
seperate from candlewicking, though the two may be combined in a
single piece.
I am saying this straight out because I know a good many people use
the two terms interchangeably. I have also seen redwork called turkey
work, my best guess there is that the color has something to do with
the mislabling.

Turkey work is a needlecraft that gives a piled, or even fuzzy effect.
It has been used for any number of things over the years from rugs to
bedspreads to upholstry to toys and so on.
It has been around since at least the seventeenth century, and has had
periodic fads over the centuries.
While some of the original turkish stitches involved useing a cluster
of threads to make individual tufts on the surface of the fabric,
modern turkey work is primarily makeing loops and cutting them to
create the piled effect. It can be worked on almost any fabric with a
distinct weave, and with nearly any decorative thread. It is most
commonly done at this point in history by needlepointers, so the
majority of readily available instructions call for needlepoint canvas
and wool. I have used it on cushion covers with common embroidery
thread and pearl cotton, and found it easy enough to do on embroidery
linen or canvas duck.
When done with wool or knitting yarns it is often brushed to make it
fuzzy, a nice effect for animal fur or teddy bears and what have you.

Here is a picture of a simple bit. The squirrels tail was made in
this stitch, obviously cutting the loops to leave the threads rather
longish:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...34088454pyGQat

Here are two different sets of instructions for doing this stitch, one
standard, one modified:

http://www.heritageshoppe.com/herita...es/turkey.html
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfT...h/2006/aug.php
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

I can't tell you how interesting I find these daily nuggets of information,
Nightmist. Thankyou so much!

(And I'm also very impressed by your personal breadth of knowledge and
practical experience!)

Cheers for now
Tutu
Cape Town, South Africa
"NightMist" wrote in message
...
Turkey Work
Smyrna Stitch

I hold turkey work to be a distinct thing on it's own and entirely
seperate from candlewicking, though the two may be combined in a
single piece.
I am saying this straight out because I know a good many people use
the two terms interchangeably. I have also seen redwork called turkey
work, my best guess there is that the color has something to do with
the mislabling.

I've used this stitch to make hair on Raggedy Ann dolls. It also makes
the mane on the donkey on the "Adoration" wall quilt I'm making

Julia in MN

NightMist wrote:
Turkey Work
Smyrna Stitch

I hold turkey work to be a distinct thing on it's own and entirely
seperate from candlewicking, though the two may be combined in a
single piece.
I am saying this straight out because I know a good many people use
the two terms interchangeably. I have also seen redwork called turkey
work, my best guess there is that the color has something to do with
the mislabling.

Turkey work is a needlecraft that gives a piled, or even fuzzy effect.
It has been used for any number of things over the years from rugs to
bedspreads to upholstry to toys and so on.
It has been around since at least the seventeenth century, and has had
periodic fads over the centuries.
While some of the original turkish stitches involved useing a cluster
of threads to make individual tufts on the surface of the fabric,
modern turkey work is primarily makeing loops and cutting them to
create the piled effect. It can be worked on almost any fabric with a
distinct weave, and with nearly any decorative thread. It is most
commonly done at this point in history by needlepointers, so the
majority of readily available instructions call for needlepoint canvas
and wool. I have used it on cushion covers with common embroidery
thread and pearl cotton, and found it easy enough to do on embroidery
linen or canvas duck.
When done with wool or knitting yarns it is often brushed to make it
fuzzy, a nice effect for animal fur or teddy bears and what have you.

Here is a picture of a simple bit. The squirrels tail was made in
this stitch, obviously cutting the loops to leave the threads rather
longish:

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...34088454pyGQat

Here are two different sets of instructions for doing this stitch, one
standard, one modified:

http://www.heritageshoppe.com/herita...es/turkey.html
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfT...h/2006/aug.php


--
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Candlewicking

Candlewicking is really nothing more than whitework done with a
heavier thread.
It is generally believed that candlewicking came about back when
embroidery was mostly done in silk, and embroidery silks were
considerably more expensive than today's standard skein of floss. So
those who wished to embroider but could not afford the costly silks
improvised with less expensive threads. Whether candle wicking was
ever actually used is a matter for debate.

There are some basic differences in technique between embroidery and
candlewicking. Candlewicking uses a single thread doubled for almost
everything, as opposed to varying numbers of fine strands. There is
usually much more couching in candlewicking. While there are often
many knots in the work, those knots are much more often colonial knots
(figure eight knots, Quilter's Knots) than they are french knots.
Candlewicking is also traditionally worked on un-shrunk fabric, most
commonly plain muslin. Like most embroidery candlewicking eschews
final knots (tying off knots). Washing the work to make the ground
shrink after the work is done also "fluffs" the thread, and thus
between the shrinking of the ground and the expanding of the worked
threads the work is more secure. Between this and the heavier thread
used, candlewicking is considered to be one of the sturdiest forms of
decorative work. This has led to its frequent use in bedclothes,
cushions, and other household items that see much use and frequent
laundering.
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

Flax

One of the oldest cultivated plant fibers, a bast fiber from the plant
of the same name.
Flax is the fiber linen is woven of.
There are two basic types of flax, "long flax" is the variety that
fiber and much of the oil crop is gotten from.
Flax oil, linseed oil, is harvested from the fully mature seed, while
the fiber is gotten from the slightly green stem. Since the seed is
fully mature when the plant is completely dry and brown, you may only
efficently harvest one or the other from a single plant.

Flax is the strongest of the common plant fibers. It is two to three
times stronger than cotton. Because of the natural waxes in the fiber
it is very smooth and lint free. When fabric is made of flax it may
be stiff for the first several years of its life, but will soften with
repeated laundering. Boiling or repeated laundering are often used to
soften new linen, as this removes some of the natural waxes. However
this stiffness is usually maintained in threads for specialty
applications as the waxes will add years to the durabilty of it.
Traditionally flax is the thread of choice for lacemaking,
leatherworking, and a number of other skilled crafts.

In addition to linen and thread, flax fiber is made into a variety of
products.
It is used in rope, paper, packing materials, sculptural composites,
and etc. Some of these products are made from the straw left over
after the seed is harvested, however there is actually quite a demand
for the superior quality fibers in many of these applications. Paper
money in many countries for instance, contains quite a bit of cloth
quality flax fiber.

The unspun fiber makes excellent doll hair, and has the advantage of
being completely washable with no special steps. Since flax dyes
extremely well and is _very_ colorfast after dying, the fiber both
spun and unspun is useful in a number of crafts.
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

Also the name of one of my favorite clothing companies.

--
Kathyl (KJ)
remove "nospam" before mchsi
http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz
"NightMist" wrote in message
...
Flax

One of the oldest cultivated plant fibers, a bast fiber from the plant
of the same name.
Flax is the fiber linen is woven of.
There are two basic types of flax, "long flax" is the variety that
fiber and much of the oil crop is gotten from.
Flax oil, linseed oil, is harvested from the fully mature seed, while
the fiber is gotten from the slightly green stem. Since the seed is
fully mature when the plant is completely dry and brown, you may only
efficently harvest one or the other from a single plant.

Flax is the strongest of the common plant fibers. It is two to three
times stronger than cotton. Because of the natural waxes in the fiber
it is very smooth and lint free. When fabric is made of flax it may
be stiff for the first several years of its life, but will soften with
repeated laundering. Boiling or repeated laundering are often used to
soften new linen, as this removes some of the natural waxes. However
this stiffness is usually maintained in threads for specialty
applications as the waxes will add years to the durabilty of it.
Traditionally flax is the thread of choice for lacemaking,
leatherworking, and a number of other skilled crafts.

In addition to linen and thread, flax fiber is made into a variety of
products.
It is used in rope, paper, packing materials, sculptural composites,
and etc. Some of these products are made from the straw left over
after the seed is harvested, however there is actually quite a demand
for the superior quality fibers in many of these applications. Paper
money in many countries for instance, contains quite a bit of cloth
quality flax fiber.

The unspun fiber makes excellent doll hair, and has the advantage of
being completely washable with no special steps. Since flax dyes
extremely well and is _very_ colorfast after dying, the fiber both
spun and unspun is useful in a number of crafts.
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

Linen

As flax is one of the oldest known cultivated textile fibers, it
stands to reason that linen is one of the oldest known woven textiles.

A clothing standard for many years, the use of linen in garments fell
steadily as the the use of cotton increased. Preparing flax for
spinning is both labor and time intensive, and it is more difficult to
weave than cotton because it is less elastic thus, making cotton a
notably cheaper cloth. At some point in the 1970's linen reached an
all time low in that of the fabric produced less than 10% was used by
the garment industry. It was however still in much demand for bed and
table linens, and by crafters as a ground for assorted needlecrafts.
While there has been an apparent upsurge in the popularity of linen in
clothing, much of this in the form of cheaper blends, and suspect
imports from east and southeast Asia.
Linen is still a standard of quality in household linens, as may be
noted by the double meaning of the word.(G)
It is also considered a superior support for paintings. Its archival
qualities are without question, as there are perfectly preserved
examples of linen from ancient tombs that have been dated as being
several millennia old.
It once was much used for assorted industrial applications, mostly due
to its strength and durability. A minor example would be the timing
belt on my Pfaff 130, it is nearly 60 years old and still in perfect
condition. In heavier applications it was often layered with leather
or rubber to make machine belts, or used in laminating surfaces that
would come under stress.

"Linen weave" fabrics are fabrics made of fibers other than flax, that
have been woven to resemble linen.
Many different linen blends are cropping up these days, most likely a
cost measure, though the standard 55-45 cotton-linen blend is still
the most common.

Linen is highly absorbent, yet dries quickly, and conducts body heat
well, making it an excellent choice for summer garments.
It wears like iron, dyes well and is extremely colorfast.

The major drawback for most people is that it is better by far for the
fabric to press it dry than to tumble it. Linen is rather well known
for wrinkling easily, however it also presses easily particularly when
damp. So not tossing it in the dryer and instead ironing it dry
immediately after washing, or hanging it out and bringing it in to
press when still damp is only logical. If one reads any of the
plethora of books on household management from the latter nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries, one will find a number of methods just
for keeping linen damp so it may be ironed easily.

Repeated pressing of folds and creases in linen clothing may
eventually break the fibers and cause them to fray. Fraying at the
collar, cuffs, and hem are the commonest damage to well loved linen
clothing. Thus it is advisable to make such garments using techniques
that allow for easy replacement or mending of the weak points. When
such repairs are possible, a linen garment will give many years of
good wear.

Many people believe that flattened slubs in linen fabric are a sign
that it is genuine. In actuality it is a sign that it was cheaply
made.
Good linen should be perfectly smooth with no slubs and evenly matched
threads.
Most of Europe, and Japan as well, have rules about linen and linen
labeling, Ireland and Japan for example have trade guilds that
regulate production in their respective countries quite firmly.
Imports from other places are less regulated and more prone to
adulteration.

--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

I just had to put my .02 in here (sorry, couldn't figure out how to make it
say 2 cents on my 'puter.)

Flax, is one of the new "must have" things in our diet. Flax seeds are ok
but putting flax seed meal in your baking is really good for you. And, it
can replace some of
the fat you regularly use.
Another thing, believe it or not, is hemp seeds. Unfortunately not the
smoke-em kind, are good on cereal, yogurt etc.

Don't know if y'all want to know this stuff, but I believe in passing on
good info...
That said, I believe I'' have a piece of 854% cocoa chocolate, which
isn't as bad as it sounds