Why is cashmere becoming expensive these days?

Cashmere is a very important material for apparel makers especially that cashmere is specifically used for thick jackets used during the winter. Though there are other countries that produce this material, it is but obvious that the industry is suffering from the decline of production thus resulting to a higher demand, lower supply and expensive cost of cashmere scenario.

The main reason why the cashmere wool is becoming expensive these days was the declination in the production. Meaning, farmers are experiencing a decreasing number of cashmere goats and their natural ways of producing the wool. In a CNN report, it has been pointed out that deforestation in Mongolia and over herding is one reason of the decrease in the population of cashmere goats. With lesser area for pasturing goats, there is a thinner chance of producing more cashmere.

In effect, cashmere wool from Mongolia particularly is priced more that other country-producers. But looking at the season, this type of wool is expected to increase in price over the next 6 months or so because of the coming of the winter season.

Where does cashmere wool come from?

Yesterday we talk about the first question regarding cashmere and we have answered what it is and what animal produces said wool. Today we will focus our answer more on the place cashmere wool is produced more. In the first post, we have answered that Mongolia is one of the major producers of cashmere wool and today the country is in a great challenge because of the changes of weather that in return affects the herding of cashmere goats and at the same time the production of the cashmere wool.

Aside from Mongolia, other countries in Asia, Pacific, and the Europe are also growing cashmere goats for their wool. Countries that are major producers of cashmere wool are China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Australia. The wool these countries produce are exported to different countries as well like Japan, Italy, Scotland, and England fabric makers and eventually shipped across the globe to distribute to textile manufacturers to made into jackets, workwear apparels, shirts, and other forms of clothing.

What is a cashmere wool?

When browsing up CNN today, I stumbled on a topic about the increasing price of the cashmere wool. This made me formulate a question what is cashmere wool, where it come from, and why is it becoming expensive these days. So we begin tackling the first question we have here and well try to make a series of questions to be answered for just this topic.

What is a cashmere wool?

To answer this question we should first try to answer what is a cashmere? According to wikipedia, cashmere is a special breed of goat that produces a cashmere wool is grown in many countries particularly China. Today, cashmere is being bred anywhere for the purpose of culturing of the wool. Cashmere wool then is the fleece that these breed of goats produce and later processed to be used as apparels and other garments.

Here are the Characteristics of cashmere I grabbed from Wikepedia:

Cashmere is characterized by its soft fibers. It is noted as providing a natural light-weight insulation without bulk. Fibers are highly adaptable and are easily spun into fine or thick yarns, and light to heavy-weight fabrics. The original undyed or natural colors of cashmere wool are various shades of grey, brown and white.
In the United States, under the U.S. Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939, as amended, (U.S.C. 15 Section 68b(a)(6)), a textile product may not be labeled as containing cashmere if:

1. such wool product is not the fine (dehaired) undercoat fibers produced by a cashmere goat (Capra hircus laniger);

2. the average diameter of the fiber of such wool product exceeds 19 microns; or

3. such wool product contains more than 3 percent (by weight) of cashmere fibers with average diameters that exceed 30 microns.

The average fiber diameter may be subject to a coefficient of variation around the mean that shall not exceed 24 percent.

What is an ascot tie?

You might be aware of the regular shirt tie or the bow tie the former being usually paired to our everyday corporate uniforms and the latter the most commonly used during formal gatherings. Though these two are a traditional type of ties, there is still another kind of tie and that is what is called the ascot tie.

An ascot tie may be classified as a formal or informal ascot tie. Most commonly, ascot ties are worn during weddings and other formal gatherings. To give you more idea of what an ascot tie is, we are going to post here an image.

Image Source: http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Tutorials/AntongiavanniWEDDINGATTIRE.htm

What is a tabard?

A tabard historically is a garment worn over as a symbol of position in the government. Knights and soldiers also use this garment to identify with their ranks and group. For example, the Musketeers use blue tabards emblazoned with crosses and identifying marks, while the Cardinals knights wore red. In British monarchy, a tabard is used by the Heraldy - the King of Arms, the Herald of Arms, and the Pursuivant of Arms. Every rank has a different emblazoned symbols and color. Accordingly, the fabric of a tabard also differs in every rank.

As time goes by, a tabard no longer just apply for heraldic identification. This modern days, a tabard may also simply mean apron, or cobbler apron to be exact. The name has been associated with cobbler aprons due to its design resemblance.

What is hoarding?

This week Time featured a video about a 75-year old granny named Franny Gray who is about to be evicted from her apartment after authorities found about some dangerous materials and possible fire hazardous piles. According to the story, Franny is a hoarder or is suffering from what is typically known as hoarding or compulsive hoarding. Gray is living alone at a rented apartment and authorities found out that the granny has been collecting volumes of newspapers and other things that made her place look like a garbage bin.

Compulsive hoarding is not yet classified as a disorder like obsessive-compulsive disorder but psychologists admit that this kind of disturbance exits. Unlike collectors, hoarders collects anything they might have normally of no value then having the difficulty to discard them. Hoarders are also called "pack rats" in relation to the attitudes rats possess.

There are now different types of hoarding and it affects children as well as adults most of the symptoms are associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In modern times, a yet another type of this disturbance surfaced known as the digital hoarding where in the "digital pack rat" collects files, programs, software, songs, porn clips, movies even if most of them are of no use.

Who is Frank Abagnale?

You might have read many articles about the most fraudulent person in the US. You might have read about the "barefoot bandit" in mainstream news. All of these had been Frank Abagnale. He might not be the "barefoot bandit" but he is just the main character in the movie "Catch Me If You Can" played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Also featured in the film was Tom Hanks who played as an FBI agent who followed on the escapades of Abagnale.

Frank Abagnale Jr. was born in April 27, 1948 and a known check forger, confidence trickster, escape artist, and impostor. He had managed to become a lawyer, a doctor in medical scrubs, an airline pilot, and a prison inspector. All of the crimes he committed happened when he was between 16-21 years old. According to Wikipedia, he has flown for about a million miles over 250 flights as a deadhead to 26 countries. With his fraudulent acts he had made about $2.5 million out of the checks he forged.

He eventually became a part of FBI in exchange of freedom working as an assistant to help the bureau detect forgeries. This time, he is still connected with the FBI as an academy consultant and teacher. He is also a renowned financial forgery consultant and owns the Abagnale & Associates.

What is mold poisoning?

The late Brittany Murphy and her husband in the recent reports released were said to have been killed. Yes. Killed not by outlaws but by criminal toxins. When Ms. Murphy died of complications from pneumonia, doctors in medical scrubs, did not immediately thought of the possibility she might have died of poisoning. In fact, they ruled she died of drug overdose. Shortly after few months, her husband was also found dead in the same house Ms. Murphy died. The cause: cardiac arrest. But few days ago, a report had been released about the death of the couple: mold poisoning.

So I did a research about mold poisoning and well try to answer the query.

Mold poisoning, also known as black mold poisoning, happens when a human being happens to eat, inhale, or contaminated by fungus(found in molds) which contains mycotoxin. We often see molds in every part of our house and it dwells vastly to humid and wet places. We often see them in jams, cheeses, fruits, and breads. Mycotoxin may be in a form of gas excreted by the fungus it contains and when a human inhales said toxic in large volume can result to death or other physical complications.

Pneumonia might be a result of a black mold poisoning as the toxic can enter the lungs which can cause for the latter to bleed. There are also physical indications of contamination like skin allergies for instance. Gradual memory loss or frequent nausea may also be one of the symptoms of mold poisoning.

For more information about this, its good you pay a visit to your physician and request for a test. To avoid molds at home, make sure you clean regularly and throw unconsumed food that might be a good place for mold production.

What is Plinky?

I am often flooded with questions in some of my blogs and those questions mostly are about writing techniques and attitudes toward it. Most often too, my answers are always as vague as their questions as I do not have any specific formula in writing or even an exact writing technique to avoid boredom and burn out. The only thing I do most when my fingers are too idle to type and my brain is too lame to think is research. But it is just too hard to research for topics and when you do it randomly chances are that instead of doing research you actually starting killing time. This is where the answer to the question we are going to tackle today.

When I blog about workwear uniforms or medical scrubs, I make sure that I have whole knowledge about it. Often, I look for topics that at some point related to a specific keyword that I want to use.

Then Plinky. In most cases that I do not have any topic in mind, I turn my attentions to questions and start answering them. Manually, I observed, this technique cannot suffice to shoo burn out. Thanks for Plinky and looking for question where you can incorporate keyword is now easy.

Plinky is an online software that generates questions that you can blog about. These questions may range from personal to experiential and you can choose from hundreds of questions they have. You only need to sign up and there you go.

How zipper works?

For a short history about the zipper; the earliest recorded zip-like fastener was patented by Elias Howe in 1851. The mechanism of the Howe's zip is similar to the ones we use today except that it did not contain any slider instead used a string that can be pulled to close the clasps. Then zipper was then renamed and patented by Whitcomb L. Judson with the name "clasp locker." But the series of attempts to improve and redesign the zipper was ended by the invention of Gideon Sundbäck in 1914 which resembles the modern zippers we have now. It has been coined with several names and one of them is the "C-Curity Fastener" and used mostly in workwear uniforms.

Zipper, just like how the early inventors thought about it, works in a principle of hook clasping in which a hook clasps with an eye. Before, it can be done with a string but these days a protruding latch called a slider is the one that locks or unlocks the series of hooks and eyes. In a cross section of the slider you will see the "Y" rail where in the two sides of the zipper pass. The sides of the zipper break and join at the point where the upper part of the "Y" and its leg meet.

For other info, Wikepedia listed types of zipper namely:

a. Coil zippers now form the bulk of sales of zippers worldwide. The slider runs on two coils on each side; the "teeth" are the coils. Two basic types of coils are used: one with coils in spiral form, usually with a cord running inside the coils; the other with coils in ladder form, also called the Ruhrmann type. This second type is now used only in a few parts of the world, mainly in South Asia. Coil zippers are made of polyester coil and are thus also known as polyester zippers. Nylon was formerly used and though only polyester is used now, the type is still known as a nylon zipper.

b. Invisible zippers' teeth are behind the tape. The tape's color matches the garment's, as does the slider, so that, except the slider, the zipper is "invisible". This kind of a zipper is common in skirts and dresses. Invisible zippers are usually coil zippers. They are also seeing increased use by the military and emergency services due to the fact that the appearance of a button down shirt can be maintained, while having a quick and easy system.

c. Metallic zippers are the classic zipper type, found mostly in jeans today. The teeth are not a coil, but are individual pieces of metal moulded into shape and set on the zipper tape at regular intervals. Metal zippers are made in brass, aluminium and nickel, according to the metal used for teeth making. All these zippers are basically made from flat wire. A special type of metal zipper is made from pre-formed wire, usually brass but sometimes other metals too. Only a few companies in the world have the technology. This type of pre-formed metal zippers is mainly used in high grade jeanswear, workwear uniforms, etc., where high strength is required and zippers need to withstand tough washing.

d. Plastic-molded zippers are identical to metallic zippers, except that the teeth are plastic instead of metal. Metal zippers can be painted to match the surrounding fabric; plastic zippers can be made in any color of plastic. Plastic zippers mostly use polyacetal resin though other resins are used as well, such as polyethylene.
e. Open-ended zippers use a "box and pin" mechanism to lock the two sides of the zipper into place, often in jackets. Open-ended zippers can be of any of the above specified types.

f. Closed-ended zippers are closed at both ends; they are often used in baggage.

How Velcro works?

Fasteners are important elements in clothing as it serves as locks to the garment openings. Pants basically use buttons and zipper as fasteners in most of our clothes and workwear apparels such as pants and some other manufacturers are comfortable utilizing velcro. We know what is a zipper and what is a button and we basically know how these two works and being used. However, we are not just that sure how velcro works.

In order to know how velcro works, it is good that we first tackle how its inventor made it. According to accounts, velcro was invented by a Swiss engineer George de Mestral. He came to the idea of a clothing fastener when after a hunting trip he noticed about some leaves attaching naturally to his pants. After such he thought of using the discovered phenomenon for other uses thus the velcro. Velcro is the combination of the words "velvet" and "crochet."

The main idea was to create a fabric that has the capacity to stick to each other for use as garment fastener. Thus the hook-and-loop fastener has been coined. At some point velcro has been known as the zipperless zipper.

The mechanism of the velcro is simple. First there should be two surfaces of fabric; one contains small hooks and the other with tiny loops. At first, cotton is used as loops but had been proven its fibers worn out after some use. Because of this lyon and polyester are basically the materials now used for velcro. When the hooks get to tangle with the loops, it creates a gluing effect.

What is Plastiki?

Plastiki is a catamaran made by a group of sea voyagers and scientists from reclaimed plastic bottles and polyester resins. The catamaran is set to sail from San Francisco, California down to Sydney, Australia without using any motor. The moving and collapsible sail of the catamaran is made up of recycled polyester; a material we often see and use for most of our workwear uniforms and other apparels.

The Plastiki is expected to be in Sydney this July after more than 3 months of sailing. It has made some stopovers from the Pacific islands including the Christmans Island.

The main objective of the Plastiki expedition is to give awareness to people about the effects of constant use of plastic to the environment particularly the oceans.

What is organic cotton?

Language is a very diverse tool yet a primary tool in human communication. There are just complications that will lead to wrongfully understanding a meaning. This of course may be in the aspect of translation, idioms, or terminologies. For this question we see but a variety of terminology.

Organic cotton is known as simply the cotton. The term organic cotton may have surfaced due to the increasing number of synthetic fabrics used to make workwear uniforms and apparels which consists a portion cotton. Wikepedia suggests that organic cotton is the term widely used however to indicate an unadulterated cotton. That is cotton grown without the use of any chemical or pesticide. For this instance, cotton here is referred to as a fibre and not a fabric yet.

By cultivating cotton organically without chemical use is said to have product benefits. Aside from this, by doing so farmers can help the preservation of environment.

What are the different fabrics being used for medical scrubs?

We often see medical scrubs being used in the hospital by doctors and nurses. They are often used as costumes in our favorite TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, House, and ER. Primarily, medical scrubs should be comfortable enough so the nurses can easily move during an operation. But scrubs today has become an everyday uniforms of most medical practitioners because of its durability and comfort.

There are different types and styles of medical scrubs and often they differ in the print designs and colors. True too, medical scrubs may also differ in terms of the material or fabric used. There are three major fabrics that is commonly used to make medical scrubs they are cotton, poplin, and polyester or a blend of any of the two or three of these fabrics.

Cotton - is a fabric made from natural fiber of the same name. You can read more about this here.

Poplin - also known as a tabinet is composed of a silk warp with a weft of worsted yarn. This might be blended with cotton.

Polyester - is a synthetic fabric made from the fiber of the same name. The name was derived from its main material called the polyethylene terephthalate.

What are the common types of scrub pants?

There are no specific names for the types of scrub pants as compared to the scrub tops that have names according to cuts like for example a wrap around or an empire. But there are classifications that you can consider when buying scrub pants. Scrub pants, just like your favorite jeans may come in different classifications. You may choose from the diverse choices that might be a combination of boot and waist cuts. So let us just consider three classification that can help you find your choice pair of scrub pants.

1. Waist Style

You can choose from 6 styles of waist for the pants. Here are your options:

a. Drawstring
b. Elastic
c. Maternity Scrubs
d. Low Rise
e. Flat front waist
f. Zip closures

2. Leg Cuts and Accessories

a. Pockets
b. Cargo Pants
c. Boot cut
d. Flare leg
e. Skinny
f. Seam (available in different sizes; regular, petite, tall)

3. Colors and Designs

What is anti-microbial labcoat?

We often see labcoats used by doctors when they do rounds in the ward while their stethoscopes hang around their necks. With that we knew there are different types of lab coats and different styles and colors too. Among these different labcoats in the anti-microbial labcoat.

Anti-microbial labcoats are no extraordinary labcoats. They are just simply made of a special textile that are composed of extraordinary fibers. These type of protective medical apparel is offered by different manufacturers that has their versions of textile. Landau anti-microbial labcoats boasts of its Bioshield Technology while others claim of the HaloShield. Haloshield technology retains residual chlorine after normal laundry in the garment to help kill bacteria within minutes.

What is cotton polyester blend?

As you would know there are different types of fabric available in the market. This diversity is rooted in the fact that fabrics or textiles are made up of many materials. There are those that are made of plainly raw material say cotton, wool, and the likes or a combination of several raw materials. There are other materials however but are synthetically produced. These synthetic fibers and materials the same way can be combined with a synthetic or natural fibers to form a textile and further a workwear apparel.

Cotton Polyester blend in this light is a textile consisting of cotton and polyester fiber. Thus the cotton polyester blend is a combination of a natural fibre and a synthetic one as polyester is a manmade polymer material.

Ehow article suggested that:

"A polyester cotton blend can be versatile, as it most likely retains the coolness and lightness of the cotton fiber, but also adds the strength, durability and wrinkle-resistance of polyester. A polyester cotton blend should only shrink slightly in comparison to a garment or fabric that is 100 percent cotton. This blend is often preferred by at-home sewers and quilters as it is extremely easy to sew."

Read more: About Polyester Cotton Blend | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5114277_polyester-cotton-blend.html#ixzz0rezYHLfB

When was the World Cup started?

Last week, the first stints of the FIFA World Cup 2010 has been warmly watched by the whole world, and every year following its inception, the world cup has become an icon in sporting. The World Cup has gotten every attention from all over the woman I would say just second to the Olympics.

So before plunging into memorizing the names of the teams, most valuable players, or the colors of their sportswear uniforms, it is good that you know first hand the basic facts about the FIFA World Cup and its origin.

Wikepedia scores that FIFA started in 1930 and just like the Olympics, the cchampionship is awarded every four years. The years 1942 and 1946 were the only years when there was no championship played because of the World War 2. The country to have won most championship is Brazil with 5 champions, followed by Italy (the current champion) with 4 champions, and by Germany with 3 champions.

How the old girdle works?

In Hollywood portrayals of medieval ladies, there are clothing accessories that are often wore with the help of a maid. These accessories are called as the girdles. During the medieval times, princesses, ladies, and queens use this piece of clothing for them to tuck the tummy in so they might have an hour glass looking body especially emphasize by ballooning skirt with the help of a crinoline. But as time advanced, the girdle design also improved. There are now girdles that are already part of the underwear making the waist line of a panty raise up to the belly area. There are still that type of girdles that are still worn and clipped in to a pantyhose.

How does then a girdle works? Before, girdles can be tightened using ropes that are patterned in front of the girdle. The maids then tightens the girdle according to the desired shape. Nowadays, girdles primarily use high quality garters and a specific pattern of stitches. The garter is the one responsible in tightening the belly while the pattern of the stitch and cut is what shape the belly. When the tummy is tightened, the tendency of the skin and fats including the internal organs to be pushed creating an illusion that the wearer actually has a small tummy. thus creating an hourglass shape especially when the wearer has big hips.

What is a crinoline?

You probably overheard or read about this but are not really sure what crinoline is. If you have seen a bird cage then you would probably be able to visualize what a crinoline is. Unfortunately, crinoline is not used for animals and is not hanged from a ceiling nail but a clothing accessory.

That is correct. A crinoline is a woman apparel accessory that has been in the in 17th century. If you knew about the sisters of Cinderella and their dresses during the ball called upon by the Prince then that is exactly what a crinoline is.

Here's Wikepedia's definition of crinoline:

"Crinoline was originally a stiff fabric with a weft of horse-hair and a warp of cotton or linen thread. The fabric first appeared around 1830, but by 1850 the word had come to mean a stiffened petticoat or rigid skirt-shaped structure of steel designed to support the skirts of a woman’s dress into the required shape. In form and function it is very similar to the earlier farthingale."

Now, with that, can you imagine using that kind of workwear apparel for your job these days?

What is an Empire Waist?

Empire waist is where the waist line is raised above the natural waistline, sometimes as high as right below the bust. This cut is less restrictive, more comfortable than those with lower waistline and very much cooler as the rest of the dress floats over the bottom half of the body. For those with little curves, it can create an illusion of a fuller body and can also be used to maximize the bust.

Designers use this particular design for their gowns and other elegant dresses but there are also other uses of this design. Medical scrubs and other uniforms may also make use of this design. Examples of brands that make use of this design are Landau medical scrubs, Dickies scrubs uniforms,Urbane scrubs sale, and Cherokee nursing scrubs.

Why do matadors use red capes and unusual uniforms during a bullfight?

Bullfighting is one of the oldest sport so to speak in Latin-America. It's history often points back that bullfighting originated from Rome as a temporary replacement to gladiatorial matches.

The main reason why matadors uses unusual clothes or uniforms is rooted with its history and culture. Since the time the sport has been practiced the matadors are already using velvets as a part of the performance.

The red cape on the other hand is a tool to make the bull come closer the matador. But contrary to many beliefs, the color red does not anger the bull because the bull is colorblind. The movements however of the cape is what allure a bull thus try to gore the cape. There are other colors used for the cape. Gold is one and is basically used in the first death stage wherein a matador allures a bull with gold cape.

What is tunic?

Dresses come in different cuts and styles and colors and designs. They come in different brands as well as quality. They come in different materials and texture. And they come in different names.

Ever since, our apparels have been named into particular cut or design. As time goes by and as fashion even develop, these names that once our ancestors used have been used to characterize or identify a particular clothing. Hence, the word tunic is one of these names together with the gown, empire, lace, etc. And so they are applied to different clothes we use be it for workwear uniforms or simply casual apparel.

Wikepedia states that:

"A tunic is any of several types of clothing for the body, of various lengths reaching from the shoulders to somewhere between the hips and the ankles. The name derives from the Latin tunica commonly worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome, which in turn is based on earlier Greek garments."

How peppers can help burn calories?

In India and in Mexico, chili or peppers are known to having aphrodisiac effects thus it is often labeled as a symbol of romance and exoticism. Together with the spiciness of the fruit lies an identifiable property that can also be attributed to romance and sexiness. Yes, according to studies, peppers are great agents that burns calories.

By simply making an observation, hot food makes one sweat thereby loosing calories. But further studies showed that there are properties in pepper that simply burn calories and use energy even by just consuming it. Capsaicin is the component that is present in most chili that brings forth this fat burning factor.

In the study, a batch of men and women has been tested. One group has been given with special formulated pill that contains chili properties and a meal while the other group is given by the same amount of meal yet with a placebo. It turns out that those who actually taken the pills with capsaicin burned fats at very observable amounts while the second group who partnered the meal with placebo simply does not register any change.

So how does peppers burn calories? 1) It can actually be a factor to lose weight as it can let you sweat because of the burning sensation brought about by capsaicin and 2) Capsaicin has been proven by the study shown above that it contains or rather it has the ability to actually burn calories stored up in a human body.

So peppers are really that a helper, now you can use your favorite workwear uniforms without thinking so much of your enlarged tummy, legs, or arms.

How to produce silk?

You might be puzzled how your favorite gown or workwear uniforms may have been made. You might be wondering how textiles are being produced. And you might be thinking hard how silk has been produced.

We all know that silk is commonly associated with caterpillars and similar worms. In China and some other parts of the world, these worms are being farmed or cultured, whatever term that best suit the practice, in order to get their most treasured property - the silk fiber. Silk fiber are not inert of the worm like that of a spider but can be primarily extracted from the cocoons that serves as their shelter while the worms ovulates and becomes adult.

After a caterpillar matures and become adult, the left cocoon is processed and the silk proteins are being extracted to become a fine fabric. With the help of modern mechanisms, silk fiber can be dyed. These fibers will now be rolled into yarns and will finally be made into fabric - the last material necessary for making clothes.

What is weaving?

When dealing about fibres and yarns which basically compose a textile or fabric, the term that for the process of the making of them is known as weaving. Weaving is just of several ways of attaining a fabric or textile from fibres or yarns. Wikepedia describe the term as a form of art in textile making that further will be used to make workwear uniforms, shirts, apparels, and accesories.

Weaving is the textile art in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads, called the warp and the filling or weft (older woof), are interlaced with each other to form a fabric or cloth. The warp threads run lengthways of the piece of cloth, and the weft runs across from side to side.
Cloth is woven on a loom, a device for holding the warp threads in place while the filling threads are woven through them. Weft is an old English word meaning "that which is woven".

The manner in which the warp and filling threads interlace with each other is known as the weave. The three basic weaves are plain weave, satin weave, and twill, and the majority of woven products are created with one of these weaves.

Woven cloth can be plain (in one colour or a simple pattern), or it can be woven in decorative or artistic designs, including tapestries. Fabric in which the warp and/or weft is tie-dyed before weaving is called ikat.

How to wash fleece?

By this time you supposedly already know about fleece, its composition, texture, and its difference polar fleece. Now, we will tackle how to clean this type of textile before it could be woven or hand-spun to become your favorite workwear uniforms and other apparels. This cleaning is important in order to attain the desired color of the fibre before applying dye or making it a textile.

So here are the ways to wash fleece:


1. Remove vegetable matter, clumps of dirt, or other soiled fibre from the fleece.
2. Fill a large tub or wash basin with hot water.
3. Add a mild soap to the hot water, such as dishwashing liquid or liquid detergent (no bleach).
4. Place the fleece in the hot water.
5. Allow the fleece to soak for several hours, or overnight.
6. The lanolins and oils will soak out into the water.
7. Drain the water and remove the fleece from the wash tub.
8. Refill the tub with cool water and place the fleece back in to rinse.
9. If the fleece is especially dirty, the above steps may need to be repeated.
10. Spin the fleece dry to remove excess water, by using the Spin cycle of your washing machine.
11. Lay the washed fleece on a flat surface or drying rack to dry.

When did the nursing profession began?

Relative to general belief, nursing really began the day the first woman gave birth. That is in a point of view of a non-evolutionary mind. But on the side of history and science, nursing could have started when the first homosapiens gave birth to their children. So basically, the act of nursing a person already existed with the concept of life.

However, nursing profession began during the 18th century when wars required women to take care of the wounded soldiers.

There is however a debate here and can only be clarified by means of defining words. First, the word nursing. This word means simply as the act of taking care of someone's health. Second is the word professional. This word is what answers the question.

The act of taking care of someone's health was no other than a family affair. But as demands required, the government made it as a professional career that until now nursing still known as such.

Facts:
1. Florence Nightingale was considered as the founder of modern nursing profession.
2. Nursing scrubs were patterned from the nuns habits before in order to protect the nurses from flu and for them to be easily recognized.

What is an Auxetic Fabric?

Wikepedia and other sources enumerates several types of fabric the industry is using right now. The types are divided into three kinds; 1) Natural, 2) Synthetic, and 3) Combination of the two. Natural fabrics are made from natural raw materials like cotton and wool. Synthetically made fabrics include the polar fleece, polyester, and nylon. Thus, a combination of the say cotton and polyester makes up the 3rd kind.

Auxetic fabrics are included in the line of synthetically prepared fabric as it is particularly made from aramid fibres that too are synthetically made through weaving of a liquid material.

Fibre2fashion.com defines auxetic fabrics as: "Materials that exhibit counter-intuitive property are known as auxetics. Auxetic fabrics are warp knitted with high and low stiffness yarns." Simply put, Auxetics exhibits an expanding property when stretched.

Auxetic textiles are not just useful in making quality workwear uniforms but also great to several applications like for aerospace, engineering, military, and transportation.

What is Kevlar?

If you are playing Counter Strike, I am pretty sure that you encounter this word.

Though in Counter Strike Kevlar® is often attributed to the bullet proof. However, Kevlar® is not another name of bullet proof vest rather a material that composes such military equipment.

Kevlar® is a special strong material. This material is often used for bullet proof vests, helmets, garments, workwear uniforms, and various products. This is made of Aramid fibres. Aramid fibres are made by means of weaving liquid material to solid.

Many bullet proof vests and apparels makers are using this material to create lightweight bullet deflecting materials without changing normal garment designs.

What is the difference between a yarn, fibre, and fabric?

By this question, you have already in mind any definition about textile and you obviously know something about textiles as this three are terms that pertains to particular by-products brought by the process involved in the making of textiles. Simply put, the yarn, fibre, and fabric are individual products made from the making of fabric.

The fabric is the final product by the process, though not in contrast, apparels are the end-product made of fabrics. The cloth that you can see in textile stores that are rolled are the fabrics. They come in different colors, designs, texture, and thickness. They are either woven or knitted. Fabrics are used to make corporate uniforms, workwear uniforms, jackets and all other textiles.

The yarn on the other hand is a processed fibre. Yarns are threads made of fibre from known raw materials like cotton balls, silk, or wool.

Why Presidents Use Several Pens for One Signature?

When President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - also known as the controversial health care reform bill that says will benefit many Americans including healthcare professional in medical scrubs - he used 22 new pens. Last year when he signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act he used 7. In fact, all Presidents since FDR has been doing the same thing.

The main answer to this question has no relation to whatever logical reasoning except that this has become a tradition. It is not because the pens are not good so a president would need another but this has become a custom so the president can give the pen as souvenir to those who attends the ceremony and to those who has been part of the drafting or passage of the bill.

FYI, the President who have signed a bill with most number of pens was President Lyndon Johnson with 75. (Video footage here.) George W. Bush seems to be tradition breaker when he only used 1 pen to sign all bills sent to the WhiteHouse. However, he still gave "gift" pens to the attendees of the ceremony.

What are Cotton Apparels Really Made Of?

It seems that when you hear the word cotton, you imagine that soft ball that are normally used in hospitals or the whitish tip of an ear bud. These materials are really made of cotton. But how about those shirts that you wear that says it is made of cotton?

Basically, cotton is a fibrous plant. In ancient art and history it is most often regarded as the wool plant. The fibers of the cotton is woven and made into yarns. Threads are being made then from yarns and woven to become fabric. Before, manufacturers actually make 100% cotton shirts. But because of the increase in demand and to control supply of cotton, this fabric is combined with other synthetic fabrics like polyester and rayon.

Our modern workwear uniforms today are no longer 100% made of cotton but a combination of several natural and synthetic fabrics. Normally, polar fleece are being used to replace wool and so polyesters are great replacements for cotton.

What is the difference of fleece from wool?

The word fleece is confusing to some because it can be attributed to different meanings but all has something to do with clothing or fabric. Fleece can be a term used to refer a wool that has not been processed to become fiber or yarn. So this term can be said that a fleece is at some point just the same as the wool.

However, if you are referring to the word fleece as a form of fabric, the correct term for it is polar fleece. The polar fleece or also known simply as fleece is a synthetically made fabric from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This was discovered by Malden Mills.

The main difference between a wool and a fleece is that the former is made directly from animal fur especially that of a sheep or a goat. By undergoing a process, the wool are made into yarn to create fabric.

Fleece are said to contain same features as the wool but surprisingly differs in weight as fleece weigh lighter that wool. The same thing fleece are used in jackets, sweat shirts, sports uniforms, blankets and other apparels that often use wool. Fleece is simply a synthetic alternative to wool.