At the moment, Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton are on a tour to Pakistan where they visited Chitral district on Wednesday morning as part of their visit to explore Pakistan and meet the people of the country. The residents of the region gifted them The Pakol hats, embroidered coat to Prince William and a shawl to Middleton. Photo credit to Samir Hussein.

The couple donned traditional Pakistan outfits as they stepped out in the district. Traditionally, the Pakol hat is made from a rugged warm material with a lined interior. The origins of the cap are complex but the cap is thought to originate from Nuristan region in Afghanistan. It is popular amongst the Pashtun, Tajik and Nuristani men of Afghanistan, and the northern region in Pakistan.

The traditional clothing for the region is shalwar kameez combination and is worn by men and women. The khat is the shirt which fits closely to the body to the waist and then flares out, either to the knees, or in the case of women, to the ankles. The khat worn by women can be elaborately embroidered at the neck with needle work. The partug is a loose shalwar which has many folds and is loosely brought together at the ankles. Men also wear a turban and a scarf while women wear a head scarf.

Kate and William are given traditional Chitrali hats, “Pakol” as they land in Chitral the Hindu Khush, near the Afghan border. William was also given a highly embroidered coat and Kate a warm shawl. The Pakol is a handmade soft, round-topped Afghan hat. It is unisex and can be worn by both women and men. This is great for winters and looks good with casual wear. This is great for people in colder climates and helps keep you warm.

The post The Pakol hat and traditional Chitral Shawl appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

T&B Online shopping offers quality bedding products at reasonable prices to consumers in the UK. Our products are made of 100% cotton according to the Oeko-Tex Standards.

The post Trusted source to buy Bedroom Linen appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

Densely knitted fabric is specially produced for tents, 100% cotton cloth was a preference of several manufacturers because it’s easy to work with no condensation. It was an excellent material for making a superior tent however they are uncommon now, mostly due to their weight when compared with the modern days’ artificial materials.

Decades ago tents were simple, they were all made of canvas, a traditional 100% cotton fabric as it was a great material for making superior tents for rich people for comfort. Modern tents are not made of canvas because the disadvantage is its weight compared with modern, manmade fabrics. One can’t beat the wonderful atmosphere inside a traditional cotton tent.  Canvas fabric tents are good for keeping you cool on hot days and warm during the cold nights.

Cotton naturally breathes, so it is less prone to condensation than modern fabrics. Some cotton tents have a weather-proof coating but that makes it less breathable.  For their outdoor activities, many still look for tents made of canvas to enjoy the luxury lifestyle during camping.

The post Canvas Cloth and Tent Manufacturing appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

Silky threads are fine silk threads available globally in many colours for garments’ finishing touch.  Ranging in thickness and colours, you will find threads in market suited for hand or machine appliqué, quilting, embroidery, embellishments, and much more usage.

Pure silk thread, with options for both hand and machine plus both decorative and practical they can be used in a wide spread of textile art through to practical sewing. In the market, wide range of both flat and twisted continuous filament silk or spun silk yarns are available.  Silky threads are used for miniature embroidery and suitable for lace making.

In general, it is observed that favourite thread for appliqué is silk. When silk thread is used, the stitches are virtually invisible which are comely used for leather purse, shoes and bags.   Note that many craftsmen love to use tool which makes for getting the edges turned under neatly and efficiently. As thread holds everything together when you’re sewing. Which means whether you’re sewing by hand or by machine, it’s important to choose wisely when considering the distinct types of sewing thread for your work. If possible, don’t sew natural fibres with polyester thread. Polyester fibre is stronger than most natural thread, so over time, the stronger polyester thread can break the weaker cotton fibre of the fabric.

Silk is a beautiful thread to work with; both on and off the sewing machine. Many prefer to use silk thread when hand sewing; finishing hems, buttonholes and tailoring work. Silk thread is very smooth so travels through even the lightest most delicate fabrics without leaving a mark, as well as being very strong, it is a superb choice for a large variety of apparel finishing touch. There are many more uses of silky threads beyond garments, for example some even prefer for fishing rod, kite flying, floss silks for fly-tying.

The post Silky Threads and the garments finish appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

The quality neckties are made from natural materials like silk, wool, and cashmere.  As there are varying degrees of silk quality so if a label says it’s made of 100% silk doesn’t mean it’s a quality tie, there are some other factors that make a tie an excellent quality tie.

Microfiber ties are the latest development in the necktie industry. Microfiber is a material which blends a unique combination of both polyester and polyamide materials which are woven into fabric especially for producing neckties.  Most ties are made by the combination of hand and machines. However, some manufacturers produce them by hand and many are totally produce using machine.

The easiest and economical way of sewing a tie is to cut the fabric, roll it up, and then sew it up at the seam into a tube. Ties made of this way are of lower quality and they lose their shape easily even if they are made of 100% silk cloth.

Parts of a necktie are blade, neck and tail joined together, and the material and seams are lightly pressed. First, the interlining, the core strip of thicker material, wool or cotton or a blend of the two, around which the silk is folded, is tucked into the blade tip.

The high-quality ties are mostly handmade. First the fabric is cut by hand using a transparent template. The reason the template must be transparent is to ensure that patterns of the tie lie symmetrical. This is important especially for striped neckties. Striped ties have diagonal stripes that are exactly parallel to the tip of the tie.

Note that cheaper ties are difficult in making a nice knot in first place, but even if you manage to do this, you will be able to tell once you take the tie back off.  The knot area will be hard to go back to its normal state.  Another test, after your untie, let it hang down on a hanger and you will see it twists over, if it does so, then it is for sure tie is made with machine and of not superior quality, manufacture has not used the correct inlay of the tie. Quality inlays are made from wool, cotton, or silk and cheaper inlays are made from polyester and they might crinkle inside of the tie after tying it.

The post Selecting Fabric, sewing and checking quality Neckties appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

Of course, zipper on clothes is the quick and easy choice when it comes to decide how to open your jumper or jacket for wearing.  Some people still prefer buttons over zipper on their garments for closure but zipper no doubt completely seals the front of a jacket.

An all-purpose zipper is the most commonly available and popular zipper. It is a lightweight zipper with small teeth. The end has a lock which holds the zipper tape together, preventing the ends from coming apart. Zippers are usually made of polyester, but depending on use, synthetic fibre tape, vinyl tape and cotton tape are also available if one is looking for choice to use zipper on garments.

Zippers use two sets of interlocking teeth connected to a strip of fabric tape. The teeth are formed of metal, plastic, or synthetic material. A slider with a tab is attached to make it functional and serve a decorative function as well is used to open and close the zipper.

There are several ways of categorizing zippers. Categorisation can be based on element or teeth material. Metal zippers are usually made in a variety of finishes, such as golden, antique brass, silver, gunmetal etc. These finishes are achieved by chemical treatment of the zipper.

All-purpose zipper used as a closure in most garments and now zippers made of plastic teeth in matching colours are easily available. Dresses, skirts, slacks and blouses are the type of garments that require an all-purpose zipper as it tends to bend with a garment; whereas button come in many colours, styles, sizes, looks and feel serving the same purpose.  No doubt, for some of the garments, buttons are the best choice to give them an elegant look but the choice is yours if you want zipper or buttons on your garments.

The post Zipper or Buttons, your choice of garment wearing appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

Historians are not sure when the first crochet wear was created but it is a known fact that crochet came to Scandinavia in the early nineteenth century and gained popularity with the advent of pattern books in the mid nineteenth century. It is also acknowledged that Tunis has some roots of crochet crafts. It is thought that inspiration for the motifs in the crochet wearing came partly from Sweden and Finland.

Basically, crochet is a process of creating fabric by interlocking loops of yarn or thread using hooks that are still being made for slip-stitch crochet traditions. Crochet name is derived from the French term “crochet”, means “small hook”. These are made of materials such as metal, wood, aluminium or plastic and are manufactured commercially. The difference between crochet and knitting  is that each stitch in crochet is completed before proceeding with the next one, while knitting keeps many stitches open at a time and this process goes on until the end is stitched to lock all knots.

In Crochet, the stitches are more like knots. Both are really methods of looping yarn together in assorted styles. There are hundreds of book available all around the world showing beautiful motifs along with diagram to follow. There are few monthly magazines on the subject keeping this art alive and well promoted.  Knitting uses a pair of long needles to form the loops, moving a set of loops from one needle to another but both create fabric interlocking.

Both the knitting and the crochet work from patterns and require similar skill sets. Hand and eye coordination, an eye for colour and design, an affinity for fibre. Simple math skills are helpful, although not strictly needed, for either craft techniques. One interesting fact that both knitters and crochets need to have the patience necessary to keep working, stitch after stitch after stitch, until a product is completed.  However, it is an effective way to stay busy and productive at the same time.

The post Crochet or Knitting, both create fabric by interlocking appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

Go for shopping or watch students in college or university, ripped jeans are everywhere. Not only are they popular, they make a fashion statement. For people who wish to look cool and casual, ripped jeans is a perfect option to pair with a nice t-shirt. However it is more trendy in summer than winter.

Select a pair of jeans that fits you well, put it on so that you know exactly you where to create torn from. Don’t use a brand new jeans as it may not look nice with ripped style. Don’t rip the dark colour jeans either as they may not look real. The idea is to give a feel of worn out in a natural way.

Put your jeans on and use a marker to make few spots where you wish the rip to appear then remove the jeans and flatten on a plan surface. It would look nice to torn jean from front only, not back. People mostly observe your style from front.  Place a card board or any piece of hard surface in the jean underneath the marked area. The idea is that sharp object should does not cut through the fabric and damage the back of jean.

Simple hols made by scissor may not look as good as cuts appearing horizontally. Next, use a sharp object like knife or blade to cut the marked locations horizontally, few scratches vertically to cut the threads, then use strong sandpaper to rub off threads and create worn out feel.

With the ripped jeans you have to be gentle while putting them on, you have to careful that your foot doesn’t go through the knee hole and rip it further. However,  wearing ripped jeans with the passage of time will get bigger and bigger which eventually would go to bin.

The post Ripped Jeans are always in fashion, how to do it? appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

Are you ready for Christmas this year, of course! We all enjoy the festive season and the celebration goes on until the beginning of New Year.  You look anywhere during the season, you will find items made with Christmas fabrics, from modern to traditional, simple to complex, stocking and decorations, there is an endless list.

Christmas is not far away and I though it may be the best time to write a small article about Christmas fabrics. The decoration manufacturing industry buy their fabric stock mid-year and design products like Christmas quilt, apparel, etc. They have to produce all decor and stocking by October so that supply is guaranteed to shops. It’s a multi million dollar industry and millions of yards fabric is produced for it throughout the year in various parts of the world.

For the weaving mills, it’s an opportunity to make millions, without their production, it may be difficult to create the happy and harmonious atmosphere in December. Various fabric designs bring different feeling and pleasure to our eyes. The bring colours, red and green themes give warm feeling to Christmas lovers. No doubt, the Christmas fabric is a big contributor in bringing out the spirit of Christmas.

Why restrict our self with just green and red. Stores have already rolled out mound of red and green holiday decorations but Christmas does not have to be always red and green. Try adding more colours, try experimenting with alternative colour combinations to impress your guests and send your comments with pictures to share.

The post Christmas fabric in high demand for Christmas decor appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.

Silk cloth is made of natural fibre and most of scarves and neck ties are made of silk. Painting silk scarf is very common as many like to be unique in displaying their taste. It’s an art of applying dye on silk cloth and rest is up to you what to make out of painted silk cloth, even the finished work can be framed and hanged on the wall.

HOW TO DO IT

Before you start, have an idea of what would you like to paint, starting clue less would not create an eye catchy art work.

Make sure the silk is clean, spot free and oil free surface, so wash it with warm water and dry, better press with iron so that silk is straight and smooth surface. Prepare a mix of water and rubbing alcohol, use one part water and two parts alcohol and mix with brush.
Stretch the silk cloth tightly on a frame, just like a canvas for painting. Wet silk cloth with the mix that would allow more time to paint because it will slow down the drying time. The basic technique for most silk painting starts by drawing outline of your design with the rubber liquid.

Do your art work using silk paints while the cloth is wet,  a rule of thumb is to start with lighter colours and then move on the darker colours. After finish let it dry completely, note that dyes must be set before use, otherwise colours would run and any moisture will leave spots. Until the setting is done, one must be careful in handling silk, or spots may ruin the design.

Allow one shade to completely dry and then start another colour.  Add darker colour on the edges to create a better outline around design. Note that dyes flow freely on silk, so it is artists responsibility to control the movement of the pigment on the silk rather than its placement.

After the painting is complete, steam the silk for many hours. It will sets the dye and increase the intensity of the colour. It would also make the painting permanent and durable. Silk glows with vibrancy therefore adds a wonderful feeling due to which even a simple design looks beautiful on silk.

Always allow time for silk to dry completely before using and don’t expose too much to sunlight as silk is made of natural product so colours will fade.

The post Painting on silk cloth, a creative work of art appeared first on COTTON TEXTILES, the assorted aspects of textile.