All About Looks

Today we went on a field trip to the fabric, drapery and upholstery store, "All About Looks." This is one of the few stores in Lubbock that specializes in this niche. They have been successful because they catered to a need that was present and uphold a very high quality of goods and work. The picture below is a picture of the work surface that the women at All About Looks use to lay out drapes and bedding when they do custom orders. It is a very large table with a measuring grid on top.

This is a picture of a couple chairs in the back that are waiting to be upholstered by Bobby. He has been upholstering since high school and is one of the best in Lubbock.

This is a patio chair that is also waiting to be upholstered.

In the background of this picture you can see a wingback chair in the process of being re-upholstered. A woman in Lamesa brought the chair and the fabrics in as well as legs that she hand-painted and Bobby is applying the various fabrics for her to achieve a custom look.

This is a silk fabric that they are carrying that they are currently putting on clearance to get rid of it. It is originally a two to three hundred dollar/yard fabric that is now selling for six dollars/yard because it was slow moving in the store.

This is a picture of some of the fabrics in the front of the store.

These are more fabrics that they carry in stock on bolts and are sold by the yard.

These are fabrics that can be custom ordered for customers to achieve more custom looks for their projects.

This is a picture of a plank of cork flooring. This is becoming more popular as an alternative to hardwood flooring and is widely considered to be a very durable option.

FBRI

This is cotton after it has been picked but before it has gone through any of the cleaning process.

This is cotton going through the first stage of cleaning.

This is the result of the first stage of cleaning.

 All of this is in the next room and is the first stretching phase of the cotton, the preliminary stage of yarn.

 This machine is the next phase of the yarn/thread stretching.

 This machine is the Martindale abrasion and pilling tester. The fabric is rubbed a certain number of times and then can be analyzed for pilling and breakage to determine durability.

 This machine pulls threads or fabrics to test their tension strength and breaking point.

 This machine holds a piece of fabric taut and then slices it so that the tear can be analyzed.

 This is some cotton that has come in for testing at the FBRI.

This is our guide showing us how one of the testing machines works.

This is a newer machine that tests the strengths of threads.

This is where the cotton is cut and weighed before it is tested.

Natural Fiber-Silk

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The History, Production, and Uses of Silk

           Silk is a natural fiber made from the cocoons of silkworms. It is such a desirable fiber for many reasons. One thing silk is known for is its luxurious texture. Silk fiber also takes dyes particularly well and can come in a wide variety of vibrant colors. Silk production started many millennia ago with the Chinese and has been a highly valued commodity since then. The process of making silk is still very delicate and time consuming, which contributes to the high cost of the material.

            In ancient Chinese legend it is said that the wife of the “Yellow Emperor” was the person that discovered silk and came up with the first sericulture. Whether or not this is actually the case has never been verified but there is solid evidence that the Chinese have been producing silk since at least circa 3000 bce. For almost three millennia the silk worms and silk-making process was closely guarded by the Chinese, giving them a monopoly in its production. Around 200 bce sericulture and its secrets started to spread. Silk-making became a part of the history of many other countries after this and soon spread to the western world where it was treasured for its beauty.

            The process of making silk is a tedious one compared to many other fibers. If the process is not controlled just right, the silk fibers will not develop and turn out how they are supposed to. The process starts with the silk moth laying hundreds of eggs. From these eggs hatch many tiny silk worms. It is the job of these silk worms to eat leaves (commonly mulberry) and spin itself a cocoon. Once the cocoon is spun the worms are killed and the cocoon is unwound into a strand of silk that is usually between 600 and 900 meters long. Depending on the type of silk, up to eight of these strands can be wound together to create a thicker, stronger thread. These threads are then woven into the luxurious fabrics we see so commonly as clothing and decoration today.

            Silk is known for being an extremely smooth, silky, and elegant fabric. These qualities make it very desirable to people that are willing to spend the extra money for it. Silk is a very good temperature regulator and can keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter while still being a very lightweight and breathable layer. Another thing that makes silk so desirable are the vibrant colors you can get it in. Silk absorbs dyes very well and so it is common to find it available in a wide range of colors with depths not found in many other fabrics. The protein structure of silk also makes it one of the most hypoallergenic fibers, which is very important and beneficial to some people.

            There are many different types of silk fibers, all slightly different that are used in the production of fabrics today. Some examples are: raw silk, spun silk, wild silk, noil, and doupioni. These types of silk can be used and combined to create many different types of silk fabrics that can be used for a wide variety of applications.

            Silk is a very old and very versatile fiber that has quite a few benefits. While being at first kept a huge secret, the production process of silk is now well known and used throughout the world for a variety of things. Silk is strong, hypoallergenic, and takes dyes particularly well, giving it an advantage over many other fibers.