INT323GMC

  Fiber Testing & Properties Gina Christopher  Supima Cotton: Supima is a special and Rare extra-long staple cotton grown on family farms in California's San Waen Valley in the American southwest. It is known as the world's finest cotton strength and fineness, giving it softness and lasting color that makes it's a cotton of choice for the world's leading designers and retailers. Supmia’s exceptional softness results from its longer fibers. On average, it is 35% longer than regular cotton, qualifying Supima as an extra-long staple cotton. Its superior length creates smoother and cleaner yarns. The result is a fabric surface that is softer to the touch and more resistant to peeling. Supima is 45% stronger than regular cotton. This strength allows designers to use lightweight fabrics that drape beautifully and breathe comfortably, giving garments longevity, making them a cherished consumer favorite. Supima delivers brilliant, lasting colors. Its fibers are finer th...

  Bamboo & Cotton Gina Christopher  Bamboo: When bamboo fabric is made, cuts need to be as clean as possible to allow new shoots to grow and naturally replenish. Stalks are cut into smaller Bamboo chips and then soaked in a globally organic textile standard-approved soaking liquid. A bamboo pulp is produced after soaking, and then the pulp is dried into sheets. Once dried, the sheets of pulp are ground and spun into bamboo fiber.   Cotton: The exact origin of the cotton plant is unknown. Cotton fiber was traditionally processed by hand until the early 18th century, when the first automated processing machine was invented. Before cotton arrives at the textile mill to be spun into thread and woven into fabric, it makes the journey from field to bale. Cotton takes about 5 months to grow from planting. A cotton picker plucks fluffy seed cotton out of the plant's boll, leaving a trail of burrs and sticks behind. The machine empties the plucked cotton into a tract...

  Weaves & Knits Gina Christopher  Weaving:   The weaving sequence includes four steps. Harnesses are lifted creating a V-shaped shed that the weft yarn passes through. Next, one or more filling yarns travel through the shed. After the weft thread is inserted, the warp yarns are lowered and the reed moves forward, pushing or beating the filling yarns in place so that it aligns parallel to the other filling yarns. Woven fabric is then taken up on the cloth beam, and more warp yarn length is let off from the yarn beam. The three basic weaves include the plain, twill, and satin weaves. The plain weaving is 1X1, which means that one warp yarn and one filling yarn alternately pass over one another. Twill weaves are 2/1, which means that each warp yarn passes or floats over two filling yarns. Satin weaves have a smooth surface designed to hide the weaves or interlacing. This pattern is described as five-shaft construction, indicating that each warp yarn is floating over...

 Current Trends in Sustainability  Gina Christopher  Carbon Leadership Forum: The carbon leadership forum accelerates the transformation of the building sector to radically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions attributed to materials used in buildings and infrastructure. Carbon leadership forums’ mission is to eliminate embodied carbon of buildings materials and infrastructure to create a just and thriving future. The carbon leadership forum propels knowledge through its embodied carbon research and resources, collaboration through its robust network of architects, engineers, contractors, material suppliers, building owners, policymakers, and associations, and action by supporting and empowering its members to advance new ideas and approaches through impactful initiatives. The carbon leadership forum is in Oakland CA, and they currently have no open positions available. If you are interested, you could sign up for their newsletter or visit the CLF community to get update...

 Product Selection Criteria  Gina Christopher  Product selection for furnishings used in commercial spaces is very important because commercial furnishings are used in public settings. Furnishings used in public settings need to be selected to all the best standards and criteria due to being placed in a high traffic area. Based on the class material a good product selection criteria list may include client preferences, fire rating, durability, ACT, aesthetics, color fastness to light, stain resistance, cleanability, maintenance, antimicrobial finishes, and sustainability standards such as lead and well. Developing a personalized product selection list is important as an interior designer so that you have something to reference when choosing products for a certain use or project. For a commercial product selection list, appearance retention and durability are properties of high importance.   Sustainability is also significant in the selection of furnishings for comm...