All about looks

All about looks was the magical cute store where you can find ALL ABOUT FABRIC ! uncountable number and kinds of fabrics starting from fabrics for draperies, bedding, rugs, upholstering chairs and sofas.. and so on. What was more interesting was to listen to the story of how did the idea of the shop came to life. 2 creative sisters with kids running around the house and a mother with an eclectic taste, kids clothing was the start to this world of fabric.

Since the sisters and their mother worked hard and were passionate about their new business, people around them started to ask them for more decorating jobs in the house.. bedding and drapery were the next step into the almost "all about" philosophy. 

pre-made drapery with style to fit the economical life style of new customers

what makes them even more successful is their care for the customer: here's an example of a lady who came with her own selection of fabric and her own design with a chair to be reupholstered. 

the chair in the process to be upholstered

the mother explaining the detailed painting in the foot of the chair

Besides all the cool fabrics and decorating projects they already have, a recent add was introduced to the family. Wallpaper! the store has some of the coolest wallpaper in Lubbock, my favorite was the Cork wallpaper; full with texture and earthy tones! you can't go wrong with it. Moreover, Cork is used for upholstery in the shop. 

Cork wallpaper

Another cheerful type of wallpaper

Hopefully I will be owning a store just a cool in Saudi Arabia .. :) 

Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute - Visit 2

Some of us wonder about fabrics and some of us don't ! and just take them for granted ..
well! - whether wondering or not- we got the chance twice to experience Cotton processing "From the field to Fashion" as my colleague Emily said; moreover, on the second visit, we got to be exposed to some of the testing, tearing, measuring, counting, and all kinds of machines that define the specifications of the fabric. Below are few examples of these machines.

The first machine was to a tester to determine the abrasion resistance of textile fabrics. A small cloth of fabric would be cut to a 140mm diameter to be placed and tested on the machine.

MARTINDALE ABRASION TESTER 

(ASTM D 4966)

the second machine is to test the strength and length of the textile fabrics; there are two ways to do so. First is called the reveled strip test which is used for woven fabrics only. the second one is called cut strip test which is used for non woven, felted and dipped, or coated fabrics.

BREAKING FORCE AND ELONGATION OF TEXTILE FABRIC

(ASTM D 5034/5035)

This third machine is another way to test the resistance to the formation of the pills. the good thing is this testing can be done on all types of woven and knitted fabrics. 

RANDOM TUMBLE PILLING TESTER

(ASTM D 3512)

it's amazing what you can see ! 

Another testing process that needs patience and lots of training !! 

while it takes a minute to wear a t-shirt, it takes months and sometimes years of testing and experimenting with the fabric in order to be a wearable t-shirt !

Silk ..

What is Silk ?! 

Who doesn’t know Silk ?! or who doesn’t indulge in the wonderful feeling of different silky products starting from clothing, furniture textiles, draperies, rugs, beddings, artworks, and anything can be covered when they get the chance?! Even in the marketing world of chocolate, just using the word “silky” makes it irresistible !! 

First of all, Silk is a protein fibre that is made naturally by a silkworm. Several other insects can make other kind of Silks, however, the silk that is used for the textile manufacturing is produced by moth caterpillars. Nowadays, Silk is produced in a controlled environment with a specific diet food given to the cultivated silkworm and that is made to help produce a larger amount of silk instead of the natural way. 

Types of Silk Fabric: 

There are several kind of silk fabrics out there. the differences in these types depend on a) the weight of silk in the fabric, which range between 5mm and 12mm, b) the twisting of the fibers either clockwise or counterclockwise, or c) the various woven patterns such as matte and reflective threads.

 Did you know ?! 

• Silk is a very delicate fabric and sensitive to the direct sunlight, therefore, silk should be used wisely when using it for draperies and furnitures to prevent color fading. 
• Silk tend to shrink that’s why it needs to be preshrinked before usage.

Reference:

Katie Darden. Types of silk. Whimsical web. Retrieved from

http://www.magicalsilk.com/silktypes.html