Quilt Qua

Cotton Thread

By: Penny Halgren

Q: How is Cotton Thread Made?

A: Cotton Thread

After cotton is picked, it is run through a cotton gin where the seed cotton moves through dryers and cleaning machines that remove the waste such as burs, dirt, stems and leaves.

Then the fibers are separated from the seed.

The seeds go on their merry way to be turned into cottonseed oil, and other parts of the plant are converted into various foodstuff or fertilizer.

The ginned fiber, now called lint, is pressed together and made into dense bales weighting about 500 pounds.

Samples are taken from each bale and classified according to fiber length (staple), strength, micronaire, color and cleanness.  The best part of the lint consists of fibers about 1 inch to 1 3/4 inches long.  That “lint” is used to make high quality thread, among other products.

The cotton lint then goes into a carding machine which cleans the fibers, straightens them, and makes them into a soft, untwisted rope called a sliver.
 
Mercerizing is a process of treating cotton thread with an alkali solution, which causes the fibers to swell. This process allows the dye to penetrate the fibers better, thereby increasing the luster. Mercerizing increases the strength of the thread and reduces the amount of lint.

During the glazing process, thread is heated and then coating with waxes, starches, and other chemicals. Then the thread is polished to a high luster. Glazing results in a glossy thread with a hard finish, and is usually stiffer than unglazed thread. Most professionals do not recommend glazed threads for machine work since the glaze rubs off and may cause problems in your machine.

Gassing refers to passing a cotton thread through a flame and burning off the excess fuzz in order to create a higher sheen.

Happy Quilting!

Penny is the author of 8 books for beginner quilters and a self-taught quilter of more than 25 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

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©2007, Penny Halgren