Thursday, March 25, 2010

Some cool facts about Tencel...




A good alternative to silk is Tencel: it drapes beautifully, it is fluid and so soft. Moreover, I found some interesting facts about Tencel...
- It is made from the cellulose found in the pulp of wood; the production of it is ecofriendly and Tencel is biodegradable.
-It can have many types of "looks" (twill, plain weave, peach skin) .
-It absorbs more moisture than cotton; so, it has antibacterial properties (no water-moisture means no bacteria growth).
-It is chemical free; thus, it is irritation free. Excellent for sensitive skin people (that is me!!).
-Because its water absorption properties, it regulates body temperature: great for hot days!
-It is shrink- resistant and does not wrinkle easily.

I have sewn a pair of pants and a sleeveless top with Tencel, and it was so easy to handle. It is not as expensive as silk charmeuse...and I can wash it at home! I bought my Tencel fabric for $10.99 per yard in downtown Los Angeles (Michael Levine).

Check www.lenzing.com... leader in manufacturing Tencel and other cellulose fibers. Great information about textile production.

The above photos are from www.lenzing.com. You can see the difference between the fibers of (in order of apparence) Tencel, Wool and Cotton...Tencel is so smooth...

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