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Organic Cotton Air
Weight
Towels
Organic Cotton twill with a
diagonal weave.
Available in willow green, white, natural (no dyes), juniper blue, taupe,
bijou blue (not shown above), and graphite (not shown above).
Bath Sheets - Bath Towels - Hand Towels - Wash Cloths - Bath Mats
Loomed from pure organic cotton, in colors drawn from earth, water and
sky. Soft and thirsty, they're designed to dry quickly on the towel bar
and in the dryer. Twill woven for softness and drape, these
medium-weight towels (550 grams per square meter) wash easily and dry
quickly. A rolled self-hem helps them hold their shape wash after wash.
At 900 grams per square meter, our organic cotton bath mat is hefty and
absorbent. A plain weave framed by a dobby border makes it versatile and
reversible-and we love that it's as easy to launder as our towels.100%
organic, and sourced and woven in India.
| Additional Information |
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The cotton is grown organic and processed in India. It is
certified by Control Union Certifiers of the Netherlands, GOTS and ECOCERT
of France. Fair trade certified every step of the way by FLO-CERT of
Germany and ECOCERT of France. |
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| Types of Fabrics |
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Damask:
Damask is a glossy Jacquard fabric. It is typically made from cotton,
linen, rayon, silk or blends (ours is all cotton). The weave is very flat
and the patterns are smooth and reversible. We like to say there is no
right side or wrong side to this beautiful fabric.
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Flannel:
A soft, medium weight plain weave fabric made of cotton with a napped
finish. The raised surface provides a fluffy appearance and super soft,
cozy feel. Great for warmth during the winter months.
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Jacquard:
Jacquard is a fabric that is woven by using a jacquard attachment on the
loom. The jacquard attachment allows the weaver to control each of the
warp yarns, which can result in an endless variety of patterns. This is
the weave of kings and queens.
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Jersey:
A plain stitch knitted cloth. The fabric is knitted on circular, flatbed
or warp knitted methods. Very elastic with good draping qualities. Think
of your favorite T-shirt.
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Percale:
A closely woven, plain weave, spun fabric made from both carded and combed
yarns. Percale sheeting is the finest sheeting available. Percale equals
quality linens.
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Sateen:
A weave construction that has more yarn surface on the face of the cloth
than other basic weaves giving a softer hand and more lustrous look.
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| Other Fabric Terms |
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Determining Fabric Quality:
The cotton plant, the cotton yarn and the weaving process
are all essential to the quality of a woven fabric. Our bed and bath
products are made from 100% certified organic fair trade cotton. Certified
organic cotton is produced without the use of any agricultural chemicals.
The cotton is grown "by hand" on family farms in India. So we start with
the right seeds, the right growing and harvesting conditions and the right
griege. Then great care is taken in the finishing of these fabrics too.
Finishing is the final process in the production of fabrics and it is a
hard one to master. Finishing changes the appearance of the fabric, its
hand and the performance of the griege fabric (the natural, raw state of
the fabric). The finishing process also adds luster, softness and quality
to the fabric. The first step in finishing involves washing the fabric
with an amylase enzyme, which adds softness and eliminates pilling, and a
cationic softener, which gives it a supple, luxurious hand. The softener
is type-allergenic and approved by both OTA in the US and SKAL, our
certifier in India. Next comes sanforizing, a mechanical process that
helps reduces shrinkage. Finally, fabric is run through a calendaring
process, a sort of gigantic iron, which flattens and polishes it using
high heat and tremendous pressure.
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Flax:
Linen is a type of fiber that
comes from the same plant that flax seed comes from.
Linen is a vegetable fiber obtained from the
inside of the woody stalk of the flax plant.
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Griege:
There is so much that goes into making fabrics of high
quality. It starts with griege, the natural, raw state of the fabric,
which is a natural beige color.
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Thread Count:
Thread count refers to the number of horizontal and
vertical threads are in one square inch of woven fabric. There
is no intrinsic value to a higher thread count number, despite popular
belief.
Instead, the hand of the fabric depends on the integrity of the fibers
used, the weave selected, and the quality of the finished product. Thread
count is but one element in determining how a finished piece of fabric
will feel. Knowing us humans, we love numbers and quick, easy ways of
quantifying value, so this little fact still plays a large role (too large
in our opinion) in determining fabric quality.
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Types of Dyes:
There are two kinds of dyes - pigment and reactive dyes.
Pigment dyeing is the process by which color is held onto the surface of
the fabric by a binding agent. Reactive dyeing is the formulation of a
chemical bond between the cotton fibers and the color. We use low-impact,
fiber-reactive dyeing in all our sheets. When dyes are used in our sheets,
the dyes used are very safe, environmentally certified, and "low impact"
which means the chemical bonding and absorption rate are so high we use
less water, less heat, and produce less waste-water runoff than chemical
dyeing processes use. Recent advances have created fiber-reactive dyes
with colors that are brighter and richer than previously available, and
they provide excellent colorfast properties on cotton. They contain no
heavy metals or other known toxic substances, and they meet all European
Union criteria for being an eco-friendly pigment. But, the actual dyes in
almost all low-impact fiber-reactive dyes are still petrochemical based.
Fiber-reactive dyes have become the dye choice for many organic clothing
manufacturers who want to be able to offer a diverse palette of vibrant
colors. Depending upon the nature and degree of their chemical
sensitivities, people with mild chemical sensitivities can often wear
organic clothing with fiber-reactive dyes. Un-dyed, natural color or
color-grown fabrics are the best choice for people who react to
fiber-reactive dyes or who want only 100% natural, virgin fabrics on their
skin.
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Types of Weaves:
All woven fabrics use 3 basic weaves:
plain, twill, and satin.
The plain weave is the simplest with an over, under, over, under
structure. Percale is an example of a plain weave. The twill weave is
characterized by its diagonal lines across the fabric.. The satin weave is
formed by a series of floating yarns tied down intermittently in the
weave. This provides different patterns and a sleek, shiny surface. Our
sateen sheets are a good example of the satin weave. All other weaves are
combinations of these basic weaves and are classified as complex (or
novelty) weaves.
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| Warp & Weft:
Woven fabrics interlace a warp yarn, a yarn which runs the
length of the fabric, and weft yarns, which run the width of the fabric.
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| Care Instructions |
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All of our towels are machine washable. We recommend using
warm water, non-phosphate soap in the washing cycle, and a cool, tumble
dry in a dryer. The best way to dry, in our opinion, is to hang dry on a
clothesline outside and bring the magic of the outside back in. The use of
bleaching agents may diminish the brilliance and depth of the colors, so
we recommend not using any whiteners. But if you must, please use a
non-chlorine bleach. |
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