Denim - From Frontier to Fashion
I have a lot of denim on the brain lately. Not just on the brain - on the cutting table, the ironing board, the embroidery hoop - you name it! I'm gearing up for Sew Fun in June at Quality Sewing. My teaching partner and I are featuring the book "Denim by Design" by Barb Chauncey along with the latest edition of "Vogue Sewing", which is a wonderful sewing reference.
Denim has a very interesting history as a textile. One of the most detailed histories I've read comes, appropriately enough, from Levi Straus & Co (read the full article here) - the company who undoubtedly fixed what we know as modern denim (there are many disputes about the origin of the name and even the origin of the textile) into the everyday lives of Americans. While the fabric definitely predated the gold rush, it was the need for rugged clothing for prospecting and pioneering the American West that gave our beloved blue jeans their birth. Originally the "overalls" were offered in canvas as well, but the comfort of well-washed denim gave it a decided preference as time went by.
The fabric we know as denim has evolved over the years; many denim fabrics now have other fibers, such as polyester or spandex added. And they come in a variety of weights and finishes. But in spite of many advances in dye technology and chemistry, indigo dyeing is still preferred. Why indigo? Because it wears off. Denim is traditionally woven from indigo dyed warp yarns, with undyed (white) weft or filling yarns. It is a warp-faced fabric, which means that the warp yarns - dyed indigo - is what we see. Indigo dyes coat the warp yarns but they do not penetrate all the way through. That is why our jeans lighten in areas of abrasion - the indigo dyed fibers on the surface of the yarn wear away and reveal the undyed core.
So, hooray for denim - our favorite symbol of the frontier spirit!
Denim has a very interesting history as a textile. One of the most detailed histories I've read comes, appropriately enough, from Levi Straus & Co (read the full article here) - the company who undoubtedly fixed what we know as modern denim (there are many disputes about the origin of the name and even the origin of the textile) into the everyday lives of Americans. While the fabric definitely predated the gold rush, it was the need for rugged clothing for prospecting and pioneering the American West that gave our beloved blue jeans their birth. Originally the "overalls" were offered in canvas as well, but the comfort of well-washed denim gave it a decided preference as time went by.
The fabric we know as denim has evolved over the years; many denim fabrics now have other fibers, such as polyester or spandex added. And they come in a variety of weights and finishes. But in spite of many advances in dye technology and chemistry, indigo dyeing is still preferred. Why indigo? Because it wears off. Denim is traditionally woven from indigo dyed warp yarns, with undyed (white) weft or filling yarns. It is a warp-faced fabric, which means that the warp yarns - dyed indigo - is what we see. Indigo dyes coat the warp yarns but they do not penetrate all the way through. That is why our jeans lighten in areas of abrasion - the indigo dyed fibers on the surface of the yarn wear away and reveal the undyed core.
So, hooray for denim - our favorite symbol of the frontier spirit!
posted by Katrina at
8:41 PM
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