Color-fast and high-crocking combination fabric and method for making the same

Abstract

A color-fast and high-crocking combination fabric and methods for making the same. The color-fast and high-crocking fabric consists of dyed natural fibers and dyed polyester fibers. The natural and polyester fibers are dyed and/or colored before being combined into yarns and fabrics. The color-fast and high-crocking combination fabric has very high color-fastness as measured by crocking standard, while maintaining a quality hand feel. The color fastness can withstand at least thirty regular cold-temperature home-wash laundries.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 900,307, filed on Nov. 5, 2013, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to textiles and fabrics, and, more particularly, to environmentally friendly fabrics having a high crocking standard, long-lasting color fastness, and quality hand feel.[0003]In the textile industry, two considerations for manufacturers when producing fabrics are color-fastness, crocking standard, and quality of feel, i.e., hand feel. These three considerations often act at odds with one another, with those fabrics having a great hand feel lacking in color-fastness and / or high crocking, and vice versa. Regarding color-fastness, there is particularly a lot of discussion and demand in the clothing industry for high-quality apparel that maintains color fastness, in pa...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]The present invention may also be embodied in a fabric consisting essentially of a warp yarn consisting essentially of polyester fiber and natural fiber; and a weft yarn consisting essentially of polyester fiber and natural fiber, wherein the warp yarn has at least 50% natural fibers, and the weft yarn has at least 50% polyester fibers. In a further aspect, the warp yarns may comprise at least 65% natural fibers, and the weft yarns may comprise at least 65% polyester fibers. The polyester fiber may be a recycled polyester fiber, and the natural fiber may be a natural wood fiber. The yarn itself may already have a color-fast characteristic due to the coloring / dyeing of the natural and polyester fibers prescribed in the paragraphs above in this section. The yarn may then be further developed into fabric for consumer apparel or industrial use. The resulting fabric / garment can maintain color fastness without bleeding for at least thirty regular cold-temperature home-wash laundries.

Problems solved by technology

These three considerations often act at odds with one another, with those fabrics having a great hand feel lacking in color-fastness and / or high crocking, and vice versa.

Certain textile producers use chemical treatments to increase color-fastness and crocking, but this comes at the expense of hand feel.

Those fabrics that yield a high-quality hand feel often have the problems of crocking, color fastness, and shedding.

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