What is a Blended Cotton Fabric?
From our trusty t-shirts to our treasured bed sheets, cotton is the fabric we can’t live without. It’s natural softness, breathability, and familiar comfort against our skin make it the textile of choice for clothing and homewares. But cotton’s wrinkling and shrinking tendencies can be a nuisance.
This is where blended cotton fabrics save the day. By mixing cotton material with a compatible synthetic like polyester, or rayon, fabric engineers have created modern textiles that deliver the best attributes of each component.
Wrinkle-resistant, stretchy, and luxuriously soft blended cotton makes wardrobe management and laundry day easier. With enhanced characteristics, custom-blended cotton materials are ideal for crafting garments from durable denim to buttery-soft leggings and everything in between.
The Evolution of Blended Cotton Fabric
- One of the first blended cotton textiles, rayon union fabric, dates back to the 1920s.
- Polyester rose in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Blending it with cotton creates wrinkle-resistant, durable materials.
- Spandex entered the market in the 1960s, leading to the creation of stretchy cotton-spandex blends.
- Modern blended cotton-like Tencel and recycled polycotton continue to push fabric engineering forward.
Uses of Blended Cotton Fabric
Blended cotton material has become ubiquitous across many industries thanks to its versatility. The customisability of cotton blend material makes them suitable for crafting anything from garments to medical supplies.
- Apparel: From t-shirts to trousers to sundresses, pure cotton blend fabrics are ideal for all types of clothing.
- Home: Bath towels, bedsheets, upholstery, and more benefit from the enhanced durability of cotton blend fabric.
- Accessories: Bags, hats, belts, and other accessories utilise easy-care blended cotton.
- Crafting: Crafters use more manageable blended cotton material for quilting, sewing and knitting projects.
Types of Blended Cotton Fabrics
Unique Characteristics of Blended Cotton Fabric
By tweaking the ratio of cotton to synthetics, fabric engineers can create blended cotton with customisable properties optimised for different uses, from stretch denim to wrinkle-free dress shirts. Blended cotton fabric bridges the best of both worlds.
- Breathable like cotton yet resists wrinkling
- Offer stretch and flexibility while maintaining softness
- Dye and print colours remain vibrant through washing
- Blends make cotton suitable for knit fabrics
- Combines strengths like polyester’s structure and tencel’s sustainability
- Retains cotton’s absorbency and skin-friendliness
- Enhanced characteristics like strength, wicking, and drape
Why Should I Buy Blended Cotton Fabric Online?
Shopping online provides a vast selection of pure cotton blend fabric. Customers can access speciality blended cotton material from around the world. Helpful search tools help filter by characteristics like stretch, weight, weave, and content percentages.
Swatches can be requested. Buying digitally allows purchasing tested high-quality materials rather than relying on a small in-store sample. Online outlets offer wholesale discounted pricing and bundles for large upholstery projects or apparel collections.
With convenient shipping, online cotton blend cloth shopping saves time and money compared to physical trips to various fabric stores. Easy digital returns also facilitate getting the perfect blended cotton.
Cotton Blended Fabrics Trends 2024
- Soft brushed cotton-poly fleece in matching sets for loungewear
- Vibrant graphic digitally printed cotton blends for streetwear
- Metallic shimmering cotton-lurex blends for partywear
- Boxy cotton-linen blends for oversized tailoring
- Lightweight cotton-viscose blends for flowy dresses
- Smooth cotton-modal suiting for sharp silhouettes
- Cosy cotton-cashmere sweaters and cardigans
FAQs
1. What is cotton blend fabric?
Ans: A cotton blend fabric is a textile material made by combining cotton fibers with another type of fiber, such as polyester or spandex, to enhance its properties like durability, stretch, or wrinkle resistance.
2. What are the benefits of blended cotton?
Ans: It retains cotton’s positives, like breathability, while minimising negatives, like wrinkling. Stretch, durability, ease of care and other properties can also be improved.
3. Is blended cotton Fabric good for the skin?
Ans: Yes, with a high cotton content, it remains gentle on the skin. Added synthetics make it more hypoallergenic than pure cotton.
4. How to wash blended cotton?
Ans: Wash cotton blend cloth material in a machine using cold to warm water and a mild detergent, then tumble dry on a low setting to prevent excessive shrinkage or damage.
5. Is blended cotton sustainable?
Ans: Blended cotton's sustainability varies; eco-friendly blends using organic fibers and responsible manufacturing can enhance its environmental profile, but assessing specific blends and production practices is key.
6. Does blended cotton shrink?
Ans: It typically shrinks less than pure cotton since added synthetics increase stability. Pre-washing helps cotton fabrics shrink before sewing.