The Textile Revolution

History of the Textile Industry

The major steps in the manufacture of textiles and clothes are:

• first to harvest and clean the fiber or wool
• second, to card it and spin it into threads
• third, to weave the threads into cloth
• and, finally to fashion and sew the cloth into clothes.

The first American power loom was constructed in 1813 by Francis Cabot Lowell.

Great Britain's Lead in Textile Machinery

During the early eighteenth century, Great Britain was determined to dominate the textile industry. Laws forbade the export of English textile machinery, drawings of the machinery, and written specifications of the machines that would allow them to be constructed in other countries.

Britain had the power loom, a steam-powered, mechanically-operated version of a regular loom for weaving. Britain also had the spinning frame that could produce stronger threads for yarns at a faster rate.

Meanwhile the stories of what these machines could do excited envy in other countries. Americans were struggling to improve the old hand loom, found in every house, and to make some sort of a spinning machine to replace the spinning wheel by which one thread at a time was laboriously spun.

American Failures with Textile Machinery and the American Textile Industry Flounders

In 1786, in Massachusetts, two Scotch immigrants, who claimed to be familiar with Richard Arkwright's British-made spinning frame, were employed to design and build spinning machines for the mass production of yarn. The inventors were encouraged by the U.S. government and assisted with grants of money. The resulting machines, operated by horse power, were crude, and the textiles produced irregular and unsatisfactory.

In Providence, Rhode Island another company tried to build spinning machines with thirty-two spindles. They worked badly and all attempts to run them by water-power failed. In 1790, the faulty machines were sold to Moses Brown of Pawtucket. Brown and his partner, William Almy, employed enough hand-loom weavers to produce eight thousand yards of cloth a year by hand. Brown needed working spinning machinery, to provide his weavers with more yarn, however the machines he bought were lemons. In 1790, there was not a single successful power-spinner in the United States.

How Did the Textile Revolution Finally Happen in the United States?

The textile industry was founded by the work and importance of the following businessmen, inventors, and inventions:

Samuel Slater & Mills

Samuel Slater has been called both the "Father of American Industry" and the "Founder of the American Industrial Revolution." Slater built several successful cotton mills in New England and established the town of Slatersville, Rhode Island.

Francis Cabot Lowell & Power Looms

Francis Cabot Lowell was an American businessman and the founder of the world's first textile mill. Together with inventor Paul Moody, Lowell created a more efficient power loom and a spinning apparatus.

Elias Howe & Sewing Machines

Before the invention of the sewing machine, most sewing was done by individuals in their homes, however, many people offered services as tailors or seamstresses in small shops where wages were very low. One inventor was struggling to put into metal an idea to lighten the toil of those who lived by the needle.

Ready-Made Clothing & Shoes

It was not until after the power-driven sewing machine was invented, that factory production of clothes and shoes on a large scale occurred.

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100% Cotton Stretch - Stretching

Textile and fashion insiders know that a small percentage of a popular synthetic can add stretch to a fabric. Interestingly, nearly 40% of consumers have no idea what gives a fabric stretch. What these consumers do know is that they like cotton and 61% are willing to pay more for apparel made of cotton. The question arises, why use a synthetic blend for comfort stretch when 100% cotton can do the same job for less money and provide an easier care garment?
“There are several ways to achieve stretch using a 100% cotton fabric,” says Don Bailey, Vice-president, Product Development and Implementation for Cotton Incorporated. “But we found that a slack mercerizing with sodium hydroxide is a good way to go. All the necessary equipment and chemicals can be found in most any continuous woven plants.”
Slack mercerization is one of five simple steps in the creation of 100% Cotton Stretch. The first step is the weaving of the filling stretch fabric, which calls for a wider reeded sley. Next comes preparation, which is a standard singe, desize, scour and bleach process. The third step is mercerization, which can be done using either chain mercerization or a saturator with roll accumulator. Dyeing, the next phase, can be done by normal methods. Finishing is the final step; and here laboratory testing should be done to determine the optimal levels of resin for maximum stretch and recovery of the final product.
Aside from being easy to manufacture, 100% Cotton Stretch is also less expensive. Cotton will generally be a less expensive option to synthetics, as far as raw materials are considered. “On the spinning side, there are two major dvantages to using cotton over synthetics,” says David Clapp, Director, Fiber Processing for Cotton Incorporated. “Cotton uses conventional spinning and that’s going to be a cost-savings over the core spinning needed for synthetics.” In addition, spinning and weaving 100% Cotton Stretch requires no heat settings and negates the potential for yellowing that can occur from the spinning oils essential to making synthetic yarns.
For manufacturers, 100% Cotton Stretch is a simple process that stretches production dollars. For consumers, it makes easy care even easier. “Our Lifestyle Monitor™ research tells us that consumers can never get enough cotton or easy care garments,” says Teresa Zugay, Account Executive, Global Product Supply Chain for Cotton Incorporated. “100% Cotton Stretch achieves both those goals since, unlike synthetics, 100% Cotton Stretch is neither degraded by chlorine bleach nor by heat from tumble drying or ironing. Best of all, the stretch in 100% Cotton Stretch is maintained for the life of the garment.” But, perhaps the most compelling benefit for consumers and manufacturers alike is that 100% Cotton Stretch is 100% cotton.