Page:A complete course in dressmaking (Vol. 12, Men's clothes & index) (IA completecoursein00cono).pdf/90

 Mercerized Cotton is chemically treated cotton. Cotton cloth or yarn is immersed in a strong caustic soda or caustic potash solution, then stretched and washed. This causes the fibers to lose most of their twist and to become round, smooth, and glossy. If cotton is well mercerized the fibers very closely resemble silk in appearance.

Linen is a vegetable fiber obtained from the stems of the flax plant. A single filament may vary from a few inches to several feet in length and has a complex structure. It is very smooth, lustrous and silky looking. It is stronger than wool or cotton but not as strong as silk. Linen is more readily injured and disintegrated than cotton by strong washing powders or chemicals. It is even a better conductor of heat than cotton and, therefore, makes the coolest garments.

Artificial silk is of vegetable origin, being made by a chemical process from cotton or wood pulp. It is a smooth solid filament, similar to silk in appearance and with a luster even greater than silk. Herein lies its chief value for in wearing quality and durability it does not begin to equal silk. When wet the fiber swells somewhat and loses strength so that it must be handled with great care,