Bamboo Rayon Fabric

[cavscout]

This might be interesting. The weight of the some of the fabric is a little light and it would require a dyeing process (unless you want a white kilt). The Bamboo Fleece is 14 oz. / sq yd for double width. Maybe summer kilts?

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/en...av=fabric.html

[RockyR]

You could use the 'tea juice markers' to draw the tartan on.

[cavscout]

That's American ingenuity right there. Then you can make yourself a pair of matching gillies

[Detroitpete]

Who knew there were so many stands of free-range organic rayon just waiting to be chopped down at a moment's notice and turned into wonderful clothing?!!!!

[Pleater]

Oh no not Rayon - please not rayon.

I have only ever used the standard sort, but it is an absolute swine to try to sew - it slithers about as though it is alive, getting a straight seam appears impossible, and just don't say the words 'static charge' or your hair will stand on end.

All of it - not just the visible areas.

I once saw a woman unable to move as her Rayon petticoat had wrapped around her legs and clung to itself. Pulling on the hem caused sparks to jump!!

If anyone has tried the bamboo sourced Rayon and found it wonderful then there will be much rejoicing in the ranks of those sewing and making, but I for one would prefer it if someone else tries it out first.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Alan H]

Uh...you know that "rayon" is the same thing as "viscose"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscose

In fact, strictly speaking, it's not. Viscose is the liquid which is further processed to make rayon...or if processed differently, becomes lyocell. However, to the general public "viscose" and "rayon" are the same thing.

[Alan H]

Also, straight, unmixed bamboo fabric, in my experience is rather "silky" feeling. It would make nice lingerie, for example. Maybe not the best thing for kilts.

However a bamboo and hemp blend might be really nice.

[fluter]

I have some bamboo fiber socks. They are thin, and I generally use them as I would a polypro sock liner, under a woolen sock. They feel good, seem to hold up well.

I haven't tried sewing rayon, however I have a large stash of 65/35 polyviscose; also some Bemberg lining (a rayon variation). Has anyone experience with Bemberg? It feels much nicer than the polyester sold for linings, but I haven't tried any static-electrical experiments.

Numerous other trade names are rayon of some kind: Tencel, Modal, ???

It says here the US Federal Trade Commission was warning some retailers not to call the rayon fiber "bamboo," since it's heavily processed. The assumption seems to be that it would appeal to conservationist consumers? Anyway you may see the labelling change (bamboo rayon?).

I gather that some of the manufacturing processes are not exactly green. TANSTAAFL, alas!

[Lokishadow]

...for several months now. The only direct experience I have with bamboo fabric is a shirt from Dillard's that is 80% rayon from bamboo and 20% cotton. It's light, comfortable, and has held up better than a lot of my other shirts. Overall, I'd say it's very durable.

All the information that I've collected on bamboo indicates that fabric made from bamboo is very soft and durable, surpassing synthetic blends in some cases. I have no experience with trying to sew bamboo fabric, but as another poster pointed out, most bamboo fabric is viscose. It's quite possible that some of the poly-viscose fabric blends used in kilts (such as SportKilts or USAK's economy line) are bamboo, but I don't know for certain the origin of the viscose (rayon) used in those kilts. Your mileage may vary.

I am planning on purchasing some bamboo fabric, and had considered the same supplier (Dharma Trading) that you mentioned.

If you do work with it, tell us what your results are, please. I'd love to have some first-hand data to add to my research on bamboo uses.

Also, be cautious when purchasing your fabric. One of the sites I went to had pictures of their fabric with white and black cloth behind it. The weave was thin and loose enough that the color was readily visible, similar to a knitted blanket. Maybe you'd want to order a swatch for testing first? I don't imagine the outline of your bits'n'pieces would go over well in public.

Most bamboo viscose is made using a process nearly identical (if not exactly identical) to the process used to make rayon. This process squirts liquid (viscose) into a bath of boiling acid, causing the liquid to turn into fiber. The fiber is then cleaned, spun into thread or yarn, and sent to a mill for weaving. This is rayon. The FDA and USDA have required that any fabric made from bamboo using this process be labelled "rayon" unless it can meet a very stringent set of standards, all of which make the fabric essentially "green" or non-harmful to the environment.

My 2 cents.

-Loki

[Alan H]

I suspect that all the bamboo does in this sort of processing is supply the cellulose.