Materials for Wedding Waistcoats

Some materials used to make waistcoats are silk, wool, brocade and leather. This article tells a little bit of information about them and how they are made.

Wedding waistcoats are one of the most commonly ordered waistcoats. Along with the many kinds of waistcoats, there are also many different kinds of materials used make them. Depending on the occasion or kind of activity they will are used for, they can range from silk to leather. The following are some examples of materials used to make waistcoats:

Silk

Silk is one of the most well-known materials being utilized to create waistcoats. They are filaments made by caterpillars commonly known as silkworms. Because of their softness, strength and insulating properties, they are highly prized and thus are quite expensive. It also takes a great amount of effort to create silk textiles. It requires constant monitoring and feeding of the silkworms, and yet, they produce only a small amount of thread. The production of silk begins when a female silkworm lays eggs. When the eggs hatch, larva comes out. These larva are then feed with mulberry leaves for about four to six weeks until they start to pupate. It is during the pupation stage when larva produce silk by attaching themselves to branches and spinning a cocoon to form a pod. Next, the pods are taken by the silk producers and immersed in hot water to loosen the thread. Finally, the raw silk is wound unto wheels and spun to make threads and fabrics.

Wool

Wool, also known as fleece, is a natural fiber that comes from sheep. Their extraordinary qualities make them very ideal for producing textiles. Some of these qualities include their ability to resist flame, durability and water-repelling capability. Although they were originally thought of as heavy and course, thus giving them the idea of creating an “itchy” feeling, they are now actually comfortable to use. The modern wool fibers are now made of fine and lightweight materials, as a result, making them very pleasing to wear. Their production begins by the cutting of sheep fleece, then washing them to remove impurities. Next, long wool threads are pulled together and run in the same direction, while those that are less than three inches are twisted to make rope-like strands. And finally, they are spun to create yarns which in turn are used either for wool weaving or for knitting.

Brocade

Brocade is a class of shuttle-woven fabrics that are richly decorative and has intricate patterns. Most of them are made of colored silks and adorned with silver and gold threads. Meanings of the name come from words such as “broccato” which means “embossed cloth” in Italy, “broccare” meaning “to stud”, and from the Latin word “broccus” which means, “projecting” or “pointed”. Weaving of brocade usually happens on a draw loom, which is actually a supplementary weft style. This way, the ornamental features in brocade is created by the extra and non-functional weft other than the regular weft that binds the strands together. The purpose of this is to give the impression that the weave was actually embroidered on.

Leather

Leather is a sturdy and pliable material created through the tanning of the putrefiable rawhide and skin of animals. Some kinds of leathers that are used to make waistcoats are goat suede, nubuck and cow nappa. The production of leathers has three stages: preparatory stage, tanning, and crusting. The preparatory stage prepares the leather for tanning through different ways such as preservation, bating, bleaching, and de-pickling. In the tanning stage, the protein in the rawhide or skin is converted into a stable material that will not putrefy. And lastly, in the crusting stage, the skin or rawhide is thinned, re-tanned and lubricated.

Aside from wedding waistcoats, there are other kinds that can be used for different occasions such as parties, sports and stage performances. For more information on this, please visit Wedding Ties & Cufflinks.