Thursday, 7 April 2016

Faux Fur Throw Blanket - What Comes Next

By Elizabeth Collins


One hundred years ago, people were very limited in what sort of fabric they used to keep themselves warm at night. Blankets were usually made from wool or from patches of material sewn together and then layered with other fabric to produce a quilt. Today, the faux fur throw blanket is a popular alternative to conventional blanketing fabric.

Faux fur is a type of synthetic fabric. Synthetic coverings used to feel thin and somewhat scratchy or plastic. They did not breathe and so were uncomfortable in that they provided a sort of greenhouse effect. Today's synthetics are soft, fluffy and addictively comfortable. They are also easily affordable, so everybody in the house can have their own, and a household can have several back-up throws for company or for picnics, camping, putting in the car, etc.

Today's man-made fibers are made in any color the customer could ask for, as well as a range of different patterns, including animal prints. They are made in all sizes for wrapping baby, to protecting the furniture and for using as bedding. Whereas a comforter, which may be stuffed with goose feathers or duck down, has to be dry cleaned, today's synthetic can be laundered along with the sheets and towels. Instead of schlepping a heavy duvet to the dry cleaners or laundromat with a heavy-duty washing machine, just throw it in the washing machine at home and either hang it on the washing line outdoors or use the clothes dryer.

If we ever get tired of our blankees, what do we have to look forward to? Materials science is advancing rapidly, and there are lots of new fabrics, especially in outerwear, that could be adapted for bedtime. Loft, for example, is a measure of a fabric's functional thickness. It relates specifically to down- or feather-filled materials. A new fabric is being made that has two or even three times the thermal efficiency of a duvet without the bulk. This is zero-loft aerogel.

Loft-free fabrics have an advantage over conventional filled blankets for outdoor use, especially if they get wet. The insulating layer of air between the layers of down or other material is what provides warmth. These layers become compressed when the material gets wet and lose their ability to provide warmth.

Hydrophobic down is another fabric material that is undergoing development for commercial use. Here, the down is coated with a water repellant. Hydrophobic down can retain as much as 80 percent of its loft after three minutes in water.

Air permeable fabrics are gaining favor over Gore-Tex as an outerwear fabric, especially among skiers and others who spend a lot of time in the cold, wet outdoors. It may or may not have potential as a material for tomorrow's bed coverings. The problem with Gore-Tex is its lack of breathability. Newer air permeable materials allow enough airflow to to carry moisture away from the body.

Materials technology is advancing all the time. Today's comfortable bed covering could turn out to be tomorrow's polishing cloth. Who knows what we will be throwing onto our beds and snuggling underneath in tomorrow's world. Maybe they will be pleasantly scented to encourage sleep, adjust the temperature to keep the occupant not too hot or not too cold in the changing conditions, maybe they will play a pleasant melody to drift off to sleep to.




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