In a previous textile post, I mentioned that cotton is the most commercially important seed fiber. But cotton isn’t the only seed fiber. Other seed fibers include coir, kapok, and milkweed. Even though these fibers aren’t usually used in sewing, I thought I would share them with you so that you will recognize what they are just in case you run across an item constructed with them.
Coir
Coir is from the fibrous mass between the outer shell and the husk of the coconut (and you laughed at the thought of a bikini top being made from a coconut, didn’t you?). You might also see it sold as “coco fiber.”
Coir is stronger than cotton but because of its higher concentration of lignin, it is less flexible than cotton and doesn’t dye very well. That said, it is highly resistant to abrasion, water and weather. In fact, because it resists the effects of salt water so well, it is often used in fishing nets and ropes. Other uses for coir are indoor and outdoor mats, rugs, floor tiles, upholstery, and brushes.
Kapok Seeds by J.M. Garg, Used with permission under Creative Common license
Kapok
Kapok is from the seed of the Java kapok (silk cotton tree) or the Indian kapok tree. You may also see it sold as silk cotton or Java cotton. It is very lightweight, mold and dust-mite resistant, hypo-allergenic, and buoyant but it is also highly flammable. The fiber is also difficult to spin into yarns so it was primarily used as an alternative to down in furniture, mattresses, pillows, and even stuffed animals. Naturally, we don’t want highly flammable materials in those items so synthetic materials have largely replaced kapok for those uses (and to satisfy flame retardation laws).
Kapok also has been widely used in flotation devices because of its buoyancy.
Researchers in India are looking for ways to blend cotton with kapok to use in apparel.
Milkweed
The milkweed plant seed produces a soft, silky, floss-like, hair fiber. Because it is so weak, smooth, and straight, it is very difficult to spin into yarn. It’s claim to fame is its use as filler for flotation devices (aka Mae Wests) during World War II.
Milkweed, also known as silkweed fiber and asclepias cotton, seems to have drawn the attention of fiber artists, weavers, and spinners. While doing the research for this post, I was surprised to find such a high interest and some of the information flowing (that it is durable and easy to spin) seems to be in contrast to what my textbook says about milkweed (that it is weak and difficult to spin). All I can say is that if you have worked with milkweed, I want to hear about your experience with it.
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