We know that flax is one of the oldest fibers known but there are other bast fibers that are just as ancient: Ramie, hemp, and jute.
- Photo courtesy of SacredEarth.com
Ramie
Truth be told, I have only started hearing about ramie in the past few years because of the Talbot’s catalog. And, until I started taking the textiles class, I didn’t know that it was in the same fiber family as flax. I thought it was a man-made fiber. Boy, was I wrong!
Ramie is also known as rhea, grasscloth, Army/Navy cloth, and, most commonly, China grass. It grows in hot, humid climates. For a while, it was produced in the Everglades and Gulf Coast regions of the United States but it is primarily produced in China, the Philippines, and Brazil. Unlike flax that is uprooted, ramie is cut when harvested. And, because it is a fast growing plant, it can be harvested as frequently as every 60 days.
Basically, wherever flax can be used, ramie can also be used. It is actually stronger than flax and gets even stronger when wet. It is resistant to insects, rotting, mildew, and shrinkage. However, like flax, it has serious wrinkling and breakage issues. It also doesn’t dye very well and doesn’t retain color very well unless it is dry cleaned.
Hemp
Photo courtesy of TreeHugger.com
Industrial hemp is an absolutely amazing plant that has a bum rap because of its close relation, marijuana. Even though hemp has been in use as long as flax has and it has been an important industrial fiber for centuries–people were actually encouraged to grow it during World War II–it is currently illegal to grow it in the United States because of concerns about producers growing marijuana within the hemp crop. I know. It is crazy, isn’t it?
Hemp is super environment friendly. It grows fast, doesn’t require any herbicides or pesticides, it improves the soil, and it even cleans toxins such as zinc and mercury out of the ground! Natural-Environment.com reminds us that paper made from hemp will help reduce deforestation:
Switching to hemp paper could reduce deforestation significantly. For every 4 acres of trees that are required annually to make paper, only an acre of hemp would be required. Furthermore, because hemp paper can be recycled so many times (up to 7 or 8 times), much less is needed. In comparison, paper from wood pulp can only be recycled around 3 times. This means even more trees are required.
Hemp also grows 250% more fiber than cotton and 600% more flax on the same amount of acreage.
Three types of fibers are produced by hemp. One that resembles flax in appearance, the inner two fibers that are used in nonwovens and industrial applications, and the woody core fibers that are used for mulch and animal bedding. Because it is so strong and resistant to rotting, hemp is particularly suitable for twine, cordage, thread, and ropes. It’s usage began to decline after World War II because of federal regulations limiting its growth and competition from synthetic fibers.
It appears that hemp is making a comeback because of its environmental friendliness. Hemp is found in hats, shirts, shoes, backpacks, T-shirts, and jeans. We can import hemp. We just can’t grow it.
Jute
If you have ever participated in a gunny sack race or had to fill and stack sandbags, you have already experienced jute. The Biblical sackcloth was probably made from jute. It is most commonly recognized as the fiber used to make burlap fabric.
Jute is one of the cheapest textile fibers. It is soft, pliable, and creamy color when first removed from the stalk but it quickly turns brown, weak, and brittle. It also doesn’t take dye very well, deteriorates when exposed to water (making it an interesting choice for sandbag use), and has low resistance to sunlight. So, why use it? Because it is a cheap source of material for sugar and coffee sacks and rope, cordage, and twine. It was also once used as carpet backing but has been replaced by olefin because olefin doesn’t deteriorate like jute.
Because it is such a weak fiber that easily deteriorates, jute is rarely used for clothing.
JulieAnn, I’m enjoying these blog posts. I feel like we’re in school with you…learning along side you! I especially loved the video you posted about the duct tape dress form. Perhaps this can also be a good way to inspire me to loose weight!
Oh, good! That was my goal! Not the losing weight thing (that’s up to you) but that you feel like you are learning right alongside of me.