Changes in Hand Properties of Cotton Crepe Fabrics after Wearing

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the changes in hand properties of cotton piqué crepe fabrics in terms of mechanical and surface properties after actual wear. Three pairs of pajama pants were tailored from a cotton piqué crepe fabric and three long-term hospitalized patients wore the pants for 12 to 18 months. The mechanical and surface properties of the fabrics were measured using the KES-FB system and hand values were calculated. The tactile feel of the crepe fabrics was assessed before and after wear.
The extensibility at maximum tensile load of fabrics increased with wear, and the bending and shear properties of fabrics decreased after wear–wash cycles. Primary hand values calculated by equation KN202-LDY show that after wear the Hari (anti-drape stiffness) decreased and Fukurami (fullness) increased. These changes resulted in a softer hand than that of the unworn fabrics, and students evaluated this softness as the preferable hand. Fullness and antidrape stiffness changed while the piqué surface shape was retained, thus generating additional softness.