A fabric has enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing. The fabric can be denim for denim apparel such as jeans. Software and lasers are used to finish apparel made of the fabric to produce a desired wear or distressing pattern or other design. The fabric allows for relatively fast color change in response to the laser, color changes in hue from indigo blue to white, many grayscale levels, and maintains strength and stretch properties. A method used to make the fabric includes spinning, dyeing, and weaving yarns in such a way to obtain the desired enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing.

A fabric has enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing. The fabric can be denim for denim apparel such as jeans. Software and lasers are used to finish apparel made of the fabric to produce a desired wear or distressing pattern or other design. The fabric allows for relatively fast color change in response to the laser, color changes in hue from indigo blue to white, many grayscale levels, and maintains strength and stretch properties. A method used to make the fabric includes spinning, dyeing, and weaving yarns in such a way to obtain the desired enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing.

Unique blends of fibers that incorporate synthetic cellulosic fibers to render fabrics made with such blends more durable than fabrics made with natural cellulosic fibers such as cotton. While more durable than cotton, the synthetic cellulosic fibers used in the blends are still inexpensive and comfortable to the wearer. Thus, the benefits of cotton (affordability and comfort) are still attained while a drawback of cotton—low durability—is avoided. In one embodiment, the fiber blend includes FR modacrylic fibers and synthetic cellulosic fibers, preferably, but not necessarily non-FR lyocell fibers such as TENCEL™ and TENCEL A100™. Other fibers may be added to the blend, including, but not limited to, additional types of inherently FR fibers, anti-static fibers, anti-microbial fibers, stretch fibers, and/or high tenacity fibers. The fiber blends disclosed herein may be used to form various types of FR fabrics. Desired colors may be imparted in a variety of ways and with a variety of dyes to the fabrics disclosed herein. Fabrics having the fibers blends disclosed herein can be used to construct the entirety of, or various portions of, a variety of protective garments for protecting the wearer against electrical arc flash and flames, including, but not limited to, coveralls, jumpsuits, shirts, jackets, vests, and trousers.

A synthetic radiator fabric with permanent mechanical wicking defines an inner surface and has a raised knit body defining an opposite outer surface. The fabric includes hydrophilic and hydrophobic fiber-containing yarns. At the inner surface, the hydrophilic fiber-containing yarns collect liquid sweat from a wearer's skin surface and maintain the collected sweat at the inner surface, generally in the vicinity of and/or in contact with the wearer's skin, for encouraging evaporation of sweat and providing evaporative cooling. The raised knit body extends from the inner surface toward, and defines, the opposite outer surface. The hydrophobic fiber-containing yarns are arranged in a radiator-like construction forming egg-crate or honey-comb like cells or pores, defined by the knit body and open to the inner surface. At the outer fabric surface, the hydrophobic fibers receive excess sweat from the wearer's body, thereby to encourage rapid evaporation and drying, for improved breathability.

A synthetic radiator fabric with permanent mechanical wicking defines an inner surface and has a raised knit body defining an opposite outer surface. The fabric includes hydrophilic and hydrophobic fiber-containing yarns. At the inner surface, the hydrophilic fiber-containing yarns collect liquid sweat from a wearer's skin surface and maintain the collected sweat at the inner surface, generally in the vicinity of and/or in contact with the wearer's skin, for encouraging evaporation of sweat and providing evaporative cooling. The raised knit body extends from the inner surface toward, and defines, the opposite outer surface. The hydrophobic fiber-containing yarns are arranged in a radiator-like construction forming egg-crate or honey-comb like cells or pores, defined by the knit body and open to the inner surface. At the outer fabric surface, the hydrophobic fibers receive excess sweat from the wearer's body, thereby to encourage rapid evaporation and drying, for improved breathability.

A multilayer fabric for selectively blocking or transmitting particular wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, such solar radiation, and far infrared (FIR) radiation. The multilayer fabric may include a microporous water vapor permeable layer that selectively filters particular wavelengths depending on the size of its pores. In some embodiments, the multilayer fabric may include a nanostructured layer that selectively filters particular wavelengths.

A facemask includes an air-filtering portion comprising an air-permeable filtering media; a see-through portion in the filtering media; and a layered portion on each opposing side of the see-through portion. The see-through portion is configured so that, in use, a mouth of a wearer is visible therethrough, and is formed from a transparent film covering a void in, and fixed along its periphery to, the filtering media. The film extends across the length of the facemask, including over the void, forming layered portions of film on filtering media on opposing sides of the clear-portion. A method of manufacture includes removing, e.g., kiss-cutting, the air-permeable filtering media away to form the see-through portion, after layering the film onto the filtering media.

A nursing cover for covering a mother's body and a nursing infant. The nursing cover includes a substantially cylindrical main body having an upper edge defining a top opening and lower edge defining a bottom opening and a means for adjusting the size of the top opening. The nursing cover further includes a viewing window having an upper edge positioned adjacent to the upper edge of the main body and a lower edge positioned along the main body towards the lower edge of the main body and boning positioned adjacent to the lower edge of the viewing window with the boning configured to maintain the lower edge of the viewing window away from the mother's chest such that the viewing window is disposed to cross the mother's line of sight from her eyes to the nursing infant.

A nursing cover for covering a mother's body and a nursing infant. The nursing cover includes a substantially cylindrical main body having an upper edge defining a top opening and lower edge defining a bottom opening and a means for adjusting the size of the top opening. The nursing cover further includes a viewing window having an upper edge positioned adjacent to the upper edge of the main body and a lower edge positioned along the main body towards the lower edge of the main body and boning positioned adjacent to the lower edge of the viewing window with the boning configured to maintain the lower edge of the viewing window away from the mother's chest such that the viewing window is disposed to cross the mother's line of sight from her eyes to the nursing infant.

The filling material includes down with synthetic fibers having particles present on the surface of the fibers. The particles are characterized by a configuration which allows attachment of the down to the fibers.

The associated method of manufacturing the filling material includes steps of obtaining a quantity of down and a quantity of synthetic fibers having particles on the surface thereof, wherein the particles allow attachment of the down to the fibers. The down and fibers are blended together to produce the filling material.