By Drake Yu

Features  Got this T-shirt from Hong Kong in 2009  It has a printing of Hong Kong in chinese  It has a printing of a chinese dragon  It is white  It is made out of cotton

Why cotton?  Cotton is a good material for making clothes  Cotton is a fairly strong textile  Cotton can be made into light cloth and thick cloth  Cotton is water-absorbent  Cotton is soft to the touch  Cotton is a good conductor of heat

Cotton comes from a plant  Farmers plant cottonseeds. Cottonseeds need lots of water to grow.  After four months, the cotton plants burst into flowers.  Two months after the petals drop off, the seed pods, or bolls, split open.  The workers pick the ripe cotton bolls in the farm.

How cotton is produced  The cotton is taken to the ginning mill, where the cottonseeds in the cotton fibre needs to be removed.  The cotton is taken to the spinning mill, where it makes the cotton fibres into yarn.  At the textile factory a knitting machine makes the cotton cloth.

How a t-shirt is made  The cotton cloth is dyed with a colour.  Workers cut and stitch the cotton cloth to make a t-shirt.  The t-shirt is printed with a design.  The t-shirt arrives in the shops and is sold.

Cotton in history  Until 1973, cottonseeds had to be removed from the cotton fibres by hand.  Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.  The machine can do the work of 12 men at the same time.

Things made out of cotton  T-shirts  Towels  Canvas  Bandages  Cushion covers  Curtains  Socks  Swimsuits  Handbags  underwears

Versatile of a cotton plant Cotton can be used for:  Stuffing for soft toys, pillows and cushions  Making craft  Cotton balls, cotton pads and cotton sticks Cottonseeds can be used to make:  Cooking oil  Animal feed  Photographic film  Soap  Fertiliser for gardens  Seeds for next years cotton crop

bibliography  Sarah ridley 2005 a cotton t- shirt Franklin watts London  hazel king 2008 fabric types Jordan hill great britain  Suzanne trocme 2002 fabric mitchell Beazley London