Polyester fabric was first produced in England in 1941 by British scientists John Whinfield and James Dickson. American company, Dupont, began to produce polyester fabric in the United States in 1950.

The power of poly cloth to withstand both fading and shrinkage has made it the most widely used cloth, since 1960, in the production of clothes. Polyester also became a frequent option in the manufacturing of table linens, chair coverings, place mats, table skirting and aprons. The use of 100% polyester material in the production of table napkins was not as well accepted as it was for the making of clothing and home decor. Napkins made of 100% poly lacked absorption and did not have the feel of cotton fiber, which one associated with costly table linen.

Along came spun polyester cloth. Spun polyester was first produced for industrial use and household furnishings. An attempt by Johnston Industries to make a boat covering from spun polyester resulted in the discovery of a lighter weight polyester that had an better feel to it. While dying this new version of spun poly, they found that the fabric became even softer, making it perfect for table linens.

Such a significant discovery had Johnston Industries discontinuing their development of boat covers. In order to improve the spun polyester material that had been made, Johnston Industries decided to hire a textile expert named Bob Pomeranz. Bob’s expert knowledge of spinning machines permitted him to spin a fabric free from pilling, the annoying fiber clusters that detract from a cloth’s appearance. Johnston Industries’ end product was a durable table cloth resistant to shrinkage with the power to hold its colouring and release soil.

Table linens constructed of spun polyester could now possess the feel of cotton fiber cloths and most importantly, unlike cotton fiber, a spun polyester tablecloth would not fade after many laundering. To a greater extent, the more you laundered a spun polyester tablecloth the softer and better it would feel to the touch.

Now-a-days, the consumer will find that chair coverings, place mats, table skirts, aprons and even napkins are produced from spun polyester. In fact, spun polyester napkins were quite absorbant, a feature that 100% poly table napkins lacked.

Both 100% polyester and spun polyester are important, not just in the house, but in hotels, nursing homes, hospitals and the party rental industry as well.