What does it mean when two materials like cotton and lycra are blended?

Question

Are they smushed together to make a single material or do my 95% cotton 5% lycra undies have 5 strands of lycra for every 95 strands of cotton?

In: Other

Answer 1

Heathered jersey fabrics (frequently used in t-shirts) are usually 60% Cotton / 40% polyester and are knit with heathered yarn. This is a yarn made by twisting together strands of cotton and (usually) a lighter colored polyester into a new two-colored yarn. The yarn is then used like any other the knit the jersey fabric.

Blended fabrics will always be made in this way, there is no fusing them together into a new material. If they are synthesizing a new material, they will list the new material’s name on the label, not the ingredients.