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| Draper Knitting Company - one of the oldest textile mills in the U.S. - began in England as Draper Brothers Company in the early part of the 19th century. In 1851, James and Thomas Draper, moved the family business from England to Canton, Massachusetts. Their factory opened at the corner of Washington and Pleasant Streets and manufactured knit woolen goods under the name Canton Woolen Mills. Thomas died in 1856 and James in 1873. James’ children began running the business and in 1889 they incorporated as Draper Brothers Company. In 1984 the Company was split into Draper Felt Company and the Draper Knitting Company. The felt company was sold in 1985. The knitting part of the company has become Draper Knitting Company Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Draper Brothers Company and is currently being operated under the direction of a fifth generation Draper with a strong sixth generation present. Draper Knitting Company is the only company in the U.S. that produces three types of fabric formation under one roof. High Pile Sliver Knitting, Conventional Circular Knitting and Nonwoven Stitchbonding. In addition, we are the only U.S. Pile Knitter able to produce EcoPile® - Draper’s trademark for fabric made from 100% post consumer recycled polyester, (recycled bottles.) Our customers include Patagonia, L.L. Bean, Team Simpson, Vanity Fair and Wooster. |
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Draper Knitting Company’s corporate headquarters houses the corporate offices and a 120,000 square foot manufacturing facility under one roof. This facility includes a state-of-the-art CAD studio where patterns are created, 40 knitting machines which convert raw materials into fabric, a dye house and a complete Finishing Department. We produce High Pile Sliver Knitting, Conventional Circular Knitting and Nonwoven Stitchbonded fabrics that are used in a variety of products including: paint rollers and buffing pads, performance clothing liners, footwear liners, gloves and air filtration filters. Conventional circular knitting, or jersey knitting is used mainly for industrial use in the waterproof footwear industry. Draper’s Nonwoven, Stitchbonded fabrics are used primarily in the Safety Product Market, specifically in the auto racing industry. These fabrics must meet exacting specifications for protecting the drivers in the case of fire. Most of the fabrics in this line contain Nomex® and Kevlar® that have inherent fire retarding capabilities. |
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Draper Knitting manufacturers a number of materials for use in consumer products including footwear, gloves, and apparel. | |
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Draper Knitting is a manufacturer of custom blankets. If you would like to receive a Draper Custom Blanket Information Packet including pricing, a color card and a sample showing our quality, please go to our inquiry form and fill in your contact information with a request for the Blanket Information Packet and we will get one out to you as soon as possible. | |
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We have both stock dye and piece dye capabilities as well as a Dolly WaSHEr for scouring wools. We have experience with dyeing both natural and synthetic fibers. Our color library is extensive and we specialize in custom colors. | |
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Our finishing capabilities include starching, coating, shearing, napping and tumbling. We have experience finishing all three fabric formations to meet the customers’ specifications. We have experience with commission finishing as well. | |
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Our Shipping Department is experienced at shipping goods worldwide. We have boxing and wrapping capabilities from small to very large orders and have extensive experience in packaging and shipping to meet the customers’ requirements. | |
