Orange Leaf Fabric

Orange leaf fibers, which are concentrated near the outer surface, are extracted by hand scraping, by retting, or using raspadors.. Hand-stripped fibers are generally of better quality than those obtained by raspador. The pith is then removed continuously until the fibers appear clean. 

This method of extraction is carried out by artisans in the cottage industry sector. Fiber extraction by machine have been very successful in terms of fiber quality. The fibers extracted from the leaves after harvesting the orange fruits are found to be stronger than those extracted before harvesting the fruits.

After extraction the leaf fibers are washed thoroughly and hung up in sunlight to dry as soon as they are stripped. The drying period depends on the quality of the pulpy material adhering to the strips. When thoroughly cleaned, about 5 hours is required for drying on a normal dry day. These fibers are bright in luster and white in color.