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"Fabrics" redirects here. For the music group, see
The Fabrics.
Simple textile - magnified.
A
textile or
cloth is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial
fibres often referred to as thread or
yarn. Yarn is produced by
spinning raw fibres of
wool,
flax,
cotton, or other material to produce long strands.
[1] Textiles are formed by
weaving,
knitting,
crocheting,
knotting, or pressing fibres together (
felt).
The words
fabric and
cloth are used in textile assembly trades (such as
tailoring and
dressmaking) as synonyms for
textile. However, there are subtle differences in these terms in specialized usage.
Textile refers to any material made of interlacing fibres.
Fabric
refers to any material made through weaving, knitting, spreading,
crocheting, or bonding that may be used in production of further goods
(garments, etc.).
Cloth may be used synonymously with
fabric but often refers to a finished piece of fabric used for a specific purpose (e.g.,
table cloth).
[edit] History
This one has no tunic but is finely pleated, in the Fortuny manner,
and falls in long lines, closely following the figure, to the floor"]]
The discovery of dyed
flax fibres in a cave in the
Republic of Georgia dated to 34,000
BCE suggests textile-like materials were made even in prehistoric times.
[2][3]
The production of textiles is a craft whose speed and scale of
production has been altered almost beyond recognition by
industrialization and the introduction of modern manufacturing
techniques. However, for the main types of textiles,
plain weave,
twill, or
satin weave, there is little difference between the ancient and modern methods.
Incas have been crafting
quipus (or
khipus) made of fibres either from a protein, such as spun and plied thread like wool or hair from camelids such as
alpacas,
llamas, and
camels
or from a cellulose like cotton for thousands of years. Khipus are a
series of knots along pieces of string. They have been believed to only
have acted as a form of accounting, although new evidence conducted by
Harvard professor,
Gary Urton,
indicates there may be more to the khipu than just numbers.
Preservation of khipus found in museum and archive collections follow
general
textile preservation principles and practice.
Textiles have an assortment of uses, the most common of which are for
clothing and containers such as bags and
baskets. In the household, they are used in
carpeting, upholstered
furnishings,
window shades,
towels, covering for tables, beds, and other flat surfaces, and in
art. In the workplace, they are used in industrial and scientific processes such as filtering. Miscellaneous uses include
flags,
backpacks,
tents,
nets,
cleaning devices such as
handkerchiefs and
rags,
transportation devices such as
balloons,
kites,
sails, and
parachutes, in addition to strengthening in
composite materials such as
fibreglass and industrial
geotextiles. Children can learn using textiles to make
collages,
sew,
quilt, and
toys.
Textiles used for industrial purposes, and chosen for characteristics other than their appearance, are commonly referred to as
technical textiles.
Technical textiles include textile structures for automotive
applications, medical textiles (e.g. implants), geotextiles
(reinforcement of embankments), agrotextiles (textiles for
crop protection),
protective clothing (e.g. against heat and radiation for fire fighter
clothing, against molten metals for welders, stab protection, and
bullet proof vests). In all these applications stringent performance requirements must be met. Woven of threads coated with
zinc oxide nanowires,
laboratory fabric has been shown capable of "self-powering nanosystems"
using vibrations created by everyday actions like wind or body
movements.
[4][5]
[edit] Fashion and textile designers
Fashion designers commonly rely on textile designs to set their fashion collections apart from others.
Armani,
Marisol Deluna,
Nicole Miller,
Lilly Pulitzer, the late
Gianni Versace, and
Emilio Pucci can be easily recognized by their signature print driven designs.
[edit] Sources and types
Textiles can be made from many materials. These materials come from four main sources: animal (
wool,
silk), plant (
cotton,
flax,
jute), mineral (
asbestos,
glass fiber), and synthetic (
nylon,
polyester,
acrylic).
In the past, all textiles were made from natural fibres, including
plant, animal, and mineral sources. In the 20th century, these were
supplemented by artificial fibres made from
petroleum.
Textiles are made in various strengths and degrees of durability, from the finest
gossamer to the sturdiest
canvas. The relative thickness of fibres in cloth is measured in
deniers.
Microfibre refers to fibres made of strands thinner than one denier.
[edit] Animal textiles
Animal textiles are commonly made from
hair or
fur.
Wool refers to the hair of the domestic
goat or
sheep,
which is distinguished from other types of animal hair in that the
individual strands are coated with scales and tightly crimped, and the
wool as a whole is coated with a
wax mixture known as
lanolin (aka wool grease), which is waterproof and dirtproof
[citation needed].
Woollen refers to a bulkier yarn produced from carded, non-parallel fibre, while
worsted
refers to a finer yarn which is spun from longer fibres which have been
combed to be parallel. Wool is commonly used for warm clothing.
Cashmere, the hair of the Indian
cashmere goat, and
mohair, the hair of the North African
angora goat, are types of wool known for their softness.
Other animal textiles which are made from hair or fur are
alpaca wool,
vicuña wool,
llama wool, and
camel hair, generally used in the production of
coats,
jackets,
ponchos,
blankets, and other warm coverings.
Angora refers to the long, thick, soft hair of the
angora rabbit.
Wadmal is a coarse cloth made of wool, produced in Scandinavia, mostly 1000~1500CE.
Silk is an animal textile made from the fibres of the
cocoon of the Chinese
silkworm. This is spun into a smooth, shiny fabric prized for its sleek texture.
[edit] Plant textiles
Grass,
rush,
hemp, and
sisal
are all used in making rope. In the first two, the entire plant is used
for this purpose, while in the last two, only fibres from the plant are
utilized.
Coir (
coconut fibre) is used in making
twine, and also in floormats,
doormats,
brushes,
mattresses, floor tiles, and
sacking.
Straw and
bamboo are both used to make hats. Straw, a dried form of grass, is also used for stuffing, as is
kapok.
Fibres from
pulpwood trees, cotton,
rice, hemp, and
nettle are used in making
paper.
Cotton,
flax,
jute, hemp,
modal and even bamboo fibre are all used in clothing.
Piña (
pineapple fibre) and
ramie
are also fibres used in clothing, generally with a blend of other
fibres such as cotton. Nettles have also been used to make a fibre and
fabric very similar to hemp or flax. The use of milkweed stalk fibre has
also been reported, but it tends to be somewhat weaker than other
fibres like hemp or flax.
Acetate is used to increase the shininess of certain fabrics such as
silks,
velvets, and
taffetas.
Seaweed is used in the production of textiles. A water-soluble fibre known as
alginate is produced and is used as a holding fibre; when the cloth is finished, the alginate is dissolved, leaving an open area
Lyocell is a
man-made fabric derived from wood pulp. It is often described as a
man-made silk equivalent and is a tough fabric which is often blended
with other fabrics - cotton for example.
Fibres from the stalks of plants, such as hemp, flax, and nettles, are also known as 'bast' fibres.
[edit] Mineral textiles
Asbestos and
basalt fibre
are used for vinyl tiles, sheeting, and adhesives, "transite" panels
and siding, acoustical ceilings, stage curtains, and fire blankets.
Glass Fibre is used in the production of
spacesuits, ironing board and mattress covers, ropes and cables, reinforcement fibre for
composite materials, insect netting, flame-retardant and protective fabric, soundproof, fireproof, and insulating fibres.
Metal fibre, metal foil, and metal wire have a variety of uses, including the production of
cloth-of-gold and
jewelery. Hardware cloth is a coarse weave of steel wire, used in construction.
[edit] Synthetic textiles
All synthetic textiles are used primarily in the production of clothing.
Polyester fibre is used in all types of clothing, either alone or blended with fibres such as cotton.
Aramid fibre (e.g.
Twaron) is used for flame-retardant clothing, cut-protection, and armor.
Acrylic is a fibre used to imitate wools, including cashmere, and is often used in replacement of them.
Nylon is a fibre used to imitate silk; it is used in the production of
pantyhose. Thicker nylon fibres are used in
rope and outdoor clothing.
Spandex (trade name
Lycra) is a
polyurethane product that can be made tight-fitting without impeding movement. It is used to make activewear,
bras, and
swimsuits.
Olefin fibre is a fibre used in activewear, linings, and warm clothing. Olefins are hydrophobic, allowing them to dry quickly. A sintered
felt of olefin fibres is sold under the trade name
Tyvek.
Ingeo is a
polylactide
fibre blended with other fibres such as cotton and used in clothing. It
is more hydrophilic than most other synthetics, allowing it to wick
away perspiration.
Lurex is a metallic fibre used in clothing embellishment.
Milk proteins have also been used to create synthetic fabric. Milk or
casein fibre cloth was developed during
World War I in Germany, and further developed in Italy and America during the 1930s.
[6]
Milk fibre fabric is not very durable and wrinkles easily, but has a pH
similar to human skin and possesses anti-bacterial properties. It is
marketed as a
biodegradable,
renewable synthetic fibre.
[7]
[edit] Production methods
Brilliantly dyed traditional woven textiles of
Guatemala, and woman weaving on a backstrap
loom.
Weaving is a textile production method which involves interlacing a set of longer
threads (called the
warp) with a set of crossing threads (called the
weft). This is done on a frame or machine known as a
loom, of which there are a number of types. Some weaving is still done by hand, but the vast majority is mechanised.
Knitting and
crocheting involve interlacing loops of
yarn, which are formed either on a
knitting needle or on a
crochet hook,
together in a line. The two processes are different in that knitting
has several active loops at one time, on the knitting needle waiting to
interlock with another loop, while crocheting never has more than one
active loop on the needle.
Spread Tow
is a production method where the yarn are spread into thin tapes, and
then the tapes are woven as warp and weft. This method is mostly used
for
composite materials;
Spread Tow Fabrics can be made in
carbon,
aramide, etc.
Braiding or
plaiting involves twisting threads together into cloth. Knotting involves tying threads together and is used in making
macrame.
Lace is made by
interlocking threads together independently, using a backing and any of
the methods described above, to create a fine fabric with open holes in
the work. Lace can be made by either hand or machine.
Carpets, rugs,
velvet,
velour, and
velveteen are made by interlacing a secondary yarn through woven cloth, creating a tufted layer known as a
nap or
pile.
Felting
involves pressing a mat of fibres together, and working them together
until they become tangled. A liquid, such as soapy water, is usually
added to lubricate the fibres, and to open up the microscopic scales on
strands of wool.
Nonwoven
textiles are manufactured by the bonding of fibres to make fabric.
Bonding may be thermal or mechanical, or adhesives can be used.
[edit] Treatments
Embroidered skirts by the Alfaro-Nùñez family of Cochas,
Peru, using traditional Peruvian embroidery methods.
[8]
Textiles are often
dyed,
with fabrics available in almost every colour. The dying process often
requires several dozen gallons of water for each pound of clothing.
[9] Coloured designs in textiles can be created by weaving together fibres of different colours (
tartan or Uzbek Ikat), adding coloured stitches to finished fabric (
embroidery), creating patterns by
resist dyeing methods, tying off areas of cloth and dyeing the rest (
tie-dyeing), or drawing wax designs on cloth and dyeing in between them (
batik), or using various printing processes on finished fabric.
Woodblock printing, still used in India and elsewhere today, is the oldest of these dating back to at least 220CE in
China. Textiles are also sometimes
bleached, making the textile pale or white.
Textiles are sometimes finished by chemical processes to change their
characteristics. In the 19th century and early 20th century
starching
was commonly used to make clothing more resistant to stains and
wrinkles. Since the 1990s, with advances in technologies such as
permanent press process,
finishing agents have been used to strengthen fabrics and make them wrinkle free.
[1]
More recently, nanomaterials research has led to additional
advancements, with companies such as Nano-Tex and NanoHorizons
developing permanent treatments based on metallic
nanoparticles for making textiles more resistant to things such as water, stains, wrinkles, and pathogens such as bacteria and fungi.
[10]
More so today than ever before, textiles receive a range of treatments
before they reach the end-user. From formaldehyde finishes (to improve
crease-resistance) to biocidic finishes and from flame retardants to
dyeing of many types of fabric, the possibilities are almost endless.
However, many of these finishes may also have detrimental effects on the
end user. A number of disperse, acid and reactive dyes (for example)
have been shown to be allergenic to sensitive individuals.
[11] Further to this, specific dyes within this group have also been shown to induce purpuric contact dermatitis.
[12] Although formaldehyde levels in clothing are unlikely to be at levels high enough to cause an allergic reaction,
[13]
due to the presence of such a chemical, quality control and testing are
of utmost importance. Flame retardants (mainly in the brominated form)
are also of concern where the environment, and their potential toxicity,
are concerned.
[14]
Testing for these additives is possible at a number of commercial
laboratories, it is also possible to have textiles tested for according
to the
Oeko-tex Certification Standard which contains limits levels for the use of certain chemicals in textiles products.
