Textile
 |
A variety of fabric. From the right: evenweave cotton, velvet, printed cotton, calico, felt, satin, silk, hessian, polycotton. |
A
textile (often called
cloth or
fabric) is a flexible artificial material made up of a network of natural or artificial
fibres (
thread or yarn).
formed by
weaving or
knitting (
textiles), or pressed into
felt. The words
fabric and
material are commonly used in the textile assembly trades such as
tailoring and
dressmaking, as synonyms for
cloth. However, they are words with much more general meanings. The term is also used to describe a particular type of hardback book binding, originally meaning that the surface of the cover was made using "cloth".
Classes of textiles include
woven,
crocheted,
knitted,
knotted (as in
macrame) or
tufted cloth, and
non-woven fabrics such as
felt. Materials made from fibers such as
fiberglass, carbon fiber, and ceramic fiber which are infiltrated by a matrix of another material are considered fiber-reinforced
composite materials.
The production of textiles is an ancient craft, whose speed and scale of production has been altered almost beyond recognition by mass-production and the introduction of modern manufacturing techniques. However, a
Roman weaver would have no problem recognizing modern plain weave,
twill or
satin.
Many textiles have been in use for millennia, while others use artificial fibers and are recent inventions. The range of fibers has increased in the last 100 years. The first synthetics were made in the 1920s and 1930s.
Textiles can be made from a variety of materials. The following is a partial list of the materials that can be used to make textiles. In the past, all cloth was made from natural fibres, including plant sources such as
cotton,
flax, and
hemp, and animal sources such as
wool, hair, and
silk. In the
20th century, these were supplemented by artificial fibres such as
polyester and
rayon.
Cloth is most often used in the manufacture of
clothing, household
furnishings, and
art such as
tapestry. Before the advent of woven cloth, the functions of textiles were fulfilled by
furs and skins.
Cloth is most often but not always
dyed, with fabrics available in every color. Coloured designs in fabric can be created by weaving strands of different colours (
plaid) and adding coloured stitches to finished fabric (
embroidery), but also by using various printing processes on finished fabric. The hobby of machine embroidery has become popular in the last few years, thanks to less expensive home embroidery machines.
Since the 1990s, finishing agents have been used to strengthen fabrics and make them wrinkle free. [
1]
Cloth is made in many, various strengths and degrees of durability, from the finest
gossamer fabrics to sturdy
canvas sails. The relative thickness of fibres in cloth is measured in
deniers.
Microfiber refers to fibers made of strands thinner than one denier.
Animal origin
*
Alpaca*
Thread*
Angora rabbit hair
*
Camel hair
*
Cashmere*
Mohair*
Silk*
Vicuña hair
*
Wool: divided into
woollen and
worstedVegetable
*
Bark cloth has various uses, and is used in sheets.
*
Bamboo fiber from bamboo.
*
Coir: the fiber from
coconuts.
*
Cotton*
Shell of Coconut *
Grass,
rush and
straw*
Hemp (mostly used in
rope making)
*
Jute*
Kapok*
Linen, made from
flax*
Nettle: processed in a similar manner to flax.
*
Ramie*
Seaweed: a water soluble fiber (alginate) is produced. This is used as a holding fiber in the production of certain textiles: when the cloth is finished the alginate is dissolved, leaving an open area.
*
SisalDerived from plant products
*
Acetate*
Modal*
Paper*
Piña (Pineapple fiber)*
RayonMineral
*
Asbestos *
Glass fibers can be used in the manufacture of textiles for insulation and other purposes.
*
Glass Fiber*
Metal fiber,
metal wire and
metal foil have some uses in textiles, either on their own or with other materials (see, for example, goldwork
embroidery).
Synthetic
*
Acrylic fiber*
Ingeo*
Lurex *
Spandex,
tactel,
lycra and other 'stretch' fabrics
*
Nylon fiber
*
Polyester fiber
*
Polypropylene (comes under various common trade names such as Olefin or Herculon)
*
Olefin fiber*
Braiding/
Plaiting
*
Crochet – usually by hand.
*
Felt – fibers are matted together to produce a cloth.
*
Knitting – by hand or on
knitting machines (see
stocking frame).
*Knotting, including
macrame: used in making
nets.
*
Lace – again both hand made and machine made.
*
Pile fabrics –
carpets and some
rugs
*
Velvet,
velveteen,
plush fabrics and similar have a secondary set of yarns which provide a pile.
*
Weaving – the cloth is prepared on a
loom, of which there are a number of types. Some weaving is still done by hand, but the vast majority is mechanised.
*
Carding*
Bleaching – where the natural or original colour of the textile is removed by chemicals or exposure to sunlight.
*
Dyeing – adding colour to textiles: there is a vast range of
dyes, natural and synthetic, some of which require
mordants.
*
Textile printing*
Embroidery – threads which are added to the surface of a finished textile for ornamentation.
*
Starching
*
Waterproofing and other finishings.
*
Bobbinet is a type of
tulle netting similar to warp knitting
Textiles have been used in almost every possible context where their properties are useful.
*In
cleaning*
Bags and other means of carrying objects
*
Balloons,
kites,
sails,
parachutes and other
transport use. Early
airplanes used cloth as part of the construction.
*
Clothing*
Flags
*
Furnishings, including
towels and
table cloths
*
Geotextiles
*
Industrial and scientific uses, including filtering
*
Nets
*
Rugs and
carpets
*
Tents
*
Towels
*
Manufacturing*
Textile manufacturing terminology*
Timeline of clothing and textiles technology*
Weaving document archive*
(4) NC State College of Textiles*
Technical Textiles Executive
