DT Theory Textiles

Textile fibres are the tiny threads that are spun together to make fabrics. Think of them as the building blocks of cloth.

Natural fibres like cotton, wool, and silk come from plants and animals, while synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon are made from chemicals.

They give your clothes and other items, their feel, strength, and flexibility.

Fibres

Mostly uses man made sources, e.g. oil, but can use natural sources as well.

Polyester
Strong and versatile, it holds colour and washes well

Acrylic
Warm, dries quickly, poor absorbency, used for knitwear and blankets

Synthetic

Vegetable – cotton
Takes dye well, soft, strong, absorbent, recyclable, used in clothing


Animal – wool
Can be fine or thick, soft or coarse, takes dye well, warm and crease-resistant, used in clothing and carpets

Natural

Non-Woven fabrics are made by meshing fibres together using that are glue, compression or heat (to melt them together

​Bonded fabrics

​Felted wool fabric

​Formed with moisture, heat and pressure, can be shaped as it has no elasticity or drape, used for hat making, pool table surfaces, coats etc.

Doesn't fray or unravel, environmentally unfriendly

Expensive, not stretchy, deforms when wet

​Fibres are visible and random, often has small holes on the surface

Does not fray as it has no grain, not strong, especially when wet.

examples are wet wipes, disposable overalls

Cheap and stable.

Properties: Simple and cheap, eg calico, strong and available in different thicknesses. Bedsheets and shirts use this weave.

Now we have the fibres (usually spun in to yarn), we need to make fabric. ​There are 3 ways to do this, woven, non-woven and knitted.

Woven fabrics use a warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) yarn on a loom to interlock fibres.

Properties: Strong, hardwearing, denim has a white warp and blue weft resulting in a two-coloured fabric.

This means interlocking loops of yarn together. they can be warp (across-horizontal) or weft (up - Vertical) knitted
Can be knitted in patterns can have a variety of colours and textures.

Can only be made on machine

Swimwear, geotextiles, fleece

Fairly stretchy, holds heat, doesn't unravel

Can loose shape and curls at edges

Made by hand or machine

T shirts, jumpers, socks, tops.

stretchy, comfy and fast production.

Ladders easily

The main properties we consider when choosing textiles for a purpose are:

Elasticity: How much a fabric can stretch and then go back to its normal shape.

Resilience: How well a fabric can bounce back to its original shape after being squished or twisted. e.g. fibres should spring back up after being pressed on.

Durability: How long and strong a fabric can last without tearing or wearing out.