Fabrics

Elements of Fabric that give its

characteristics

Seeing/Feeling the different

personalities fabric can have

Understanding what type of fabric

would be good for a garment, and
which would be bad
 FABRIC
FIBER  YARN  WEAVE
 There are dozens of types fabrics in the world
 What they are and their differences is all
determined by the variety of combinations
that can make up a fabric

 When Looking at Fabrics Important

 Fiber
 Weave
 Weight
 Drape/Body
 Fabric
Personality
Do you want a dress to hug every
curve, or skim them?
Do you want a skirt to fall in graceful
folds to the floor, or to make a crisp
box-pleat?
What are Fibers?
 . Fibers are the basic units of all
textiles.
 Fibers are put together to form a
continuous strand, making a yarn.
 Yarns are woven or knitted
together to make fabrics.
Fiber Characteristics
 Knowledge of fiber characteristics will help
you select the right fabric for your needs.
 Strength: the ability to withstand pulling and
twisting
 Shrinkage: the ability to maintain size
 Warmth: the ability to maintain body temperature.
 Durability: the ability to hold up to repeated
usage.
 Absorbency: the ability to take in moisture.
 Wicking: the ability to pull moisture away from the
body and toward the surface of the fabric where it
can evaporate quickly.
Fiber Characteristic Continued (2)
 Wrinkle Resistance: the ability to resist
creasing.
 Resiliency: the ability to spring back when
crushed or wrinkled.
 Elasticity: the ability to return to its original
size.
 Abrasion Resistance: the ability to withstand
rubbing.
 Luster: the natural sheen or shine of some
fibers.
 Static Resistance: the ability to withstand the
buildup of electricity. polyester
Groups of Fibers
 There are two main groups of fibers.
 Natural fibers which are made from
natural sources—plants and animals.

 Manufactured fibers which are made
from created in factories using
natural or synthetic chemicals.
Characteristics of Fibers
 Length- filament vs staple fibers
 Shape of fiber- determines luster and hand
 Surface of fiber- smooth, rough, scaly
 Texture of fiber- twisted, coiled, crimped
 Animal fibers are crimped like wool- which helps
with warmth
 Diameter- thickness
 Thicker fibers are wrinkle resistant
Natural
Fibers
Natural Fibers
 The most common natural fibers are cotton, linen,
wool, and silk.
 Natural fibers vary in quality depending on the kind of
animal or plant.
 The fibers must be cleaned before they can be made
into yarns.
 Supplies of natural fibers vary, according to the
season.
 They each have unique characteristics that cannot be
copied by science.
 There are two categories of Natural Fibers:
1. Cellulosic Fibers
2. Protein Fibers
Cellulosic Fibers
 CellulosicFibers Cotton

come from plant

sources. There
are many kinds
of cellulosic
fibers, but few
are used in
fabric. Cotton,
and flax are the
main cellulosic Flax

fibers that are

Protein Fibers
Wool
 Protein Fibers
come from
animal
sources.
 Wool and silk
Silk
are the main
protein fibers.
Cotton
 Cotton is a natural fiber that is obtained from
the cotton plant. It is the most widely used
natural fiber.
 The cotton plant can grow in any part of the
world where the growing season lasts six or
seven months. China leads in cotton
production, followed by the United States and
India.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Cotton

Advantages Disadvantages
 Inexpensive  Wrinkles Easily
 Launders Well  Soils Easily
 Soft  Mildews is stored
 Hydrophilic— damp.
Absorbent  A discoloration caused
by a fungus that
 Dyes Well
grows on the fabric
when it is stored
moist over a period of
time.
Flax (Linen)
 Flax is the plant used to make linen fabric.
The whole plant is used to produce fibers
 The Egyptians grew fields of flax along the
Nile River over 4000 years ago and made it
into fine cloth. Pieces of linen have been
found in tombs of the Pharaohs. Egyptian
mummies, wrapped in linen, are still seen in
museums.
 Today, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and
Poland produce most of the linen fabric.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Linen

Advantages Disadvantages
 Durability  Wrinkles Easily
 Absorbent  Expensive
 Lint Free
 Harder to soil
Wool
 Wool is made from the fleece/hair of the
sheep or lambs. It is the most common
animal fiber people wear today
 Crude wool fabrics have been found in the
ruins of the Stone Age. Even then, people
knew that the fleece of the sheep was softer
and warmer than the skins of other animals.
 Sheep were the first animals to be
domesticated and raised for their fleece.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Wool

Advantages Disadvantages
 Warmest Natural  Shrinks easily
Fiber  Requires dry
 Natural Insulator cleaning
 Strong and Durable  Expensive
 Lightweight
 Absorbent
 Wrinkle-Resistance
 Fire Retardant
Silk
 Silk is a protein fiber that comes from the
cocoons of silkworms. Manufacturers unwind
the cocoons to obtain the fiber. The silk fiber
is the longest natural fiber, sometimes
reaching a thousand yards or more. Peace silk
 Japan is the leading producer of raw silk today.
China, Italy, France, and India also produce
large amounts of silk. The United States does
not produce raw silk because of the high cost
of labor. However, it is the world’s largest
manufacturer of silk products.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Silk

Advantages Disadvantages
 One of the strongest  Hard to wash, usually
fibers. requires dry
 Has a natural shine cleaning.
or luster giving  Expensive
fabrics a luxurious
look.
 Very Elastic
 Resists Wrinkling
 So smooth that dirt
doesn't cling to it.
Manufactured
Fibers
Manufactured Fibers
 Rayon was the first commercially produced
fiber (1910). It was followed by acetate
(1924). These fibers are made from cellulose,
the fibrous substance in plants. They are
man-made cellulosic fibers.
 Combining molecules of nitrogen, oxygen,
hydrogen, and carbon makes most other
manufactured fibers. The molecules are
linked in various ways to form chemical
compounds called polymers. These
manufactured fibers are called synthetic fibers
since they are made from chemicals.
How Manufactured Fibers are Made
 The raw materials and chemicals used to
make manufactured fibers can vary. They all
go through the same basic steps before they
become fibers:
1. The solid raw material is changed to a liquid.
2. The liquid is extruded (forced or pushed)
throughout a spinneret—a small nozzle with
many tiny holes, similar to a bathroom
showerhead.
3. The liquid hardens in the form of a fiber often
called a filament. A filament is a continuous
strand of fiber. Any manufactured fiber can be
made in filament form.
 Silk is the only natural fiber that comes in a filament
form.
How Manufactured Fibers are Made (2)
Rayon
 Rayon is a manufactured regenerated
cellulose fiber. It is made from purified
cellulose, primarily from wood pulp, which is
chemically converted into a soluble
compound.
 Has many of the same characteristics as
cotton, but has the hand and appearance of
silk.
Advantages & Disadvantages Rayon

Advantages Disadvantages
 Soft  Shrinks & wrinkles
 Comfortable easily
 Absorbent  Low Resiliency
 Inexpensive  Heat sensitive
 Abrasion resistant  Mildews
 Dry Clean or Hand
Wash Only
Polyester
 1953 Dupont
 A synthetic resin in which the polymer units
are linked by ester groups, used chiefly to
make synthetic textile fibers.
 It is the most widely used out of all the fibers.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Polyester

Advantages Disadvantages
 Very resistant to  Retains oily stains.
wrinkling, stretching,  Hydrophobic—
shrinking, bleach, doesn’t absorb
sunlight, moths, and moisture well
mildew  Static electricity
 Medium weight
 Washes easily
 Fabric
Construction
Making of Fabric
 The two most common methods of making
fabric are weaving and knitting. Other
methods include felting and bonding. From
only a few construction methods come many
different fabrics.
Weaving Fabrics
 Weaving is the process of interlacing yarns at right
angles to each other to create a woven fabric. It’s done
on machines called looms. For generations, weaving
was done by hand.
 Weaving requires the use of two sets of yarns. The
lengthwise yarns are the warp yarns. The crosswise
yarns are the filling yarns. The warp yarns are
threaded onto the loom. They must be strong and
durable to withstand the strain of the weaving process.
 The filling yarns pass over and under the warp yarns.
When they reach the edge, they turn back and weave
across the wrap yarns in the other direction. The
turned filling yarns along each side of the woven fabric
form the selvage—the fabric edge that is very strong
and will not ravel.
Looms weaving fabric
Warp & Weft Threads
Types of Weaves
 Through the weaving process, passing
the filling yarns over and under
different numbers of warp yarns can
create various types of woven fabric.
There are three basic types of
weaves:
1. Plain Weave
2. Twill Weave
3. Satin Weave
4. Jacquard/Brocade
Plain Weave
 Passing a filling yarn over
one wrap and then under
one wrap yarn makes the
plain weave. The netting of
a tennis racket is an
example of the plain
weave.
 Plain weave fabrics are
strong, durable, and easy to
sew. They wrinkle more
and absorb less moisture
than fabrics of other
weaves.
 Basket weave
 Chiffon, taffeta, faille
Twill Weave
 The twill weave forms when
a yarn in one direction floats
over two or more yarns in the
other direction. Each float
begins one yarn over from
the last one. The floats can
be either filling or wraps
yarns. Twill weaves fabrics
have a distinct diagonal line
or wale.
 Twill weaves are very durable
wrinkle-resistant, and hide
soil. They are less stiff than
plain weave fabrics that have
the same number of yarns.
 Denim, gabardine, chino
Satin Weave
 The satin weave forms by
floating a yarn from one
direction over four or more
yarns from the other
direction and then under
one yarn. Each float begins
two yarns over from where
the last float began. It is
used to make fabrics with a
smooth surface.
 Satin weaves fabrics have
great luster. The luster is
due to the exposed floats
reflecting light. Satin
weaves feel smooth and
are drapable. However,
satin weaves are not very
durable. The floats tend to
Pile Weave
 Weave that includes
loops of fibers that
sit above the surface
of the weave
 Loops can but cut of
left as is
 Examples include
velvet, cordoroy, and
terry cloth
Knitted Fabrics
 Knitting is a process that
loops yarns together.
One loop of yarn is pulled
through another loop, just
as you would knit at
home.
 The loops or stitches can
be varied to create
different patterns and
textures. Different yarns
produce different effects.
 One or two continuous
filaments are knit into
yardage
Knitting
 Industrial knit
machines chan have
6-8 rows of 600
needles
 The end result is
determined by
machine settings and
needle size
 Super fast
 https://www.youtube.
com/watch?
v=YaJQ723oW64
 Fabric
Finishes
Yarn Dyeing
 Before some yarn is
knitted or woven into
fabrics, it goes through a
process called yarn
dyeing. After spinning,
the yarns are tightly
wound on tubes, and
then placed in the dye
bath. Most fabrics that
are plaid or striped are
yarn dyed. Generally,
yarn dyeing costs less
than fiber dyeing, but
more than piece dyeing.
Piece Dyeing
 The most common
method of dyeing is
piece dyeing. During
the piece dyeing
process, color is
added after the
fabric has been
made. Piece dyeing
allows manufacturers
to follow fashion
trends closely. Most,
but not all, piece-
dyed fabrics are solid
colors.
Printed Fabric
 Printing also adds color
to fabrics. Printing is the
process of adding color,
pattern, or design to
fabric surfaces. You can
easily tell whether
fabrics have been
colored in a dye bath or
by printing. The wrong
side of most printed
fabrics is much lighter
than the right side. Both
sides of dyed fabrics are
the same color.
 Fabric Weight
 thickness of yarn
 tightness of weave
 number of threads
 Light, medium, heavy- always relative

 What is the most light weight swatch?

 What is a heavy fabric? Is it physically
heavy?
 Fabric’s DRAPE
how it hangs
 Is it hanging away from
the body?
 Is it moderately holding
itself out?
 Is it standing out on its
own?

 Crisp
 Soft
 Malleable
 Holds shape
 Wilt
 Fabric’s BODY
how it moves
 Slinky
 Fluid
 Stiff
 Bounce
 Flutter
 Sway
Pick a Swatch for this Gown
Which Swatch matches this Dress?
Poly or Silk?
Homework
 Pick 4 Mystery Swatches & Find garments that
could be made from those fabrics.
 Picture of garment
 Description of Fabric personality
 Explanation of fabric choice for garment
 Print or Email turn in w/ swatch on Friday

Pinterest: Modern Twist on a Button Down Shirt

Reading: Using Commercial Patterns & Cutting Out

Fabric PDF