Define: Warp & Weft
Any woven fabric has a warp and a weft. The warp is the lengthwise yarn or series of yarns that interlace with the weft yarns which run across the width of the materials. The warp should always be the strongest, although a reasonable balance should be maintained.
Define: Yarns
Are continuous strands or threads made from fiber, the basic material from which cloth is made. Yarns can be monofilaments, multifilaments, spun, twisted, plied, slub, and stretch.
Define: Textiles
by definition are fabrics that are woven
define: plain weave
uses two elements A simple over and under interlace produces medical gauze, tweed, gingham, taffeta, muslin, and monks cloth
define: basket weave
A variation of plain weave which has a simple two-and-two interlace. This is characteristic of canvas and duck.
define: pile weaves
By adding a third element in pile weaves the third element projects above the plane of the basic weave, forming loops. If the loops are cut, the surface is fuzzy-plush, velour, and velvet for example. Brocades and corduroy are also three-element plain weaves
define: matelasse
is a weaving or stitching technique yielding a pattern that appears quilted or padded.
Define: twill weave
The fill yarn pass over two or more warp yarns in a shifting sequence to create a diagonal effect on the woven surface. Denim and herringbone are examples
define: satin weaves
Each warp yarn passes over (floats) four to six warp lines and under one filling yarn in a staggered pattern that avoids the diagonal pattern of twills. The warps are set closer, creating a high thread count. Satin, sateen, and damask have a satin weave.
Define: Damask
Tone-on-tone or positive/negative patterns can be created by using satin in certain areas and sateen in other areas.
define: jacquard (aka jacquard loom)
Complicated patterns can be woven efficiently using this invention. Brocades, tapestries, and some damasks, matelasses and velvets are jacquard woven fabrics. 'jacquard' is a machine, not a fabric
Define: Dobby loom
Which is used to create small, allover, usually geometric patterns. Traditionally a dobby mechanism controlled by an overhead punch-card was attached to the loom to instruct the loom to weave patterns of varying arrangement of warp and fill.
Define: finishing process
Stablizes and prepares the fabric for sale, appearance and/or dyeing or printing
Define: calendering
pressed between two weighted, heated rollers
Define: Glazing
A process where a fabric is glazed with a substance such as wax, shellac, or resin before calendering creates a polished luster finish like that found on chintz.
Define: Fulling
A controlled shrinkage technique; it eliminates oils, dirt, and other impurities and to make it thicker.
Define: back coating
acrylic latex to reduce seam slippage and improve stability and abrasion resistance.
Define: griege goods
Undyed or unfinished fabrics can be piece dyed, an economical, efficient way of producing solid colored fabric from woven textiles.
yarn dyeing technique
Loose skeins of yarn are stirred in a large vat by hand. This technique has been automated and can be used to produce solid or multicolor yarns.
Define: roller printing
Commercial printing technique in which copper rollers engraved with a design pass over the fabric much like a printing machine passes over a newspaper. Up to 16 colors can be applied to the fabric in one pass by some of these machines.
Define: screen printing
Uses a screen that has blocked out areas where the color is not to appear. Color squeezed through the screen to penetrate the unblocked areas. creen printing can be done manually, with a flat table mechanically on a flat fabric, or with a rotary technique.
Define: Transfer printing
Is a method that resembles a giant decal repeated over and over. The dyes are affixed to a paper backing and under heat and pressure are transferred to fabrics made of fibers compatible with the dye types. This process is limited to certain synthetic fabrics.
Define: Block printing and Resist printing
Two hand print techniques used. In the first, print dye is transferred from carved blocks of wood to the surface of the fabric. In resist printing, part of the fabric is blocked from penetration by the dye through wrapping it tightly by hand.
Define: natural fibers
Natural fibers with which designers work the most with are wool, cotton, silk, and linen. Among the natural fabrics, there are two sources: animal (or protien) fibers and vegetable (or cellulosic) fibers.
Define: Worsted wool
Is fabric with a weave in which the fibers lie parallel. The fibers in worsted wool are long and tightly woven.
Define: Mohair fibers
Are from the Angora goat. With a silky feel and a luster, it imparts sheen and rich opulent quality. Mohair fabric is popular for plush, a luxurious grade of velvet.
What is alpaca fleece/ cashmere fleece
Alpaca fleece is harvested from the alpaca and cashmere is harvested from the Kashmir goat.
Horsehair
Is woven from the actual hairs of horse tails and used as the weft in upholstery fabric, which was in vogue in the late 18th century among aristocrats. Of course, the width of the fabric can be no longer than a horses tail. Horsehair fabric is smooth and lustrous and has a hard, durable hand.
Silk
It is a natural fiber associated with luxury. Silk has a smooth hand and high luster. Silk is classified as an animal or protein fiber. It is harvested from the cocoons of Asian moths.
Define: Sericulture
The production of silk. It is mostly practiced in China, Japan, India, and Italy. Silk is produced by the mass destruction of silk moth larvae, which are killed by heat before they can break out of their cocoon.
Define: Throwing
Silk yarn is formed by reeling filaments from half a dozen or so cocoons and giving them a slight twist to form the yarn.
Define: Serecin
When the silkworm produces the cocoon, the silk fiber is coated with a gum
Define: Raw silk
Silk in which the gum has not yet been removed.
Define: Noil
Cultivated silk waste made up of very short fibers; it has a fine but nubby texture.
Doupioni silk
Is the double strand of fiber that 'twin' worms produce when they join in one cocoon.
Define: Slubs
The irregularities in silk of the two strands match up to create a larger-than-usual slubs, gradual shifts from thicker to thinner over long lengths
What does it mean to be "strong in tensile strength"
The ability of a fabric to withstand tension without rupturing, and its smooth character makes it abrasion resistant.
What is Flax, Ramie, and Jute
Vegetable or plant fibers. Flax is the strongest natural fiber known and is used to produce linen. Long line flax yarn is strong and expensive, crisp and smooth
What is Jute, Hemp, and Ramie?
Sometimes the woody part is beaten or 'scrutched' until it falls away to form the thread. Vegetable or plant fibers. Ramie is also known as China grass.
Sisal
Sisal is removed from the sisal plant's LEAFY parts
Cotton
Of all the plant fibers, cotton is the most versatile and most used. Warmer than linen, cotton plants produce a soft comfortable fiber that absorbs water, feels cool to the touch, and dyes beautifully
Sea Island cotton
From the West Indies, with fibers 1.75"-2" long. LONGEST fibers.
Man-made fibers
Some are from 'natural' materials and some are from synthetic materials. Natural materials would include glass fiber, latex from rubber, metal wires, as well as rayon and acetate which are made from wood pulp that has been manipulated into a liquid (viscose) state.
Rayon
The first man-made fiber, is process from NATURAL cellulosic wood pulp or cotton waste fiber. Beginning in the mid 17th century, chemists tried to make a synthetic fiber to rival silk and cotton.
Vicose and Acetate
The most common types of rayon
Synthetic
Manmade fibers not made from natural materials. Synthetic fabrics include generic (unbranded) forms such as polyester, nylon, spandex, olefin, and acrylic, which are all chemically distinct from each other.
Olefin
Or polypropylene, is a lightweight, low cost petrochemical fiber known for its non-absorbency and stain and mildew resistance. Olefin is used for outdoor rugs and heavy-use upholstery.
Spandex
A highly elastic fiber, is a synthetic substitute for latex, which is made from rubber.
What is mercerized mean?
a permanent chemical process invented by John Mercer in 1844. Cotton-yarn-warp yarns or woven cloth are mercerized by impregnating them with a caustic soda solution which increases the strength, luster, and dye affinity of cotton.
What is the best all-around synthetic fiber?
Polyester because it is light-resistant, wrinkle resistant, stable, and available in a large array of forms. It's easy to clean (but stains may be hard to remove) and can be recycled. It is the preferred fabric for vertical applications like drapery and performs well on flammability tests.
What are some disadvantages and advantages to nylon?
Advantages: Has great tensile strength and often blended with fibers that are unstable or likely to wear. Easy to clean, vermin-proof and crease proof.
Disadvantages: poor ability to regain original size and shape after its absorbed atmospheric moisture (unsuitable for vertical uses), vulnerable to pilling and fraying.
Define: Ardil
A protein fiber used as an alternative to wool. Its as resilient as wool and crease resistant. It is warm, soft and drapes well. Doesn't shrink or stretch, dries quickly and is as strong as nylon.
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