Fabric Definitions — definitions of fabrics, cloths, laces and textile materials from Apparel Search
Fabric, or cloth, is a flexible material made up of a network of natural or artificial fibers — thread or yarn — formed by weaving or knitting, or pressed into felt. Fabric 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; in the 20th century natural fibers were supplemented by artificial fibers 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.
In the past, all cloth was made from natural fibers, including plant sources such as such as as cotton, flax, and hemp, and animal sources such as wool, hair, and silk. In the 20th century, these were supplemented by artificial fibers such as polyester and rayon.
Cloth is most often dyed, with fabrics available in every color. colored designs in fabric can be created by weaving strands of different colors (plaid) and adding colored stitches to finished fabric (embroidery), but also by using various printing processes on finished fabric.
Cloth is made in many varying strengths and degrees of durability, from the finest gossamer fabrics to sturdy canvas sailcloths. The relative thickness of fibers in cloth is measured in deniers. Microfiber refers to fibers made of strands thinner than one denier.
Learn more about fabric.
Learn about knit fabrics.
Learn about woven fabrics.
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Discuss fabric and textiles at the textile and fabric group at the Fashion Industry Network.
You may find the following links to be of assistance to your research on the subject of textiles:
Fabric as an Industrial ProductWhere cloth names the material on the tailor's table, fabric names the material as it is made and traded: produced in mills by the roll, specified by fiber, weave or knit structure, weight and finish, and tested before it is sold. The trade's apparatus surrounds the definition — fabric strength testing equipment and testing methods, fabric trade shows and retail stores, warp and weft, loom, weaving and knitting as the core processes. A fabric specification is a contract in miniature: it promises that yardage woven months apart will cut, sew, dye and wear the same. That industrial sense is why fabric, rather than cloth, is the word in fabric mill, fabric store and fabric content label — the contexts where the material is a product with measurable properties. Strength, Fineness and the Denier ScaleFabric spans, in the definition's own phrase, from the finest gossamer fabrics to sturdy canvas sailcloths, and the industry measures that span partly through its fibers. The relative thickness of fibers is measured in deniers; microfiber refers to fibers of strands thinner than one denier, and fabrics built from them achieve softness, absorbency and filtration that coarser fibers cannot. At the other end, heavy denier yarns build the sailcloths, tarpaulins and work fabrics. Between the extremes, fabric engineering is the matching of fiber, structure and finish to a job — the same reason a single fiber such as cotton appears as cambric, denim, canvas and corduroy: the fiber supplies the raw character, but the fabric is made by the structure it is given. Common QuestionsWhat are the three ways fabric is formed?Weaving, knitting and pressing into felt. Woven fabric interlaces warp and weft threads on a loom; knitted fabric loops yarn into interlocking rows; felt needs no yarn structure at all — fibers are matted, condensed and pressed into a non-woven sheet. Nearly every fabric in trade is one of the three, or a development of them. What is the difference between warp and weft?Warp threads run lengthwise in woven fabric, held under tension on the loom; weft threads are woven across them, over and under in the pattern the weave requires. The two directions behave differently — woven fabric is most stable along the warp — which is why grain direction governs how fabric is cut. How are colored designs created in fabric?At every stage of the chain: by weaving strands of different colors, as in plaid; by adding colored stitches to finished fabric, in embroidery; by dyeing the fiber, yarn or finished cloth; and by printing processes applied to finished fabric. Fabric is most often dyed, and is available in every color. More to Explore
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