Fabric Definitions — definitions of fabrics, cloths, laces and textile materials from Apparel Search
A textile is any kind of woven, knitted, knotted (as in macrame) or tufted cloth, or a non-woven fabric — a cloth made of fibers that have been bonded into a fabric, such as felt. Textile also refers to the yarns, threads and wools that can be spun, woven, tufted, tied and otherwise used to manufacture cloth, and the production of textiles is an ancient art whose speed and scale have been altered almost beyond recognition by mass production and modern manufacturing techniques.
Textile also refers to the yarns, threads and wools that can be spun, woven, tufted, tied and otherwise used to manufacture cloth. The production of textiles is an ancient art, whose speed and scale of production has been altered almost beyond recognition by mass-production and the introduction of modern manufacturing techniques. An ancient Roman weaver would have no problem recognizing a 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.
Animal origin
Angora rabbit hair
Camel hair
Vicuana hair
Wool : divided into woollen and worsted
Vegetable
Bark cloth has various uses, and is used in sheets.
Coir: the fiber from coconuts.
Grass, rush and straw
Hemp (mostly used in rope making)
Kapok
Nettle: processed in a similar manner to flax.
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.
Derived from plant products
Mineral
Asbestos: now has very limited uses.
Glass fibers can be used in the manufacture of textiles for insulation and other purposes.
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).
A vast range of man-made fibers can be used in textile manufacture, including:
Spandex, tactel, lycra and other 'stretch' fabrics
Polypropylene (comes under various common trade names such as Olefin or Herculon)
Braiding/plaiting
Crochet
usually by hand.
Embroidery
threads which are added to the surface of
a finished textile.
Felt
fibers are matted together to produce a
cloth.
Knitting
by hand or on
knitting machines.
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 machine made.
Bleaching
where the natural or original
color of the textile is
removed with bleach.
Dyeing
adding color to textiles:
there is a vast range of
dyes, natural
and synthetic, some of which
require mordants.
Waterproofing and other finishing.
Starching
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.
Flags
Furnishings, including towels and table cloths
Industrial and scientific uses, including filtering
Nets
Rugs and carpets
Tents
Towels
Learn about Textile Recycling.
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'Textile' is unusually broad because it describes a transformation rather than a material. Fiber — whether grown, sheared, mined or synthesized — becomes yarn; yarn becomes cloth by one of the making methods in the definition; and cloth becomes everything from a shirt to a sail. The making methods are the taxonomy: braiding and plaiting interlace strands; crochet builds loops by hand; embroidery adds thread to a finished textile's surface; felting mats fibers together without spinning or weaving; knitting loops yarn by hand or machine; knotting includes macramé and net-making; lace is made by hand and machine; pile fabrics add a secondary set of yarns to create velvet, velveteen and plush; and weaving prepares cloth on a loom, hand or machine. Each method gives a different cloth character from the same fiber, which is why 'textile' rather than a fiber name is the right umbrella term for the field.
The uses list in the definition shows why textiles are among the oldest technologies: textiles serve in almost every context where their properties are useful — clothing, flags, furnishings including towels and table cloths, geotextiles, industrial and scientific uses including filtering, nets, rugs and carpets, tents, bags and carrying objects, and transport uses including balloons, kites, sails and parachutes, with early airplanes using cloth as part of their construction. Processing completes the picture: bleaching removes natural color, dyeing adds color with a vast range of natural and synthetic dyes (some requiring mordants), and finishing adds waterproofing and other properties. A textile's identity, then, is the sum of four choices — fiber, making method, process and finish — and the definition's long fiber list, from bark cloth and seaweed-derived alginate to metal fiber, wire and foil used in goldwork embroidery, is a reminder that the field keeps widening: new fibers arrive, old methods persist, and a Roman weaver's three weaves still underlie most of the world's cloth.
Any cloth made by joining fibers: woven, knitted, knotted, tufted or non-woven cloth, including felt. The word also covers the raw materials themselves — the yarns, threads and wools that can be spun, woven, tufted, tied and otherwise used to manufacture cloth.
Animal fibers such as alpaca, angora, camel hair, cashmere, mohair, silk, vicuña and wool; vegetable fibers including cotton, linen from flax, hemp, jute, kapok, ramie, sisal and coir; mineral fibers such as asbestos and glass; and a vast range of man-made fibers including acrylic, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, rayon and stretch fibers such as spandex.
Textiles are ancient: an ancient Roman weaver would have no problem recognizing a plain weave, twill or satin, and many textiles have been in use for millennia, while others use artificial fibers and are recent inventions — the first synthetics date to the 1920s and 1930s, and the range of fibers has increased greatly in the last 100 years.