Textile Materials

At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. identify the sources and classification of fibres; 2. describe the characteristics of natural and man-made fibres; 3. explain common terms in textiles; 4. identify different methods of constructing fabrics; 5. explain the purposes of fabric finishes and be able to describe the types of finishes; 6. identify the different types of fabric; 7. explain the reasons for fabric combinations and differentiate between fabric blends and fabric mixtures; and 8. identify the uses of different fabrics and describe the care of fabrics.

Definition of textile fibre and textile terms (yarn, filament, staple fabric, selvedge, warp yarns, weft yarns, grain, man-made fibre, fabric thread count); sources and classification of textile fibres. Methods of fibres identification. Properties/characteristics of textile fibres. Methods of fabric production (woven fabrics, basic weaves- plain weave, twill weave, satin weave), knitting, quilting, crocheting, lacing, bonding, netting, felting and lamination. Fabric finishes, purpose of fabric finishes, types of fabric finishes (beetling, calendaring, mercerization, sniggering, sizing, bleaching, carbonizing, abrasion resistant, shrinkage control, water-proof finish, moth proof, mildew control). Types of fabrics (cotton, linen, wool, silk, rayon, acetate, nylon/polyamide, polyester and acrylic fabrics). Fabric combinations, blends and mixtures. Reasons for fabric combinations. Uses and care of different fabrics.