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Fabric Education

Fabric 101

Contents

Manufactured Fibers

Fabric Types

Dupioni Silk	Dupioni silk is a light to medium weight elegant and classy fabric known for its nubby texture and shiny streaks. Bridal gown and evening wear is the preferred dress of this fabric because of its lustrous sheen and relatively low cost. Loose fitting blouses, jackets, suits, skirts, draperies made of Dupioni are also widely used. Dupioni silk is elegant, versatile, gives a slightly stiff feel and is easily identified by the ‘slubs’ on it. ‘Slubs’ are lumpy horizontal lines within the weave. Shot colors, use of two different colored threads in weaving, go well with dupioni silk. This blending gives a different shade to the fabric in light. It is lightweight, shimmering and soft > It has dull luster with shiny streaks > It is of nubby texture > It holds a crease well and it does not wrinkle > It is crisp to touch. Pin leaves mark on it > It has lumpy horizontal lines within the weave which is also known as ‘slubs’ > Hand-washing sometimes softens and removes stiffness of the fabric > Its weave contains minor irregularities > It is easy to cut and sew > It holds beading and embroidery well
Shantung Silk	Shantung silk fabric originated from China as a hand loomed Chinese silk. The name shantung has been derived from Shantung (Shandong) province of China located in the northern part of the country on the gulf of Bo Hai and the Huang Hai. Shantung silk fabric, usually referred to as 'raw silk', is of medium-weight and plain-weave. The fabric has irregular surface with rough and nubby appearance. It has natural sheen with bright luster. It is a hand woven and a hand dyed fabric with a textured look. > It has rough and irregular surface with slub texture and nub feel. > It has bright luster > It has subtle sheen > It is crisp and shiny > It is medium-weight > It ravels i.e. it separate the fibers or threads > It is slightly off-white in color > It drapes well
Taffeta	A fine, yarn-dyed, closely woven, plain-weave, smooth on both sides, stiffened fabric with a crisp feel and a sheen on its surface. Taffeta was originally made of silk, but is also made of rayon, cotton, acetate, or other man-made fibers. lt is named for the Persian fabric "taftan". The rustle of silk taffeta is called scroop, and it may be a solid color, printed or woven so that the colors appear iridescent.
Chiffon	Chiffon is an extraordinary lightweight and thin crepe fabric. Originally, chiffon was made of silk, but today also wool, rayon, nylon and other fibers are used for the production of chiffon. It is an open weave with slightly twisted yarns and can have both, a soft or stiff finish. Chiffon is often used for dresses and scarves.
Tissue taffeta	A crisp, lightweight taffeta.
Jersey	A single knit fabric with plain stitches on the right side and purl stitches on the back. A weft-knitted rayon, acetate, or two-bar tricot-knitted rayon or acetate used for slips, gowns, and blouses. Jersey is also made of wool, cotton, silk, nylon, or blends of the newer synthetics. As an elastic knitted wool fabric, usually in stockinette stitch, jersey was first made on the Island of Jersey off the English coast and used for fisherman’s clothing. [t is also used for blouses, dresses, and basque shirts. The word jersey is also occasionally used as a synonym for any knit.
Charmeuse	A luxury fabric made from silk with a satin finish. It has a floating appearance which drapes very well, especially for formal wear. The fabric is also extremely lightweight, and it has a glossy appearance and extremely soft texture. The fabric does need to be handled with care, since it is very fragile.
Crepe de Chine	Traditionally, a very sheer, pebbly, washable silk with the fabric degummed to produce crinkle. Today, it is a sheer, flat crepe in silk or man-made fibers.
Crepe georgette	A sheer fabric, similar to chiffon, made with a crepe yarn that gives the fabric a crepe appearance.
Brocade	Brocade is used as a ornate fabric. It has a Jacquard weave with an allover interwoven design, normally figures or flowers. The name is derived from the French word meaning “to ornament”. The brocade pattern is accentuated with varying surfaces or colors and often has gold, silver, or other metallic threads running through it. Although true brocades still are produced, nowadays the term is also used for knits with a similar luxurious look. A brocade rug, in carpeting, is one in which different yarns of the same color create a subtle pattern.
Brocaded satin	A satin fabric with raised designs in Jacquard weave.
Faille	A soft, slightly glossy silk, rayon, acetate, cotton, wool, or a mixture of these, in a rib weave, that has a light, flat, narrow crosswise rib or cord. It is made by using heavier yarns in the filling than in the warp, and has more ribs to the inch than bengaline. Ottoman is similar to faille but has a wider rib. Faille is considered a dressy fabric, and is used for evening clothes.
Faille crepe	A silk, rayon, acetate, or other man-made fiber dress fabric with a decided wavy (crepe) cord filling wise.
Faille taffeta	Taffeta made with a prominent crosswise rib as in faille.

Natural Fibers

Cotton	Cotton is a plant fiber.
Linen	Linen is also a plant fiber but different from cotton in that the individual plant fibers which make up the yarn are long where cotton fibers are short.
Silk	Silk is a natural protein fiber, like human hair, taken from the cocoon of the silkworm. Silk may yellow and fade with the use of a high iron setting. Press cloths and a steam iron are recommended. Silk is also weakened by sunlight and perspiration.
Wool	Wool is also a protein fiber but is harder to ignite than silk as the individual "hair" fibers are shorter than silk and the weave of the fabrics is generally looser than with silk.

Manufactured Fibers

Manufactured Fabrics are usually made of filaments extruded as liquid and formed into various fibers. Because the fiber starts as a liquid, many of the fibers are colored before they become filament, thus they are difficult to dye after the fiber is woven into a fabric.

Acetate	Acetate is made from cellulose (wood fibers), technically cellulose acetate.
Acrylic	Acrylic technically acrylonitrile is made from natural gas and petroleum.
Nylon	Nylon is a polyamide made from petroleum.
Polyester	Polyester is a polymer produced from coal, air, water, and petroleum products.
Rayon	Rayon is a regenerated cellulose fiber which is almost pure cellulose.

Blends

Fabric blends consist of two or more fibers and, ideally, are supposed to take on the characteristics of each fiber in the blend.

Weaves

Satin weaves, twill weaves, and plain weaves are the three basic types of weaving by which the majority of woven products are formed.

Satin is a cloth that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibers such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is termed a "satin". Silk-Satin fabric would be a Satin weave with silk fibers.

Twill is a type of fabric woven with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. It is made by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads and then under two or more warp threads and so on, with a "step" or offset between rows to create the characteristic diagonal pattern. Because of this structure,
twills generally drape well. Examples of twill fabric are chino, drill, denim, gabardine, tweed and serge.

Plain weave (also called tabby weave or taffeta weave) is the most basic of the three fundamental types of textile weaves. It is strong and hard-wearing, used for fashion and furnishing fabrics.

Information within this page includes content provided by Fabrics.net, fabrics-manufacturers.com, fabricdictionary.com and wikipedia.org

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