1. Fibres, Yarns, Uses and Properties
Fabrics!
Fibres, Yarns, Uses and Properties

2. Different types of fabric…

3. Where are fabrics made? Top 10 producers of fabric around the world:
Europe
People’s Republic of China
USA
South Korea
India
Turkey
Japan
Pakistan
United Arab Emirates
Indonesia

4. All fabrics are made from fibres.
Fibres are twisted or spun into yarns.
Fabrics are then produced from the yarns.
Fibres
Fibres are tiny hair-like structures. There are three groups of fibres:
Natural – these can be either animal or plant based. The main animal fibres are wool and silk. The main plant fibres are cotton and linen.
Synthetic – these are man-made from oil based products. Examples include acrylic, polyester and nylon.
Regenerated – these are made from combining natural fibres with chemicals, such as viscose or acetate.

5. Fabrics have many uses such as clothing, interiors, engineering and architecture. The method in which fabrics are produced effects the properties that the final fabric will have. The main methods of producing a fabric are knitting, weaving and bonding (or felting).
Knitted fabrics – these are made up of a series of interlocking loops. Yarns are knitted into these loops in rows. These loops make the fabric stretchy, warm and hardwearing.

6. Woven fabrics – these are constructed using interlocking threads or yarns. There are many different ways of weaving fabrics, such as plain, twill, jacquard or satin. The different methods are produced simply by the combination or pattern in which the yarns are interlocked together. Woven fabrics are very strong and they do not stretch much. If the yarns are woven closely together the fabric will be strong and firm, or if woven loosely then the fabric will be softer and lighter.

7. Bonded or Felted Fabrics – these can be either treated with heat or a chemical to matt the fibres together. A typical example of a bonded fabric is felt where heat and moisture are added before the fabrics are dragged backwards and forwards until they matt together. Glues and solvents can also be added to bond the fibres together. Bonded fabrics do not fray easily, they have no stretch and they are permeable. However they are not as strong or flexible as knitted or woven fabrics.

8. Selvedge, Bias & Grain…
Selvedge is the name for the finished edge of a piece of fabric. The selvedge keeps the fabric from unravelling or fraying. Often the designer or company that made the fabric is printed along the selvedge.
The grain of a fabric is the way in which it is woven or knitted together. If you look very closely at a piece of fabric, you will be able to see the threads. The threads that run parallel and perpendicular to the selvedge are the grain of the fabric.
And finally, the bias is the diagonal grain of the fabric…. Cutting something on the bias, will make your fabric have more stretch.

9. Choosing a Fabric…
A fabric must be chosen on which properties make the fabric best for the job, whether it is for clothing, sportswear, accessories or interiors. Some questions to consider when choosing a fabric are…
Does the fabric need to be hardwearing?
Does the fabric need to be cool or warm to wear?
Will the fabric need to offer protection from wind or rain?
Sometimes fabrics can be enhanced by combining fibres together. This is called a blend or a mixture and is quite common in today’s fabrics. One of the best known blends is that of polyester and cotton – polycotton. This has the combined properties of being strong, cheap, stretchy, easy to care for crease resistant and a good insulator. Another well known blend is the combination of polyester and wool.