It protects us from cold and heat, the rain and the bright sun. We use blankets to cover ourselves as we sleep and woven rugs to cushion our steps as we walk. With all of the contributions fabric makes to our everyday lives, many people don't stop to think how fabric is created.
The process of turning natural and synthetic fibers into cloth is much more complicated than is commonly thought. In this article, we'll learn how the fibers used to make up fabric are extracted and transformed into the clothing and textiles we're familiar with. Read on to the next section to learn about the many different materials fabric can be made from and how they are grown and harvested.
The raw materials that make up fabric can be divided into three distinct categories: those derived from natural plant sources, those from animals and those that are man-made. To understand how fabric is created, we must first learn how these materials are harvested or created, and what must be done before they're ready to be sent on their journey into fabric production. Cotton - This material comes from the cotton plant and is harvested by machine, then sent to a cotton processing plant.
There, it's run through a series of rollers, which remove the seeds, clear away any debris or impurities, and separate the material into bales. Flax - The flax plant is used to make linen. The plants are pulled from the ground by hand, flattened to remove seeds and combed through to separate the fibers in preparation for fabric production [source: Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute].
Silk - This material is made by harvesting the cocoon of the silkworm, which is lined with a thin layer of silk filament that is softened and then removed as one single thread. This thread will be twisted together with several others before it is moved to the next stage of production, as single threads are too thin to work with.
Wool - The coat of a sheep is shorn, and the resulting fleece is washed and carded, or rearrange it into a shape that will be easier to turn into fabric. It can be done by hand or machine, and produces a square mat of fibers. Rayon - Invented in the late 19th century, this material is a popular alternative to silk.
It's made by forcing cellulose through a machine called a spinneret. This machine is similar to a showerhead, and it forms the cellulose from liquid to a solid filament. Cellulose itself is a simple sugar polymer derived from plants [source: FiberWorld Classroom].
Nylon - Nylon can truly be called the first man-made fiber. While it's produced the same way rayon is, the ingredients that go into nylon production are not derived from plant sources. Nylon is made from coal and petroleum by-products, water and air. Polyester - This material is a step up from nylon and rayon in terms of strength and versatility. While it, too, is made by forcing chemicals through a spinneret, the chemicals used for polyester are derived from alcohols.
Sericulture, the process of harvesting silkworms and producing silk fibers, began in China around 3, B. For many years, the Chinese kept the secrets of silk production to themselves, even as the silk trade spread across the globe. During this time, removing silkworm eggs or cocoons from China was punishable by death. It wasn't until around A. There are three basic steps required for fabric production. The first step in creating fabric is yarn production.
Here, the raw materials that have been harvested and processed are transformed from raw fibers into yarn and threads. This is done by spinning the fibers. Spinning can be done by hand, but this process is quite tedious and time consuming. These days, the vast majority of spinning is done by spinning wheel. The fibers are drawn across the wheel, and as it spins, the fibers are collected on a cylindrical object called a bobbin.
The bobbin holds the spun fibers, which are now connected into a long strand of thread or yarn. In the next step, the bobbins will be transferred to another machine, where the yarn will continue on its journey into fabric. After the raw materials have been converted into yarn, they're ready for the second step in the production process, which involves joining these individual threads together to form fabric.
This process of joining the yarn together is called weaving. Weaving is done on a machine known as a loom and requires two sets of yarn. The first set, called the warp set, is strung tautly across a metal frame. The second, called the weft, is connected to metal rods, with one thread per rod. The loom is controlled by a computer, which lets the weft know how the fabric should be woven.
After the fabric has been woven, it's removed from the loom and is ready for the final step: processing. Fabric that's fresh off the loom is called greige, and it looks nothing like the crisp white sheets or clothing you're used to. It's discolored and full of impurities, seed particles and debris. Before it can be transformed into useful textiles, it must be cleaned.
First, it's treated with bleach to purify the base color. Next, it's treated with a variety of chemicals and cleaners to remove oils, wax and other elements that are naturally occurring in most fibers. Likewise, how tall is a roll of fabric? Most woolens, single and double knits, upholstery weight fabrics , and other heavier fabrics are either 45 or 54 inches wide. Many specialty fabrics are wider, 60 inches or more, and the fabrics used to make king size sheets and large tablecloths are up to inches wide.
The fabric is sold by the yard , so if you got one yard of fabric it would 36 inches long by 44 inches wide. If you got a half yard it would be 18 inches long by 44 inches wide. If you wanted a quarter of a yard it would be 9 inches long by 44 inches wide.
Be sure you know what the usuable widths are as some fabrics have borders. Usable widths are usually inches less than the full width , though in some cases the entire width is usable. The width of a bolt is usually 45 or 60 inches or cm , but widths may include 35—36 inches — mm , 39 inches mm , 41 inches 1, mm , 44—45 inches 1,—1, mm , 50 inches 1, mm , 52—54 inches 1,—1, mm , 58—60 inches 1,—1, mm and 66 inches 1, mm , 72 inches 1, mm , How do you measure fabric for upholstery?
Measure the couch or chair cushion's width and length seam-to-seam. Don't forget to calculate the measurements for the cushion side panels. One yard of fabric equals 36 inches, and it takes about 2 yards for each cushion, allowing 1 inch for seams, when you lay the individual pieces out to fit the inch wide fabric. Does fabric width include Selvage? It has a clearly defined woven edge. The cuttable width is the width of the fabric, less the woven edge. For most projects, the basic facts listed are what you need to make an informed decision.
This blend is what gives the fabric more heft and texture. In this case, look for a hang tag with the important fabric information. We also have a basic fabric width conversion chart online.
Most patterns also suggest the type of fabric that will work best for that particular pattern. Here at Sew4Home, our projects always list how much fabric is required along with the exact type of fabric we used and so recommend as the best option for optimum results.
When commenting, your name will display but your email will not. This way, when I see a pinked edge, I know it has been pre washed. The finished quilt looks sharper, and the shrinkage is minimal. LadyL — thanks for your tip! Regarding pre-washing and quilting — many quilters feel just as you do. But since we deal in all kinds of projects, we tend to lean towards the pre-wash-first camp.
Decades ago in HomeEc class the instructor had us take a hand-ful of fabric, hold it in closed hand for a minute or so then quickly rub it together to what it really felt like wrinkles and how much sizing it had.
My mistake? At home, the fabric was limp and loosely woven. Memo to self: … Read more ». Another tip for coordinating Another tip for coordinating fabrics is the selvage edges sometimes have those little color dots — I use those to match other fabrics and threads.
Karen — thanks for sharing your tips! I always snap a picture of the end of the bolt or tag so that I can refer back to the information if I need too. Put it back. Then… they get to learn the work-arounds, right?
Great info for newbies and as a refresher — thank you! A tip I can add, is that I take a photo of the info on the end of the bolt, for all of the fabric that I buy. I do this by setting the bolt in my shopping cart for those stores that have them, or by setting it on top of a shelf or other bolts or what-have-you and will clarify that I never set bolts on the floor. Thanks again! I always serge the cut, raw edges together, so I have a huge tube. I do not want to go to fabric stores, clothing stores, etc.
Thank you. Barbara Jean, I recommend that you just look at sites like sew4home and their partner sites. Moda, fabric depot and fabric.
If you know the fabric content of what you have, you can match it to some of the new things you find.
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