INTRODUCTION TO TEXTILES STUDY

What is the study of textiles?

The study of textiles involves an understanding of the origin of fibres to the ways of constructing fibres into fabrics, properties of the fabrics, ways of caring for the fabrics and the uses of the fabrics.

REASONS FOR THE STUDY OF TEXTILES

The study of textiles will help you in the following ways:

Identifying different types of fabrics and their characteristics or properties.
Selecting or choosing the suitable fabric for a given purpose.
Taking proper care of the fabric
Handling the fabric correctly
Making you a wise consumer
You can develop interest in clothing and textiles careers.
Using fabrics intelligently

GENERAL USES OF TEXTILES

Textiles are used for:

Construction of personal and family clothes e.g dresses, underwear
Construction of household linen, such as bed sheets, curtains, towels
Keeping the body warm or cool e.g sweaters and cotton wears
Protecting the body from rain or wind e.g rain coats
Beautifying or adorning the body

Covering our nakedness (modesty)

BASIC TEXTILE TERMS

Fibre is a hair-like basic unit of raw material used in the making of yarns and fabrics e.g. cotton, linen, silk, wool, nylon fibres.
Yarn is a thread made by twisting or spinning fibres.
Fabric is cloth constructed with yarn or directly from fibres by weaving, knitting, crocheting, felting, etc. A woven fabric is made up of two set of yarn or thread-the warp and the weft.
The warp is the yarn or thread which runs length-wise in a woven fabric. It is parallel to the selvedge.
The weft is the yarn that runs across-wise in a fabric. It runs at right angles across the selvedge grain.
The selvedge is the edge of the fabric made by the weft thread or yarn by turning over the warp thread. It is the mill-finish edge of a fabric which runs in a length-wise direction.
Bias is the diagonal direction across the two grain lines, wrap and weft.
True Bias makes an angle of 45⁰ across the length-wise and crosswise grains. It has the greatest stretch
Grain of the fabric refers to the direction of yarns or threads in a fabric
The right side (RS) of the fabric is the side worn out it has better finish and more distinct print than the other side
The wrong side (WS) of the fabric is the side to be worn inside.