Fibre and Fabric

Presenting various Fiber and Fabrics used in the hospitality Industry and the structure of fibers, weaning method and Fabric types were described with required examples

1. FIBER AND FABRIC
SASIKUMAR NATARAJAN

2. FUNCTION OF CLOTHING
Clothesenhanceourpersonality.Thesearemadefromvariouskindsof
materialsandsewninseveralformscalleddressesorgarments.Awell-
fitteddress,wornaccordingtotheoccasionandtimespeaksalotaboutthe
person’shabits,taste,socialstatus,behaviourandmanyothertraits.
Generally,men,womenandchildrendressupdifferentlyandtheyalso
havesetsofdressesfordifferentpurposesandoccasions,forexample,
dressesforformal,casualoccasions,sportsandnightwear.
Colourofourclothing,inourcountry,isdecidedaccordingtoseason,
climate,age,occasion,maritalstatus,gender,community,happinessand
sorrow.Thereligionandoccupationofapersoncanalsobejudgedbythe
clothesapersonwears.Lastlyandmostimportantly,clothesalsotellus
aboutthehabitsofthewearerandhis/herapproachtohygiene.Ifthe
clothesaredirtyandcrushedwetendtothinkthepersoniscareless,shabby
andpoor.Crisp,freshlywashedandwellironedclotheslendawellgroomed
appearancetothewearer.

3. FIBRES AND THEIR SOURCES
Fibremaybelongorshortstrandswithasmoothstructurethat
lookslikewhitehair.Asinglefibreofcottonisdifficultto
locatebutcanbeeasilyrecognizedinamassofcotton.Wool
fibresarehairofanimalslikesheep,goat,rabbit,cameletc.
Sweaters,socks,gloves,scarves,shawlsandcoatsetc.,are
madefromthesehair/fibres.Actualwidthwiseandlengthwise
structureoffibrescannotbeseenwithnakedeyesbutcanbe
recognizedeasilyunderthehighpowermicroscope.

4. CLASSIFICATION OFFIBRES

5. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO THE LENGTH OF
FIBRES
Thefibreswehavelistedaboveareshortorlong.Theshort
lengthfibresarecalledstaplefibresandaremeasuredininches
orcentimeters,e.g.,cotton,woolandlinen.Thelongfibresare
knownasfilamentsandaremeasuredinyards/meters,e.g.,silk
andallman-madefibres.

6. CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT FIBRES
Cotton:Cottonfibreisthesmallestofallthetextilefibres.Theyarewhite,
cream orlightbrownincolourandfineandstrong.Theseareabsorbent,
porousandcool and allow the body heat to go out. Hence, fabrics made out
ofit are used as summer wear as cotton wrinkles very easily. Fabrics made
from cotton are strong, durable and easy to wash and are used to make
towels, sheets, pillow covers, etc., thatrequire frequent washing.
Flax:Itisa‘bastfibre’andfabricmadefromitiscalledlinen.Itisastaple
fibrethough its length (20-30 inches) is more than the other staple fibres
available. Linenfabricisshiny,smooth,durableandeasytowash.Like
cotton,itwrinkles veryeasily,iscool,absorbentandissuitableforsummer
wear.
Jute: Like flax jute is also a bast fibre. Maximum production of jute is in
India. The fibresare short and lusturousbut weaker than flax. Thefibres
are hairy and generally rough. It is used for making gunny bags and
cords
Wool:Itisobtainedfromthefleeceofdomesticgoats,sheep,rabbits,etc.
The colourofwoolfibresmayvaryfromoff-whitetolightcream.Fabrics
madefrom woolaresoft,smooth,absorbentanddonotwrinkleeasily.
Thesedonotallow thebodyheattogooutandactasinsulators.Thisiswhy
thefabricmadeoutofthesefibresisusedaswinterwear.Woolisaweak
fibreandiseasilyaffectedby common washing soaps, powders andfriction.

7. CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT FIBRES
Silk: Silk is a natural, protein filament produced by silk worm. Fabrics made
fromsilkaresoft,fine,smooth,lustrous,warmandstrongerthanwool.Itis
called ‘QueenoftheFibres’andisusedforformalwear.
Rayon: It is a man-made filament fibrewhich is lusturous, smooth, cool and
absorbent but is weak in nature. It wrinkles very easily. Because of its close
resemblancetosilk,rayonisalsocalled‘artificialsilk’or‘artsilk.’Itisused
as a summer wear. These fibresare thermoplastic in nature i.e., they are heat
sensitiveandsoftenandmeltonapplicationofheat.
Synthetic fibres: Synthetic fibresare made from petroleum products. Nylon,
polyester,acrylic,etc.,aretheexamplesofsyntheticfibres.Likerayonthese
are alsothermoplasticfibres.Sincethesefibrescatchfireeasilyandcanstick
tothe body, they should not be worn while working in kitchen and near a
flame. Syntheticsdonotwrinkleandcanbemadedullorshiny.Theyhavegood
strength andareeasytowashanddryquickly.Inotherwords,thesefabricsare
easytocare andmaintain.

8. FIBRES AND THEIRCLASSIFICATION
Therearemanydifferentsourcesfromwhichwecanobtainfibresandtherefore,weclassify
themaccordingly.
i)FibresfromNaturalSources:Allthefibresobtainedfromnature,i.e.,plantsoranimals,are
knownasnaturalfibres.e.g.cotton,wool,linen,silk,etc.Fibresobtainedfromplantsourceare
calledcellulosicfibree.g.,cottonandlinen.Thefibresthatcomefromanimalsourcesarealso
knownasproteinfibres,e.g.,woolandsilk.
ii)Man-Madefibres:Thefibreswhicharemadeinlaboratoriesusingchemicalsareknownas
man-madefibresandtheseareoffollowingtwotypes:
a)Regeneratedfibres–Thesefibresaremadefromextremelysmallcottonfibresor
anyotherfibresourcesuchaswoodpulp,milkprotein,etc.Chemicalsareusedto
dissolvetheseandthesolutionisthenconvertedintosolidfibres.Examplesarerayon
(celluloseoutofviscose/acetate/triacetate)ofdifferenttypes,caseinfibre(frommilk)
andsoyabeanfibre.
b)Syntheticfibres-Thesearemadeusingvariouspetrochemicalproducts.Nylon,
acrylicandpolyesterareallsyntheticfibres.

9. FIBERS, FILAMENTS , YARNS
Yarn:Yarn is defined as a long, twisted and continuous strand
composed of interlocked fibresor filaments which are used in knitting
and weaving to form cloth.
Fibres:The thin threads or filaments which form a yarn are calledFibres.
.

10. FIBERS, FILAMENTS , YARNS &
PLY
Ayarnisalongcontinuouslengthof
interlockedfibres.Strandsoffibresare
broughtclosertoeachotherby
twisting.Twistsimpartstrengthtothe
fibrestrandwhichisthentermedasa
yarn.Itissuitablefortheproductionof
fabrics,threadforsewing,crocheting,
knitting,embroideryand/orrope
making.Athreadisahighlytwisted
andsmoothstrandoffibre.Itisused
forsewing,embroidery,etc

11. CLASSIFICATION OFYARNS
The yarns may be classified into two groups:
i)simple yarns and
ii)novelty yarns
Simpleyarns:Asimpleyarnhasuniformthickness,smoothsurfaceandequalnumberoftwistsperinch
alongitslength.Moststandardfabricsforclothingandhouseholdusearemadewiththeseyarns.
Noveltyyarns:Carefullyobservethecurtains,upholstery(sofa)materialorsweaters.Takeouttheyarns
fromtheseandstudytheconstructionofanindividualyarn.theseareofacomplexnatureandhaveunusual
appearanceandtexturewhichareproducedduringspinning.Dependingupontheirappearance,theseare
givendifferentnameslike:loopyarn,knotyarn,slubyarn,featheryarn,etc

12. CLASSIFICATION OFYARNS
Singlestrand:finequalitysinglestrandisusedforconstructinglightweightand fine fabrics.
Thick and rough quality single strand is used for making thick fabric
Plyyarn:Twoormorethantwosimpleyarnsaretwistedtogethertoformaply yarn.These
yarnsarealsoknownasmultiplestrandyarns.Thesecanbetermed astwo-ply, threeply,and
soonaccordingtothenumberofstrandsusedinthe construction.Thesearemoredurable
thansimpleyarnsandareusedformaking fabricsforsuiting,knitting,floorcoverings,etc.

13. FABRIC
Fabricisapliable,strongsheetmadefromfibresoryarns.Youmusthave
heardnamessuchaspoplin,khadder,mulmul,denim,rubia,terricot,etc.
Allthesearefabricsarepreparedbyweavingtheyarn.Humanbeings
learnttoweavebytakinginspirationfromnaturebyobservingthenests
ofbirdsandentangledbranchesoftrees.Fabricsaremanufacturedby
manytechniquessuchasweaving,knitting,felting,nets,etc.However,
weavingandknitting,thetwomostpopularmethodsoffabric
construction

14. WEAVING
Weavingisinterlacingoftwosetsofyarns–warpandweftat90o
anglestoeachother.Straightyarnsinfabricareknownaswarpyarns.
Horizontalyarnsareknownasweftyarns.Alongthelengthofthe
wovenfabric,onbothsides,endyarnsarewovenverydenselyandthe
portionisnamedasselvedge.Itdoesnotallowthefabricyarnstocome
outfromthelengthwiseedge.Theportionbetweenthetwoselvedgesis
thebodyofthefabric.

15. CLASSIFICATION OF WEAVES
Weavesarebroadlyclassifiedasbasicandnovelty
weaves.Mostoffabricsareproducedinbasicweaves,
whichareofthreetypes-plain,twillandsatinweave.

16. CLASSIFICATION OF WEAVING
Plain weave -Plain weave is also known as homespun, tabby or taffeta weave.
It is the easiest to weave where one weft yarn alternatively moves over one
and under another warp yarn. Maximum production of fabric is done in plain
weave. It is inexpensive weave, most suitable for printing and embroideries.
To see the variations of the weave, note the fabrics like muslin, cambric, hand
spun and hand wovenkhaddar, organdy, poplin, voile, etc.
Twill weave -It is woven on three to four harness loom. In this, one weft yarn
moves over two and under one warp yarn. Twill woven fabric is distinguished
by a continuous diagonal line called wale. Variation in diagonal lines produces
various designs of twill. Twill weave is woven tightly, that is why it is suitable
for work clothes and for men’s clothes. Examples of Twill woven fabrics are
gabardine, tweed, denim, jean, etc.
Satin weave -It is woven on five to twelve harness loom. If woven on a five
harnessloom, one weft yarn passes under 4 warp yarns and goes over one
warp yarn.ItdiffersfromTwillweaveasithaslongyarnsfloatingonthe
surface.There isnodesignvisibleonthefaceofthefabricbutithasa
smoothandshinysurface. Satin fabric is an example of satin weave.
Fabrics woven in this weave are suitable for making formal wear
garments

17. CLASSIFICATION OF WEAVING
Velvetisatypeofclothwithadistinctiveshortpile.Historically
wovenfromsilk,itcanalsobemadefromavarietyoffibers,suchas
cotton,viscose,rayonorsyntheticfibers.Velvetfabriciscommonly
wovenasdoubleclothandthencutaparttoproducetwopilefabrics.
Themostexpensivetypeissilkvelvet,originallyreservedforroyalty.
Velvetistheepitomeofluxury.Weoftenseeitonthecatwalksandit’s
ourfirstassociationwhenwethinkabouteveningwear.Today,velvet
materialisavailabletoanyone,anditisusednotonlyforspecial
occasiongowns,butalsoforeverydaypiecesandloungewear.
Velveteenismadeofcotton,orcotton/silkblend.Asthenamesuggests,
itresemblesvelvetbutisnotassoftanddense.Itspileisshorter,never
morethan3mmdeep,andithassomegive.Ifyoucomparevelveteen
tovelvet,you’llnoticethatithaslessshineanddrape.Thickand
durable,velveteensewswellintowarmtrousers,dresses,skirts,coats,
waistcoats,etc.Itisidealforcasualwear.
Sateenis afabricmade using a satin weave structure but made with
spun yarns instead of filament. The sheen and softer feel ofsateenis
produced through the satin weave structure. Warp yarns are floated
over weft yarns, for example four over and one under.

18. HERRINGBONE WEAVES
Herringboneweave,alsocalledbrokentwillweave
describesadistinctiveV-shapedweavingpatternusually
foundintwillfabric.Itisdistinguishedfroma
plainchevronbythebreakatreversal,whichmakesit
resembleabrokenzigzag.Thepatterniscalledherringbone
becauseitresemblestheskeletonof
aherringfish.Herringbone-patternedfabricisusuallywool
andisoneofthemostpopularclothsused
forsuitsandouterwear.Tweedclothisoftenwovenwitha
herringbonepattern.

19. KNITTING
Knittingistheprocessofformationofloopsofyarnsanddrawing
ofnewloopsthroughthoseformedpreviously(interlooping).
Dependingonthetypesofknitting,iteithermovesrighttoleftorleft
toright(weftknitting)ortheyarnsrunlengthwise(warpknitting).
Handknittingisthemostcommonexampleofweftknitting,though
itisalsodoneonmachinestomakemanytypesofsweaters,T-shirts,
andsocks,etc.Warpknittingisonlypossibleonmachines.Knitted
fabricsareusedtomakecasualwear,partywear,sportswear,
undergarmentsaswellashouseholdarticlessuchasbedsheets,bed
covers,blankets,etc.Knittedfabricsarewellknownfortheirfit,
comfort,stretchability,warmth,absorbency,andwrinkleresistance.

20. BONDED FABRIC
Bondedfabricisafabricthathasadouble-sidedadhesiveattached
toit.Onesideisattachedtothefabricandtheothersidealsohas
adhesiveandwillattachtosomethingelse.Bondedfabricallows
youtoattachfabrictootherfabricwithoutsewingorglue.

21. FIGURED ( DAMASK)
Damaskis a reversible figuredfabricofsilk,wool,linen,cotton, orsynthetic fibers,
with a pattern formed byweaving. Damasks are woven with onewarpyarn and
oneweftyarn, usually with the pattern in warp-facedsatinweave and the ground in
weft-faced orsateenweave.Twill damasksinclude atwill-woven ground or pattern

22. THANKYOU
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