Question and Answers for Introduction to Textiles Question What is a yarn, loom warp, weft and selvedge?

Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown A yarn is simply the fibre that you use to create something. Cotton thread, knitting wool and anything you would find on a reel is a yarn. A raw wool fleece from a sheep will be spun into a yarn before being dyed and used for weaving or knitting. Yarn is just the name given to any type of fibre. A loom warp is what is put onto a loom ready for weaving . Made from yarn it might be fine yarn such as silk or Rayon or thicker yarn such as wool. The warp runs vertically up and down a loom. A warp will be made a certain length depending on what is to be made. The warp might consist of different types of yarn and different colours laid next to each other depending on the requirements of a client. The weft consists of threads being put across the warp. This is usually done by using a shuttle full of yarn which is sent back and forth across the warp to create the fabric. Again any yarn can be used depending on the required thickness of the fabric. To summarise - the warp runs from top to bottom and the weft runs across. The selvedge is the finished edges of a fabric. When creating a fabric by putting weft threads across the warp, the shuttle wraps the thread round the edge of the warp before going back the other way creating a finished edge the selvedge. If you look on a roll of fabric you will see that the edges are finished - this is the selvedge. Question what is the difference between woven and knitted Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown. Woven fabrics are created by having a loom threaded with a warp. These warp threads run from top to bottom, and a piece of weaving is created by pushing a device called a shuttle, which is filled with yarn, backwards and forwards across the warp. The yarn that the shuttle pulls across the warp is called the weft. There are different types of loom available depending on what is being made.

Knitted fabrics are made from interlocking loops using one or more yarns. There are warp or weft knitted fabrics: weft knits are very common and are produced in industry on circular knitting machines which is cost effective; warp knits consist of many yarns being used and can be produced in a wide variety of fabrics. Question what are microfibres and how are they formed? Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown. Microfibres are extremely thin lengths of fibre, which can usually only be seen in their raw state under a microscope. A microfibre can be described as being a very fine yarn, being of 1 decitex or less, which is just the term of measurement used to describe such fine yarns. A comparison for this would be to think of the fineness of the yarn as 60 times finer than human hair! Microfibres are formed from a synthetic process using oil and are commonly used blended with other yarns such as polyester or they may be used as a tiny part of a more luxurious fabric to give a small amount of shine and softness. Question what is a staple fibre, scotchguard finish, elasomeric fibre, grain of fabric, pilling plz Answer Yarns can be made from staple fibres which are short and twisted together to form a yarn. All natural fibres are staple except for silk. A finish can be applied to fabrics to make them stain repellent. The aim is to prevent grease and dirt clinging to the fibres. Scotchgard is and example of a commercial finish that can be applied as the fabric is being manufactured or it can be sprayed on afterwards. Elastomeric fibre is a synthetic fibre, which has some of the properties of rubber especially its elasticity. All woven fabrics have a grain or direction in which the yarns run. The grain runs parallel or at right angles to the selvedge. Woven fabrics stretch very little when pulled along the grain. They stretch more when pulled diagonally across the grain. Acrylics have a slight tendency to pill when the fabric is rubbed, small balls of loose fibre collect and cling to the surface.

Question i've recieved my pre-release material for one of my papers and it is to do with fire resistant materials. i can't find any materials that are fire resistant in my books. can you discribe what they are and tell me some types. thank you Answer Fabrics are made from fibres are not created in a fire resistant form. Fabrics are treated with special chemicals that make them resistant to flame and fire. Treatments are put onto any fabrics that may come into contact with fire and the majority of fabrics created today have to comply with fire safety regulations in order to be allowed to be made into garments or furnishings. All sofa covers for example must comply and have a treatment on them that should be able to resist flame for longer. I would suggest that you look under fabric finishes and treatments in your books to find out more specific information. Question i cnt answer this question help....what are the new technological advances in synthetic fibres including there usues and chararcteristics/ properties? Answer This answer is posted on behalf of JTHP Techno textiles are a range of modern materials which are designed to have special characteristics. They may be waterproof, showerproof, breathable, stretchable or have great strength. They were originally intended for use in sports or activity clothing but are now also being used by some designers in fashion clothing. Examples of these textiles are:

Lycra Tactel Kevlar Neoprene

Question What exactly is CAD and CAM and how do they work in the textile industry?? Answer CAD Computer Aided Design and CAM Computer Aided Manufacture are used in conjunction with one another. CAD is concerned with the development of design. The advantage of having a design on the computer system is that it can be easily adapted to meet the changing needs of the market. It simplifies changing colour and size and is capable of designing complex patterns on any material in a very short time.

CAM describes the process of manufacturing using the computer. This does not mean that all the stages of manufacture are computer controlled. It is more often a combination of CAM and hand operations. For example the cutting and making of a particular part of a garment may be done using CAM but the finishing touches are completed by hand. The use of CAD and CAM systems has meant an increase in the efficiency of the design and manufacturing process by reducing the time spent on particular processes which has meant a reduction in overall costs. Question what is the best material ect to use for and outdorr piece of clothing? help Answer This answer is posted on behalf of JTHP The first thing you need to do is look in catalogues, magazines and in shops and find out what the type of garment you have in mind is made from. Items of clothing usually have labels, which give information about the fabric it is made from. Collect pictures and make sketches noting down the materials used. This will start to give you an idea of the range of materials you could consider using. The sort of properties you might want your garment to have are to be warm, lightweight and waterproof. You have not indicated what sort of outdoor wear you are researching. If it is a warm fashion garment then wool and wool mixture fabrics are suitable. There will be a large range of suitable woven materials for you to choose from in any large department store. If you looking at outdoor wear for activities such as sports then brand names such as Tactel (polyamide yarn which has good thermal insulation properties and is exceptionally soft and lightweight), Goretex (Goretex membrane is sandwiched between two layers of nylon, it is waterproof, windproof and breathable) and Permatex (a lightweight, polyurethane material which is weatherproof and breathable) would be suitable. Information about these will be available on the Internet. Question i really need some help with my textiles course work. Please could you give me some information about the standard sizes for duvets and pillow cases? If this information is unatainable, please could you give me any information about where i could find out about this. Answer

Size chart Standard Duvets and Bed Covers Cot Bed 120 x 140cm Single 140 x 200cm Double 200 x 200cm King size 225 x 220cm Standard Pillows and Pillow cases Cot Bed 36 x 58cm Standard 50 x 75cm Square 65 x 65cm Superking 50 x 90cm Question i have a gcse exam tomorrow on roller printing on fabric. can you please tell me how this is done? Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown. This is simply where a design is etched onto rollers, and then using machinery is basically painted with ink and rolled along fabric to apply the design. Most rollers will have the ink already flowing into them from a chamber attached so that it does not run out half way through the printing process. Once one colour is applied and dried another roller will be used with a new pattern on until the final design is achieved. Question What is the importance of lay planning and wastage in industry. How do they do lay planing in industry Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown Lay planning is simply the industrial term used for laying out a pattern onto fabric and finding the best fit for it, to avoid wastage. A pattern will have been designed usually on computer to fit in with the fabric for a product. The manufacturer will have already been given instructions for the pattern so that the production line can progress efficiently and without delay. It is important that minimal fabric is wasted, as this will cost money, which will then be passed on to the consumer in the price of the product. It also means

that the manufacturer will be behind schedule and fail to meet deadlines, which will cost them money. Question what are the advantages and disadvantages of silk? Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown. Silk has traditionally been known as a luxury fabric only available to those with plenty of money to spare. However today you can find silk items in most high street stores at affordable prices. It is a very versatile fabric and is much stronger than you may think. Almost any item can be made from it from simple scarves, shirts to duvet covers and cushions. Advantages are that it will dye easily to give excellent colours from the very pale set through to vibrant reds and yellows. It can be printed on, tie dyed and knitted. It is also cool to wear and feels soft to the touch. Disadvantages are that it has to be washed very carefully on a silk wash cycle or by hand and can easily be snagged and ruin a pattern. It is also transparent so if used for clothing needs to have a lining or be double thickness. It can also be difficult and flimsy to sew onto and can be hard to sew using a machine. Question PLease could you tell me what tie dye printing is and how it is done? Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown. You have a mixture of two different techniques here: printing and tie dye. The tie dye method is an ancient way of adding pattern to fabric, which started in Indonesia. It is very simple, but very effective. All you need to do is take a piece of fabric (cotton is best as it absorbs more moisture) and tie it with string or elastic bands in random places, then place it into a bowl of dye. Leave it for a couple of hours, then wash off any excess dye and remove the string. Youl will be left with a pattern where the dye has not reached the fabric because of the string. You can arrange the string to create a pattern that looks like it has been printed on the fabric. You can also create patterns by using wax to draw the patterns on first, then dye the fabric if you wanted something more precise.

Question What I don't understand is that how are methods used to cut out fabric in industrial manufacture different to those used in the classroom? Answer In the classroom you will use fabric scissors and pinking shears to cut through one layer of fabric at a time. This is because you will rarely need to make more than one of the same piece of work at the same time. However within an industrial setting a manufacturer has to make hundreds of the same item at one time. If they were to cut out each piece individually this would take up far too much time and be extremely costly to the manufacturer who would lose money and miss deadlines losing out on contracts. Retailers do not have the time to wait for individual items to be made as they need to quickly have new stock in their shops to meet consumer demand. This in turn affects the manufacturer who has to work quickly to meet the requirements set by a customer. Therefore a manufacturer will use laser based cutting knives to cut through multiple layers of fabric so that the garment can be put together quicker which saves time and money. They would only use domestic scissors to cut off loose threads or for very small areas of work. Question WHAT SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES DO DESIGNERS HAVE TO CONSIDER WHEN THEY DESIGN A GARMENT Answer This answer is posted on behalf of Rachael Brown. This is a very topical subject and one that all designes now need to consider when designing. A designer would need to consider what fabrics and fastenings to use that would be environmentally friendly. They would need to look at whether the fabrics are bio degradable and can break down without damaging the environment when disposed of. They will need to consider the actual fibres used to make the fabric and whether these would harm or pollute the environment in any way. All these things will be considered as any pollution from making the garment would have a detrimental effect on our own environment such as the air and effects on the ozone layer.