Design & Technology
Fibres
Fibres are the basis for all textiles. You need to know the
difference between natural and synthetic fibres, how each fibre is
used, and which fibres can be combined together.
Types of fibre
Textile materials are made in three stages:
1. Spinning [spinning: the drawing out and twisting a fibre into a
continuous thread ] fibres into yarns
2. Weaving [weaving: forming a fabric by interlacing yarns, often
using a loom ] or knitting [knitting: made by looping continuous
lengths of yarn ] yarns to make fabrics
3. Finishing [finishing: final processes in garment manufacture including overlocking, pressing, and decoration ] fabrics to
make them more useful
There are two types of textile fibres: natural [natural: derived from
animal, vegetable or mineral sources ] fibres and synthetic [synthetic:
man-made - usually from chemical sources ] or man-made fibres.
Synthetic fibres are continuous filament [continuous filament: fibre
that comes in long lengths, and therefore does not always need to be
spun out into yarn. Silk is the only natural continuous filament fibre ]
fibres, while natural fibres are usually short staple fibres [staple
fibres: short fibres that have to be spun into yarn ]. The exception to
this rule is silk - a natural fibre whose continuous filaments are up to
one kilometre in length!
Where fibres come from: Natural fibres come from plants and animals: cotton from the
cotton plant, linen from the flax plant, wool from sheep, silk from
silkworms.
 Synthetic fibres are manufactured using plant materials and
minerals: viscose comes from pine trees or petrochemicals, while
acrylic, nylon and polyester come from oil and coal.
Natural fibres
1. Natural fibres from plants:
 Cotton is used for making jeans, t-shirts and towels. It is cool to
wear, has a soft handle [handle: how a textile feels when touched
such as soft, rough, smooth, warm or cool ], a good drape [drape:
the supple and flexible characteristics of a fabric - how it hangs or
behaves when pleated or folded ], and is durable [durable: able to
withstand wear, especially as a result of weathering. ]. It can be
washed and ironed, but it creases easily, is very absorbent
[absorbent: able to take in and hold moisture ] and dries slowly.
 Linen is used for summer clothing, tea towels and tablecloths. It is
fresh and cool to wear, has a stiffer handle, and a good drape. It is
durable, but can be washed and ironed. It creases badly and is
very absorbent, but is also fast drying.
2. Natural fibres from animals:
 Wool is used for jumpers, suits and blankets. It is warm to wear,
absorbent, dries slowly, is breathable [breathable: allowing
perspiration to evaporate, making sports or work clothes more
comfortable to wear ], repels rain and can be soft or coarse to
handle. It does not have good drape, and is not durable; however,
creases tend to drop out. If it is not dry-cleaned it may shrink.
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Silk is used for evening wear and ties. It is warm to wear,
absorbent, has a soft handle and a good lustre [lustre: the sheen
of a fabric, e.g. silk is bright and shiny ] and drape. It is durable
and creases drop out. It needs to be dry cleaned.
Listed below are a summary of the properties and end-uses [enduses: the purpose and market for a product - what it is used for ] of
natural fibres.
Cotton
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Cool to wear
Very absorbent, dries slowly
Soft handle
Good drape
Durable
Creases easily
Wash and iron
Linen
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Fresh and cool to wear
Very absorbent, fast drying
Stiffer handle
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Good drape
Durable
Creases badly
Wash and iron
Wool
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Warm to wear
Absorbent, dries slowly
Breathable, repels rain
Soft or coarse handle
Can shrink, dry clean
Good drape
Not durable
Creases drop out
Silk
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Warm to wear
Absorbent
Soft handle
Good lustre and drape
Durable
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Creases drop out
Dry clean
Synthetic fibres
The main synthetic fibres are:
 Viscose is used for shirts, dresses and linings. It has a soft
handle [handle: how a textile feels when touched such as soft,
rough, smooth, warm or cool ], a good drape [drape: the supple
and flexible characteristics of a fabric - how it hangs or behaves
when pleated or folded ] and can be washed and ironed. However
it has low warmth, and is absorbent [absorbent: able to take in
and hold moisture ] and slow-drying. Viscose is not durable
[durable: able to withstand wear, especially as a result of
weathering. ] and creases easily.
 Acrylic is used for jumpers, fleece [fleece: fleece is a modern
polyester fabric that is warm and easy care. ] jackets and
blankets. It is warm to wear, non-absorbent, and fast-drying, with
a soft handle like wool, and a good drape. It is easy to care for,
durable and crease-resistant.
 Polyester is used for raincoats, fleece jackets, children's
nightwear, medical textiles and working clothes. It has a soft
handle, a good drape, is very durable, crease-resistant, easycare, non-absorbent, and fast drying. It can be recycled, but has
low warmth.
 Nylon (Tactel) is used for active sportswear, fleece jackets, socks
and seat belts. It has a soft handle, a good drape, is nonabsorbent, fast drying, very durable, crease-resistant and easycare. However it has low warmth.
Listed below are the properties and end-uses of synthetic fibres.
Viscose
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Low warmth
Absorbent, dries slowly
Soft handle
Good drape
Not durable
Creases easily
Wash and iron
Acrylic
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Warm to wear
Non-absorbent, fast drying
Stiffer handle like wool
Good drape
Durable
Crease resistant
Easy care
Nylon
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Warm to wear
Absorbent, dries slowly
Breathable, repels rain
Soft or coarse handle
Can shrink, dry clean
Good drape
Durable
Creases drop out
Polyester
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Low warmth
Non-absorbent, fast drying
Soft handle
Good drape
Very durable
Creases resistant
Easy care
Can be recycled
Modern fibres
Microfibres:
Polyester or nylon microfibres are 60-100 times finer than a human
hair (the diagram below shows what they look like up close):
 Microfibres can be blended with other synthetic or natural fibres.
 Microfibres are used for outdoor-pursuits clothing and active
sportswear.
 Thermoplastic polyester or nylon microfibres can be heat-treated
to give them coils, crimps and loops, which makes these textured
yarns stretchy and warm. They are used for underwear,
sportswear, knitwear and carpets.
Fibre blends
Blending different fibres together produces yarns that have the
combined properties of each component fibre. Using fibre blends
improves the appearance, performance [performance: how a textile
performs in use - eg water proof or hardwearing. ], comfort and
aftercare [aftercare: how a textile should be washed, ironed, dried or
dry-cleaned to maintain its properties. ] of fabric. Blending can also
reduce the cost of an expensive fibre.
 A shirt made from polyester / cotton blend is more easy-care
and crease-resistant than a shirt made from 100 per cent cotton.
 Cotton / Lycra blend jeans are more comfortable, stretchy
[stretchy : fabric or yarn with very high stretch and recovery
properties - eg Lycra. ] and fit better than cotton jeans.
 Acrylic / wool blend trousers are less expensive than 100 per
cent wool trousers.
Some modern microfibres
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Elastane (Lycra). This is always used in a blend with other fibres.
It is used to make sportswear, body-hugging clothes and
bandages. It has good handle [handle: how a textile feels when
touched such as soft, rough, smooth, warm or cool ] and drape
[drape: the supple and flexible characteristics of a fabric - how it
hangs or behaves when pleated or folded ], is durable, creaseresistant, stretchy (more comfortable) and is easy-care. It has low
warmth and is absorbent [absorbent: able to take in and hold
moisture ].
Tencel. This is a 'natural' microfibre made from cellulose derived
from wood-pulp. It is used for shirts and jeans. It has soft handle,
good drape, is breathable [breathable: allowing perspiration to
evaporate, making sports or work clothes more comfortable to
wear ], durable [durable: able to withstand wear, especially as a
result of weathering. ], crease-resistant, easy-care and
biodegradable [biodegradable: ability to decompose in soil ]. It is
absorbent and has low warmth.
Exam tip
Make sure that you know the properties and end-uses of fibre
blends such as polyester / cotton. You'll get extra marks for being able
to a fibre's properties to the product it's used for. For example, Tencel
fibre is suitable for denim jeans because it is soft, drapes well and is
easy to care for.
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