By the end of this session you will be able to answer the following
exam question.
Fibre blends are used extensively for fashion and furnishing fabrics.
(a) Giving examples, explain the reasons why fibres are blended. (10 marks)
(b) (i) Describe the properties of wool and nylon and explain why they are
often blended together.
(10 marks)
(ii) Give, with reasons, two applications for a wool/nylon blend fabric. (2 x 4
marks)
What is Blending of fibres?
Two or more different types of fibres are spun together into a yarn so that
the qualities of one can improve the other.
This is called Blending.
Nylon and Wool socks can be blended to improve strength.
Men’s pure wool socks are likely to wear holes as the heel rubs against the
shoe in wear, but nylon resists rubbing and so blended wool and nylon socks
last far longer. (Wool also gives softness, warmth and absorbs sweat; Nylon
gives the strength)
Fibre Mixtures and Combinations
What are Fibre Mixtures and Combinations?
Fibres or yarns are mixed together to create fabrics with a range of different
properties.
How do you create a ‘mixed’ fabric?
There are 2 different ways to create a ‘mixed’ fabric:
•Blending
•Union
What is an example of a ‘mixed’ fabric?
An example of this is the Cotton/Polyester school shirt.
If a school shirt were made of 100% Cotton Fabric it would have a number of very
negative properties.
•It would crease very easily (making the student look very scruffy and uncared for)
•It would absorb water readily therefore take a long time to dry
•It would take a long time to iron due to its lack of resilience
•It would absorb any dye, paint or chemicals used in lessons and any dirt such as
grass stains from the playground or food and drink split during the working day.
If a school shirt were made of 100% Polyester Fabric it would have a number of
very negative properties.
•The lack of absorbency would leave all perspiration on the skin making the
student feel very clammy and uncomfortable.
•It would melt on to the skin if an accident should happen with a Bunsen burner
However if the 2 fibres were combined the school shirt would gain ALL of the
positive qualities
Other reasons for blending fibres?
What other reasons are there for fibre blending?
A crimped appearance can be given when the fabric is finished if a
mixture of acrylic staple fibres is spun together. (Some of these
shrink easily at this stage in production and others don’t) In the
hot finishing process those fibres capable of shrinking doing so,
causing the yarn of the fabric made to crimp. This gives it warmth,
bulk and texture.
All fibres do not take dye equally, so when 2 fibres are spun
together and then dyed an interesting effect is produced. This is
known as cross dyeing.
Man-made fabrics can be heat set. As natural fibres do not hold a
crease easily mixing a natural fibre such as Wool with a synthetic
fibre such as Polyester a sharper crease can be achieved.
Products made from blended fibres
Wool/Nylon/Cashmere
Coat
Mohair/Wool/Nylon
long cardigan
Wool/Nylon hoodie
The percentage of Nylon in these products is up to 20%
• A laminated fabric is made up of
two or more layers. The layers
are held together with an
adhesive or thermoplastic fibres
which are heat set to fix the
layers together.
• Typical laminated fabrics include
Gore-Tex and Sympatex, lace
fabrics backed by a woven fabric
to give them stability.
• A coated fabric has a layer of
polymer film to the surface of the
base fabric. Typical fabrics
include PVC coated cottons, and
imitation leather fabrics.
Laminated and
coated fabrics
Coated fabrics
Types of coating
• Traditional coating layers are made from resin and
silicon.
• Linseed oil and wax are traditional coating
materials for heavy cotton that can be reapplied.
• Rubber and PVC are waterproof but not
breathable.
• Reflective coatings can be made from microscopic
glass beads, up to 50,000 per square inch.
By the end of this session you will be able to answer the following
exam question.
Fibre blends are used extensively for fashion and furnishing fabrics.
(a) Giving examples, explain the reasons why fibres are blended. (10 marks)
(b) (i) Describe the properties of wool and nylon and explain why they are
often blended together.
(10 marks)
(ii) Give, with reasons, two applications for a wool/nylon blend fabric. (2 x 4
marks)
Homework: Further research
Go through your wardrobe or a clothing catalogue and sketch/cut out 5 items.
List the fabric properties for each item.
What is the most popular mix?
Does the popularity change seasonally?