Fibres and fabrics
Learning ladder
All students:
• must be able to describe the properties and uses of at least one
natural and one manufactured fibre.
Most students:
• should be able to compare a range of fibres and identify the
products they could be used for.
Some students:
• could be able to evaluate natural and manufactured fibres in terms
of the environment and argue which fibres are more environmentally
friendly.
© Folens 2009
Introduction
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Conduct a survey to find out what fibre people would prefer these products to be
made from. Ask people to give reasons for their answer.
© Folens 2009
Fibres (1)
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All fabrics are made from fibres. Some fibres grow on plants and animals.
You will have to know about a range of fibres for your exam, including:
cotton, wool, Viscose, Polyester, Elastomeric.
We will look at each one of these fibres in more detail later on.
A fibre is a fine strand that looks a little like a human hair. There are long or
short fibres and smooth or fluffy ones. What the fibre is like will have an
impact on what the fabric it is made into is like.
To make a fabric you need to twist lots of fibres together to form a yarn and
these yarns are put together to make a fabric. We will look at this in more
detail in another lesson.
It is the law that a textile item must have the name of the fibre it is made
from indicated on the product.
© Folens 2009
Fibres (2)
There are two types of fibres – those that grow on animals and plants
and those that are manufactured. The ones highlighted are the main ones; in
blue are the ones you need to know about for your exam.
Wool
Silk
Cotton
Linen
Viscose
Polyester
Nylon
Acrylic
Elastomeric
© Folens 2009
Natural fibres
• Natural fibres that grow in the ground
are called vegetable or plant fibres. All
plants are made from cellulose fibres
so you will sometimes hear this term.
Cotton and linen are the most common
vegetable fibres but there are other
types, e.g. jute, hemp.
• Natural fibres that grow on animals are
called animal fibres. Wool is the most
common fibre but hair from other
animals can also be used, e.g. Angora
rabbit, Cashmere goat.
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (1)
Cotton
• Source – grows on plants in hot, wet
climates
• Physical properties – strong, resists
abrasion, durable, absorbent, dries
slowly, creases easily, cool to wear
• Aesthetic properties – fibres are 15–
50mm long and fabrics tend to have a
slightly fluffy surface because of this
• End uses – underwear, bedding,
nightwear, t-shirts, shirts, dresses,
jeans, towels, handkerchiefs
Source: www.cottonusa.co.uk/
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (2)
Cotton
• Fabric names – denim, poplin, terry
towel, velvet, corduroy, chintz
• Aftercare – Can be washed and
ironed at high temperatures, best
ironed when damp, can be bleached
• Other facts – Mercerized finish can
remove fluffy surface, commonly
blended with Polyester
Source: www.cottonusa.co.uk/
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (3)
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Source – the stem of flax plants that grow in wet
climates
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Physical properties – strong, resists abrasion,
durable, absorbent, dries slowly, creases very easily,
cool to wear
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Aesthetic properties – long fibres (25–40mm) which
give fabrics a smooth and slightly shiny surface
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End uses – tablecloths, jackets, skirts, trousers,
suits, handkerchiefs
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Fabric names – duck, holland, huckaback, crash
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Aftercare – can be washed and ironed at high
temperatures (best ironed when damp), can be
bleached
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Other facts – one of the earliest known fibres to
man, dating back to the Egyptians
Linen
Source: www.irishlinen.co.uk/
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (4)
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Source – grows on sheep
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Physical properties – very absorbent but doesn’t feel
wet, resists creases, warm, not very strong,
felts/shrinks with heat and rubbing
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Aesthetic properties – scaly fibres, short fibres that
make fluffy fabrics
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End uses – suits, sweaters, socks, scarves, blankets,
carpets
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Fabric names – flannel, felt, tweed, serge
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Aftercare – usually only washed by hand in low
temperatures as heat and movement causes shrinking,
can’t be bleached, medium temperature iron, can’t be
tumble dried and is normally laid flat to dry
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Other facts – can be blended with Polyester or Nylon
to make it easier to look after
Wool
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (5)
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Source – fibre is from the cocoon spun by the Mulberry caterpillar
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Physical properties – strong, durable, doesn’t crease easily,
absorbent, warm/cool to wear, drapes well, smooth, shiny surface,
damaged by deodorants and perspiration, weak when wet
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Aesthetic properties – long fibres give smooth, shiny fabrics
End uses – underwear, scarves, dresses, blouses, flowers, ties
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Fabric names – chiffon, satin, taffeta, damask, organza
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Aftercare – hand wash in low temperatures as fibres are weak
when wet, and high temperatures and movement cause them to
break and fabrics look permanently creased, can’t be bleached or
tumble dried and should be dried away from direct sunlight,
medium temperature when ironing
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Other facts – to maintain the long fibres the caterpillar is boiled
alive. If it breaks out of the cocoon the fibres are shorter and give a
lower quality fabric
Silk
© Folens 2009
Manufactured fibres
• Manufactured fibres originated from our desire to produce a cheaper
version of silk.
• There are two types of manufactured fibres.
• Regenerated fibres are those that start off from a natural origin,
e.g. wood pulp. The pulp is dissolved in chemicals and forced
through a spinneret to produce fibres which are solidified.
• Synthetic fibres are made from crude oil and coal. When
processed, the liquid is forced through a spinneret to produce fibres
which are solidified.
• Both types of fibres can be engineered to have any shape and be
any length, and this gives the final fabric different properties.
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (6)
Viscose
• Source – regenerated fibre made from wood pulp
• Physical properties – very absorbent, creases, not very strong or
durable, not very warm
• Aesthetic properties – can be made to be shiny or matte
depending on the shape of the fibre
• End uses – lining fabrics, shirts, dresses, can be engineered to look
similar to cotton, wool or linen
• Aftercare – wash and iron at low temperatures, can’t be bleached
or tumble dried
• Other facts – can be more environmentally friendly if made from
sustainable wood pulp (Lyocell/Tencel)
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (7)
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Polyester
Source – synthetic fibre made from crude oil and coal
Physical properties – strong, crease resistant, not
absorbent, not warm, durable, thermoplastic, holds
static
Aesthetic properties – can be made to be shiny or
matte depending on the shape of the fibre
End uses – suits, dresses, shirts, rainwear, ties,
scarves, workwear
Aftercare – wash at up to 60 degrees, iron at medium
temperature, tumble dry on low heat
Other facts – often blended with cotton. Can be
engineered into high performance fabrics that are
breathable. Can be made from recycled plastic bottles
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (8)
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Source – synthetic fibre made from crude oil and
coal
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Physical properties – strong, crease resistant, not
absorbent, not warm, durable, thermoplastic, holds
static
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Aesthetic properties – can be made to be shiny or
matte depending on the shape of the fibre
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End uses – carpets, shirts, dresses, jackets, suits,
bags, umbrellas
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Aftercare - wash and iron at low temperatures,
can’t be bleached
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Other facts – the first synthetic fibre to be
discovered. It is also known by the name Polyamide.
Can be engineered into high performance fabrics,
e.g. Kevlar. Often blended with wool
Nylon
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (9)
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Source – synthetic fibre made from crude oil and
coal
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Physical properties – warm, not as strong and
durable as nylon and Polyester, doesn’t crease,
thermoplastic, not absorbent, pills, holds static
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Aesthetic properties – usually staple fibres so
fabrics tend to be slightly fluffy on the surface
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End uses – sweaters, blankets, imitation fur,
furnishings, socks
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Aftercare – wash and iron at low temperatures,
can’t be bleached
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Other facts – often used to imitate wool, often
blended with wool
Acrylic
© Folens 2009
What fibre am I? (10)
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An elastic fibre that is never used on its
own. It can be used either bare, covered or
wrapped
Source – synthetic fibre made from crude
oil and coal
Physical properties – strong, lightweight,
crease resistant, dries quickly, very stretchy
End uses – include sportswear, leggings,
jeans, underwear, socks, swimwear and so
on
Aftercare – wash and iron at low
temperatures, can’t be bleached
Other facts – LYCRA® fibre is a registered
brand name for elastane fibres
Source: www.lycra.com
Elastomerics
LYCRA® fibre is a trademark of INVISTA
© Folens 2009
Thermoplastic properties
• Synthetic fibres are ‘thermoplastic’.
• This means that they have a low melting point.
• This can be a disadvantage as it means you have to use a low
temperature when ironing synthetic fibres or the fabric melts.
• These properties can, however, be used to permanently set in
creases or other shapes.
© Folens 2009
Fabric blends
• The properties of a fabric can be changed by combining two or
more fibres together. This is called a blend.
• Blending fibres can make the production of a fibre cheaper and it
can add desirable qualities to a fibre, e.g. blending cotton and
polyester produces a more crease resistant, quick drying fabric.
• The most common blending ratios are 70:30 and 50:50.
• As well as Polyester and cotton, common blends are wool and
Polyester, wool and nylon, cotton and Viscose.
© Folens 2009
Fibres and the environment
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The production of both natural and
manufactured fibres and fabrics is very
damaging for the environment. Both large
amounts of energy and water are used along
with dyes, chemicals and bleaches. Synthetic
fibres are from non-renewable resources
which will eventually run out, but that doesn’t
mean natural fibres are necessarily any better,
as their environmental impact can be
significant.
A lot of waste matter is also produced, much of
which is hard to dispose of.
Packaging and transportation of fibres and
fabrics also adds to the environmental damage.
© Folens 2009
Cotton – what’s your opinion?
• Cotton occupies 3% of global
farmland but uses 25% of the
world’s pesticides. Many of these
pesticides are carcinogenic and
damage the health of local farmers.
• Large amounts of water are used –
one t-shirt uses 257 gallons of water
in its production. This water is often
diverted from other crops and from the
local population.
• Intense farming leads to damaged top
soil and poor quality land.
© Folens 2009
Polyester – what’s your opinion?
• Polyester is made from a non-renewable source. It’s production
creates greenhouse gasses and uses lots of energy and water.
It is also non-biodegradeable so it doesn’t disintegrate quickly in
landfill sites and can last for over 100 years.
• Plastic bottles can be melted down and recycled into polyester
fleece fabric.
X 25 bottles
Fleece fabrics
© Folens 2009
Tencel – what’s your opinion?
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Brand name for a high performance engineered Viscose fibre designed in the
1980s that is considered environmentally friendly. Also known as Lyocell
Source – regenerated fibre made from wood pulp from sustainable forests
Physical properties – absorbent, breathable, strong, anti-bacterial, strong
when wet
Aesthetic properties – staple fibre that fibrillates (splits) which can cause
bobbling. Surface effects such as brushing and suede finishes can be added
easily and it makes the fibre more absorbent
End uses – shirts, dresses, underwear, nappies, medical dressings
Aftercare - wash and iron at medium temperature (although generally limited
ironing is required), can be bleached, drip-dry recommended
Other facts – the solvent the wood pulp is dissolved in can be recycled and reused. The fibre is also biodegradable
www.tencel.at/index.php?id=61&L=1
© Folens 2009