Introduction to textiles

A textile is any material made of interlacing fibres, including

carpeting . A fabric is a material made through weaving, knitting,
spreading, crocheting, or bonding that may be used in production
of further goods ,garments, etc.

The word "textiles" comes from the Latin term textere, "woven".

Where as "yarns" are produced by twisting or spinning of the textile fibres and in
turn a fabric is a planar structure produced by interlacing or interloping of yarns.

A "fibre" is defined as any product capable of being woven or otherwise made into
a fabric. It may be thought of as the smallest visible unit of textile production 'or' a
fibre can be defined as a pliable hair like strand that is very small in diameter in
relation to its length.

How does fashion and textile design work?

Textile designers are artists who dream up and design the look

and feel of textiles, including patterns printed on or woven into
their surfaces. ... Fashion designers develop the clothing we
wear. Fashion textile designers create
the textiles that are used to make those clothes.

Classification of textile fibre

Food, clothing and shelter are the three basic needs of human beings. Textile
fibres are hair-like substances with a high degree of fineness, outstanding
flexibility, reasonable strength, a minimum level of length and cohesiveness
(ability to hold to one another, when placed side by side). They may be short with
a length at least 500 times (but commonly 1000 to 3000 times) their diameter or
thickness or may be very long with the length to diameter ratio being almost
infinity.

The short fibres are called staple fibres while those with very long length are
called filaments.

Classification of Fibres Based on their origin, the fibres may be classified as

belonging to one of the following two categories: Natural and Man-made

Natural fibres can be further classified according to their origin into the
following three groups:

i) Vegetable Fibres: Most of these are cellulose fibres and include cotton, linen,
jute, flax, ramie, coir, sisal and hemp. Besides their use as textiles, cellulose fibres
are also used in the manufacture of paper and other useful products like ropes,
cords, coir mats, industrial fabrics, etc.

ii) Animal Fibres: They are mostly protein fibres and include wool and silk.

iii) Mineral Fibres: Asbestos is the only naturally occurring mineral fibre that was
used extensively for making industrial products .

Fibres in the second category, as the name implies, are made by man and are
therefore sometimes called artificial fibres or manufactured fibres. Like natural
fibres they may also be divided into the following three categories:

i) Derived from natural feedstock: Most of the fibres in this category are
derived from cellulose which is obtained from bamboo, wood or cotton
linters. The most important fibre in this category is viscose rayon.
ii) Derived from manufactured feedstock: The petrochemical industry is
the main source of fibres in this category with coal and natural gas also
contributing a bit. Low molecular weight chemicals are first produced
and these are converted into fibre forming polymers through
 polymerization.

20 Types of FABRIC WEAVES {An

overview
it is important to know more about fabric weaves, because
when you choose fabric for your project, you should know
that the types of the weave of the fabric can determine
the smoothness, comfort, thickness, durability, tear
strength and even drape of the fabric. In effect, the whole
success of your hard work and dreams about a sewing
project hinges on the weave of your fabric -how’z that!
 A fabric weave refers to the way warp and weft yarns are
interlaced in a fabric. In the most basic of fabric weaving,
the threads (lengthwise warps and crosswise wefts) go
criss-cross in the simplest of pattern, at right angles to
each other. But in others, they are woven in so many
interesting patterns – artistically, decoratively.

But the basic weave types that mix and match to form all
the others are – plain, twill and satin weaves. They are
given interesting variations or they are combined with
each other to form different other woven patterns

Different Types of fabric weaves

 1 Plain weave
 2 Rib weave
 3 Basket weave
 4 Twill Weave
 5 Herringbone weave
 6 Satin weave
 7 Sateen weave
 8 Leno weave
 9 Oxford Weave
 10 Bedford cord weave
 11 Waffle Weave
 12 Pile weave
 13 Jacquard weave
 14 Dobby weave
 15 Crepe weave
 16 Lappet weave
 17 Tapestry Weave
 18 Striped weaves
 19 Checquered weaves
 20 Double cloth weave

1 Plain weave
This is a weave with the most simple interlacing but it
makes for a very strong and firm fabric because these
interlacings are more frequent than for any other weave. 

In this weave, the warp thread is interlaced over the weft

thread by alternately lifting and lowering of the yarns. ie
each and every weft thread goes under and over the warp
threads across the width of the fabric.
The advantage of this weave is that it is quite strong and
durable and produces very fine good quality fabrics. 

It is also called tabby weave or taffeta weave or linen

weave.Also called Panama weave.

Hopsack is a plain weave with two or more threads in weft

and warp interlaced instead of one. Also called Celtic
weave

Percale is a type of plain weave which produces a very

smooth high thread count fabric by the same name.
Poplin weave is an unbalanced plain weave in which two
weft-threads and one warp-thread of the same colour
cross each other. As weft threads are more than the warp
thread there is a ridge on the weft thread creating a
ribbed weave. In this weave cotton polyester and nylon
fibers are used.

In most of the plain weave fabrics the weft thread and the
warp thread are of the same colour resulting in an even
coloured fabric but for some fabrics like end-on-end poplin
and cambric the weft thread will be white or some other
colour while the warp thread will be coloured – this results
in a subtle shade of the colour.

Fabrics with a plain weave: About half of the woven fabrics

are in this weave. It includes most of the different types of
cotton like muslin, organdy, canvas; linen, rayon, silk,
Chiffon, organza, voile, wool, crepe and a whole lot of
other fabrics

2 Rib weave
A variation of the plain weave.  Here, either weft yarn or
warp yarn is woven raised because it is a thicker yarn ie
the warp and weft yarns are of different weights. Usually,
it is the weft yarn which is thicker in which case there is
an appearance of prominent ribs in the horizontal
direction.

Fabrics with a rib weave : Broadcloth, Faille, Poplin,

grosgrain

3 Basket weave
This is a variation of the plain weave but with more than
one thread. Two or more warp fibers alternately interlace
with two or more weft fibers. Instead of the over under
pattern in a plain weave we have a over over under under
pattern.

The resultant fabric has a matt weave and flexibility and a

looser construction. It is not as durable as plain weave,
though and may shrink in the wash. It is difficult to sew.
Another name is a hopsack weave

Fabric with this weave: Canvas, Duck cloth, Monk’s cloth.

4 Twill Weave
In this weave, one or more warp fibers alternately weave
over and under two or more weft fibers repeatedly (Weft-
faced)or one or more weft fibers alternately weave over
and under two or more warp fibers repeatedly (warp-
faced). This results in a strong and soft fabric which
has more drape than all other weaves with a self-design
effect, with parallel diagonal ribs formed left-to-right or
right-to-left but the fabric has a smooth surface. 

There are clear diagonal lines on the surface of the fabric.

The back side of this weave is rough and will show the
opposite pattern of the front. Fabrics with twill weave are
more durable, heavy and wrinkle resistant than ones with
plain weave
In denim, inarguably the most famous twill fabric, the
weft-thread is white or off-white and the warp-thread is
indigo-dyed. 

Fabrics with Twill weave: Denim, flannel, Velvet, Drill,

Jersey, Gabardine etc has this weave.

Twills have a wale. Wales can be S or Z.  If the wales run

from upper right to lower left the weave is called right-
hand twill / z twill; 
If the wales run from upper left to lower right the weave
is called left hand twill / s twill. When there is a
combination of right-hand and left hand twill it is called a
broken twill

Variations : One and one (Pick & Pick) has light and dark
warp and weft. 3 by 1 twill has three threads crossing over
one weft thread. This is a common denim weave. 2 by
1 twill has two warp thread crossing over one weft thread.
Gabardine is a fine steeply set twill weave. Cavalry twill is
a slightly broader steeply set twill; Whipcord is another
bold and steep twill. Diagonal twill has a pronounced
diagonal twill weave. Double diagonal twill weave has two
or three differently wide and bold twill lines.

Twilled hopsack weave looks as if twill is running both left

and right. Pinhead has one ligt and one dark warp and a
solid dark weft. Barleycorn is a twill way arranged to look
like barley corn.Pepper and salt is a variation of the one
and one with highly contrasted twist in the warp and weft.

5 Herringbone weave
This refers to a broken twill weave which gives a 
herringbone (zig zag) pattern with right and left twills
appearing alternatively side by side , both having the
same width. 
The herringbone weave is also called feather twill or
arrowhead twill. Other than the attractiveness of its design
it has all the qualities of a twill weave. This is similar to
other broken twill designs like the chevron pattern

Shell weave has a combination of right and left-hand twills

– looks like a shell

Corkscrew weave has the herringbone pattern but at a

very low angle.

Fabric with the herringbone weave: Tweed

6 Satin weave
This is a variation of the twill weave but with continuous
warp yarn, with as few interruptions of weft as possible ie
it has fewer intersections of warp and weft threads – weft
yarns are floated over warp yarns, which results in a
smooth and shiny surface.

The fibers used are filament fibers like silk or nylon. The
fabric in this woven pattern will be very smooth and
lustrous and has a flexible structure, because of the long
floats. The greatest luster will be in the lengthwise
direction.

The disadvantage is that the fabric fibers will easily snag

so this weave is not considered as strong as the other
weaves.The advantage of this weave is its own
disadvantage – it is the long floating yarns that snag.

Fabrics with this weave: Many types of satin fabric like

peau de soi, charmeuse.

7 Sateen weave

This is a satin weave with short staple yarns like cotton.

The floats will be in the weft direction ie continuous weft
yarn, with as few interruptions of warp as possible. The
fabric is not as lustrous as the satin weave fabric but they
are more durable.

8 Leno weave
In this weave, wrap yarns do not lie parallel to each other
as in other weaves; the adjacent warp fibers (two or
more) are twisted around consecutive weft fibers (one or
more)to form a spiral pair (figure 8). It results in a sheer
open weave fabric which is at the same time strong. It is
also called gauze weave

Fabrics with Leno weave : Gauze, net, tulle.

9 Oxford Weave
In this two, thin warp yarns are woven to each very soft,
thicker yarn in the weft direction. This results in the thin
warp yarns to break leaving holes. The resultant fabric is
very fine and soft. In a similar Pinpoint weave weft-thread
alternatively pass over and under two warp-threads

Fabrics with oxford weave : Oxford cloth, shirting.

10 Bedford cord weave

This is a characteristic weave found in the fabric Bedford

cord with lengthwise ridges. The weave has prominent
lengthwise ribs with sunken lines in between. This is a
combination of a plain weave and whipcord twill weave.
Wadding threads are introduced in this weaving to bring
more prominence to the cords.
11 Waffle Weave

This is also called honeycomb weave because of the

pattern it creates on the face of the fabric. The warp and
weft threads are interlaced and floated in a manner that
produces a regular pattern of small square ridges and
hollows in the fabric. This weave has a 3D effect but
makes for a rough surface because of the raised areas on
the face of the fabric. The shapes formed on the fabric
surface maybe square or diamond.

12 Pile weave
This is a weave that is used to make a soft pile fabric
which is very absorbent and insulating . You will find
cut/uncut piles on one side or either side of the fabric as a
result of this weaving. The uncut or loop piles has loops
on the face and back of the fabric. Ground yarns and
additional yarns for the pile are used in the fabric
construction

Fabrics with a pile weave: Velvet (Cut pile), terrycloth ,

Corduroy, Velveteen (Uncut/loop pile).

13 Jacquard weave
This is a beautiful weave with intricate and colourful
designs woven into the fabric. This weave is produced on
a jacquard loom. 

The weave results in a fabric which is strong and lustrous

and has a luxurious look and feel. Jacquards can be made
one color or a mix of colors and can be used to create
simple as well as complex patterns. Often the back side of
a jacquard is the mirror image of the pattern on the front.
The weave is named after the Frenchman Joseph Marie
Jacquard who invented the jacquard loom.

Fabrics with this fabric weave : Brocade, Damask,

Brocatelle, Matelasse are fabrics with this weave and
these fabrics are typically used for bedding, upholstery,
draperies etc.
14 Dobby weave

This is a patterned plain weave with small

designs/geometric patterns. You need special dobby
machines to create this weave. The machine selectively
raises some warp threads and selectively depresses others
with the help of a dobby card. The fabric which is woven
this way is comparatively flat and fine.

Fabric with Dobby weave : Moss  crepe.

15 Crepe weave
A type of weave that results in a broken irregular pebbled
appearance by the use of high twist yarns and a special
method of weaving.

Fabric with this weave : Crepe fabric

16 Lappet weave
Lappet weave is a method of creating machine-made
embroidery-like figures on a fabric ground, by introducing
warp threads. Swivel weave a similar weave in which weft
threads are introduced. It is very similar to how
embroidery is done.

17 Tapestry Weave
This is also done by the jacquard loom but it is mostly
based on handlooming techniques and has very elaborate
designs made usually of a single repeat. The complex
designs characterized by numerous colour changes are
formed by weft yarns and warp yarns. It is used
interchangeably with jacquard weave. You will find wall
hangings and flatweave rugs made in this technique

18 Striped weaves
A pinstripe patterned weave has a single fine striped
thread that looks like a  line made up of pinhead shots

Eton stripe is a Plain weave variation with light and dark

warp and weft – resulting in a straight vertical line of light
and dark alternatively. Also called Hairline.

Chalk stripe weave results in light lines like the one made
by a tailor’s chalk.

You can check out the names of more striped patterns on

fabric here.

19 Checquered weaves
This weave makes beautiful checks on the fabric. Think
tartans and plaids
Block check weave has blocks of check patterns in light
and dark yarns

A diamond weave is a twill weave with right and left twills

looking like a diamond pattern

Two and two glen stripe with overcheck has one and one
base with a two and two stripe

Three and Three has a twill base with three light three

dark weft and warp

Shepherds check has a twill weave with five or more light,

five or more dark warp and weft

Glenurquhart check has a twill weave with dark and light

warp and weft coloured yarns to give a chequered effect.

Dog’s tooth has a twill weave with four or more light, four

or more dark warp and weft
Gun club check has four or more light, four or more mid,
four or more light, four or more dark, warp and weft.

You can check out the names of more chequered patterns

on fabric here.

20 Double cloth weave

In this weaving technique, two fabrics are held together

with another set of yarns. Sometimes, they are separated,
as in the case with velvet

Fabric with this weave : Velvet.

Choosing Fabric according to weaves

If you want a durable strong fabric you will choose a twill
weave fabric or a plain weave fabric than a basket weave
or jacquard weave. If you want a drapeable and lustrous
fabric you will go for a satin weave than a twill weave. If
you want a see through fabric you will now know a leno
weave fabric serves you better than any other weaves. For
a kitchen towel you would want one with a waffle weave
with better absorbency.

What are the properties of textile?

Textiles are specific types of materials characterized by a unique

combination of properties including strength, flexibility, elasticity,
softness, durability, heat insulation, low weight, water
absorbency/repellence, dye ability and resistance to chemicals.

 What is Fibre in textile?

 Textile fiber is a material mainly made from natural or synthetic sources.

This material will be converts into the making of textile yarns and fabrics;
woven, knitted, nonwoven, and carpets. It may be in a form of a pliable hair
like strand or as the smallest visible unit of textile production.

Characteristics of Cotton Fibers and Products

 Comfortable to wear
 Natural, cellulosic fiber
 Made from the cotton boll
 Absorbs water and “breathes”
 Slow to dry
 Resists static electricity build-up
 Wrinkles easily
 Can withstand heat, detergents, and bleach
 About 20% stronger when wet than dry
 Will shrink unless treated
 Can be damaged by mildew
 Can be damaged by prolonged exposure to sunlight
 Long staple cotton (such a Supima, Pima, Egyptian, and Sea Island) can
be woven into smooth, almost silky fabrics.

 Spinning process of cotton

 Cotton Yarn Spinning Process. ...


 The process of making yarns from the textile fiber is
called spinning. Spinning is the twisting together of drawn out strands of
fibers to form yarn, though it is colloquially used to describe the process of
drawing out, inserting the twist, and winding onto bobbins.
 Introduction of Yarn Spinning

Yarn spinning is a process of making or converting fiber materials into yarns.  Since few
[1]

centuries ago, spinning have been known as a process of converting raw materials(fiber)
such as cotton and wool into yarns for making textile fabric or products. There are two
classes of spinning process have been developed by people, Hand Spinning and Machine
Spinning. In Textile Industry, the size of yarns is determined by unit of Tex, Count,
Worsted, Woolen, and Denier.

Hand Spinning
Before industrial revolution occurs, hand spinning method is widely used by people for
making yarns. The principle is by using a tool such called carder or bare hand to
align parallel the yarns before twisting.
[3] [4]
 Carding
A tool such as wool card will be used to remove impurities on the surface and reduce
clump to ensure the evenly spun during twisting process. Otherwise it may be done by
bare hand.

Twisting
The end of wool fiber will be tied with the hook of the spindle, twist spindle in clockwise
direction, if the twist too loose it may break the yarn during process.

Park
The yarn will be wrapped at the below section of the spindle

Machine Spinning
After industrial revolution, many developments have been done by the industry to ease
the process by apply machine to control the process effectively. One of the oldest types
of machine used by the industry since nowadays is Ring Spinning Machine.
 Types of Yarn
Production
There are two classifications of yarns that will be produced by spinning which are
Filament and Staple yarns.

Filament
These yarns are made from long, and continuous strands of fiber. Most of them from
synthetic and only silk represents for natural fibers in filament

Staple
Staple or spun yarns in other hand are made from short length of fibers. It can be found
from natural fibers or can be produced using synthetic as staple filament yarns. As it is
short length, staple fibers need to be held together with others in order to get the long
and continuous yarns.

Steps in Making Fibers into Yarns

For making yarns, there are few stages or process need to be done. Each staple and
filaments have different stages and system for the production process.

Filaments
Several common system used by the manufacturer in spinning industry for Filament
yarns;

 Wet Spinning,
 Dry Spinning,
 Melt Spinning,
 Bicomponent Spinning,
 Biconstituent Spinning
Filament yarns spinning is simplest and least stages require compare with Staple yarns
spinning. The molten polymer of synthetic will be inserts into a vessel, after few
colorations have been done, the solution will be pushed out through the spinnerets to
become filament yarns.  [2]
 Staple
This process is much complicated and requires several stages need to be done before
Staple yarns can be produced. In terms of cost production, it is much higher compare
with Filament yarns and this means a lot of energy consumption will be waste during
this process. 
[2]

Several common systems used by the manufacturer in spinning industry for Staple
yarns;
 Conventional Ring Spinning,
 Air-jet Spinning,
 Open-end or Rotor Spinning,
 Vortex Spinning
Blowroom

A process where the raw materials packed in bale forms(supplier) will be open and clean the
impurities on the surface by using bale opener machine.

Carding

It’s the heart of spinning process. This is where the flock from bales will be open into individual
fiber. Thus, it will ease to remove the excess impurities on the fiber surface. At this point, short
fiber which not suitable for production in terms of length requirements will be eliminated.  [2]

Combing

This is a process where the yarn will be straightened again so that they are arranged in parallel
manner. While at the same time, the remaining of short fiber will be eliminated completely
from the longer staple fiber. By doing this, long-staple will produce stronger and smoother 
fabric which are highly demanded in the market.  [2]
Drawing

At this stage, it will be pulled the sliver lengthwise direction over each other. Thus, it will cause it
to be stronger and thinner in production which is very important in evenness of the yarn. If
there is any faults occur during process, it will still pass into the yarn. Most of manufacturer will
use blending process where two or more different types of fibers will be blended to form a yarn.
Common type of blend use is Cotton/Polyester combination, by doing this it will not only reduce
the cost but also increase the performance.  [2]

Roving

This is the final stage where the preparatory steps for insertion of the twist. Enough twist is
given to hold the fibers together but still has no tensile strength. The roving in bobbins is placed
in spinning frame where it passes several sets of roller which running at high-speed to convert
into yarn forms. [2]
 General Comparison between Filament and Staple Yarns Performance

Tenacity & Elongation

As stated above in the table, Filament yarns have excellence properties compare with
Staple yarns. But still, in terms of real production each of these yarns has their own high
demands usage. Although Staple yarns seams have weakness in tenacity, overcoming
can be done by increasing twist on the yarns and by blends it with synthetic fibers.

Comfort
In terms of fabric production, Staple yarns contribute high comfort by providing good
absorbent and heat trapped. It is really important for country which has high moisture
environments.  Filaments on the other hand, seem fit for cold weather because of lack in
terms of absorbent and heat trapped.

Conclusion
Both filament and staple yarns have their own advantages/disadvantages. Each of them
is produced base on their end-use products such as fabrics, rope, and fishing yarns.
Filament which majorly based on synthetic and some from natural sources, because it
can be produced base on the needs in terms of its length(continuous or staple) and
properties such as pre-choose coloration, alteration in physical and chemical structure
have made it some advantages in production.
While for staple yarns, although it seems loss due to the length, staple still got some
advantages in terms of strength which will make the yarns more stronger when the
content of absorbency is higher, thus will make it suitable use for machine
treatment(washing machine). Meanwhile, common technique used by the manufacturer
to reduce the cost production of staple is by combining staple(cotton) with
filament(polyester), at the same time it didn’t only reduce cost but also will overcome
few weakness of staple yarns.

Yarn thread packing

Yarn Twist:
In the manufacture of staple fibre yarns, twist is inserted into the fine strand of fibres to hold the fibres
together and impart the desired properties to the twisted yarns. Without twist, the fine strand of fibres
would be very weak and of little practical use. A change in the level of twist also changes many yarn
properties, such as strength and softness.

Definition:
Twist may be defined as the spiral disposition of the components of a thread which is usually the result of
relative rotation of the two ends. Twist is generally expressed as the number of turns per unit length of
yarn, e.g. turns per inch (tpi), turns per metre (tpm), etc.

What exactly does twist to a yarn?

 1. The twist in a yarn binds the fibres together and helps to keep them in the respective positions. It
thus gives coherence to yarn.
2. Twist gives sufficient strength to the yarn.
3. Twist is also used to bring about novel effects that are prominently visible when the yarn is
converted to fabric. This is achieved primarily by having a combination of yarns with different twist
levels and twist directions in the fabric.
Nature of Twist:

Types of Twist:
There are two types of twist: real twist and false twist.

Real twist:
To insert a real twist into a length of yarn, one end of the yarn should be rotated relative to the other end,
as indicated in figure (a).

Spun yarns usually have real twist, which holds the fibres together in the yarn.

False twist:
When inserting false twist into a length of yarn, both ends of the yarn are clamped, usually by rollers, and
twist is inserted with a false twister between the clamping points, as indicated in figure (b).

If the yarn is not traversing along its axis, the twist will be in opposite directions above and below the
false twister. If the false twister is removed, the opposite twists will cancel out one another, leaving no
real twist in the length of yarn. If the yarn is traversing along its axis, then the section of the yarn moving
away from the false twister would have no net twist, as indicated in figure (b).

False twisting is a very important phenomenon, which has considerable practical implications in yarn
technology.
 Figure: Real twisting and false twisting

Twist Direction:
A twist can be either in Z direction or S direction as indicated in the following figure, depending on the
orientation of the surface fibre in relation to yarn axis.

Fig. : Twist direction

Types of looms and its working mechanism

A loom is a mechanism or tool used for weaving yarn and
thread into textiles. Looms vary in a wide
assortment of sizes. They come in huge free standing
hand looms, tiny hand-held frames, to vast automatic
mechanical tools. A loom can as well pertain to an electric
line construction like that of a wiring loom. The main task
of looms is to clutch the twist threads under pressure to
enable the progress of interweaving of the woof strands.
The loom's system and exact form can differ to some
extent; however it still performs the basic application.
There are many kinds of weaving looms to choose
from, depending on what you plan to weave. When
planning on buying a weaving loom, consider several
things. These include how large a piece do you intend to
weave; how much experience do you have with weaving
looms; how much space is there for your looms; and how
much time are you willing to spend on it.

Some looms are fairly small and simply mastered by their

users. They can even be used by young children. Larger
looms tend to be more complex but still have more
detailed options for better usage. The size of the loom
is the one to determine the width of whatever weave
material you're going to select. The length is more
controlled in the table looms.

Different Types of Looms

Hand Looms
The first and original loom was vertically twist-weighted
types, where threads are hung from a wooden piece or
branch or affixed to the floor or ground. The weft threads
are manually shoved into position or pushed through a
rod that also becomes the shuttle. Raising and lowering
each warp thread one by one is needed in the beginning.
It is done by inserting a piece of rod to create a shack, the
gap between warp threads in order for the woof to easily
traverse the whole warp right away.

Ground Looms
Horizontal ground looms permit the warp threads to be
chained between a couple of rows of dowels. The weaver
needs to bend forward to perform the task easily. Thus,
pit looms with warp chained over a ditch are invented to
let the weaver have his or her legs positioned below and
leveled with the loom.

Back strap Looms

They are well recognized for their portability. The one end
of this loom type is secured around the waist of the
weaver and the other end is attached around a fixed thing
like door, stake, or tree. Pressure applied can be
customized by just bending back.

Frame Looms
Frame looms almost have the similar mechanisms that
ground looms hold. The loom was made of rods and
panels fastened at the right angles to construct a form
similar to a box to make it more handy and manageable.
This type of loom is being utilized even until now due to
its economy and portability.

Rigid heddle Looms

These are the crisscross manifold loom types. The back
strap looms and frame looms fall under this type. This
one normally features one harness, with its heddles
attached in the harness. The yarn or thread goes in an
alternate manner all the way through a heddle and in the
gap between the heddles. In this way, lifting the harness
also lifts half of the threads and letting down the harness
also drops the same threads. Strands leading through the
gaps between the heddles stay in position.

 
Foot-treadle Floor Looms

Nowadays, hand weavers are likely to employ looms

having no less than 4 harnesses. With every harness
featuring a set of heddles wherein wool can be strung, and
by lifting the harnesses in diverse arrangements, a
multiplicity of designs are created. Looms having a couple
of harnesses similar to these are applied
for knitting tabby, the unvarying weave textiles.

What are woven materials?

Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics are often created on a
loom, and made of many threads woven on a warp and a weft. Technically, a woven
fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to one
another.

What are woven fabrics examples?

Woven fabric is produced through weaving two sets of yarn. Examples include button

up shirts, trousers, jeans, denim jackets. Woven fabrics are generally more durable.
A woven fabric which is used in clothing and garments or for decoration and covering
purposes. Without these application woven fabric also used as sportswear, medical
applications, textiles for electronics and airbag construction in automotive engineering.

Types of Woven Fabrics – universally used fabric names

1. Buckram Fabric
A stiff coated fabric made from a lightweight loosely woven fabric, impregnated with adhesives
and fillers, this fabric is used as interfacing so as to provide support and shape retention to
necklines, collars, belts, cuffs, waistbands, button closures etc in garments. They are also used as
reinforcements for handbags and other articles.

Buckram is a stiff cotton (occasionally linen or horse hair) cloth with a loose weave,

often muslin. The fabric is soaked in wheat starch paste, glue (such as PVA glue),
or pyroxylin (gelatinized nitrocellulose, developed around 1910), as sizing and then dried. When
rewetted or warmed, it can be shaped to create durable firm fabric for book covers, hats, and
elements of clothing. In bookbinding, pyroxylin impregnated fabrics are considered superior to
starch-filled fabrics because their surfaces are more water resistant, they are more resistant to
insects and fungi, and are generally stronger. They wear well and are particularly suitable for use
in library binding where many people will be repeatedly handling the same books. Pyroxylin also
allows for unique decorative effects on book covers. They, too, are water repellant and immune
to insect attack and fungi, but they do not wear as well as starch impregnated cloths because of
cracking at the joints and occasional peeling of the coating.
 2. Cambric Fabric
Cambric a lightweight fabric woven in plain weave and produced with a stiff finish. It is suitable
for women’s dresses and children’s dresses that require crispness.

Cambric or batiste, one of the finest and most dense kinds of cloth, is a lightweight plain-
weave cloth, originally from the French commune of Cambrai, woven in greige,
then bleached, piece-dyed and often glazed or calendered. Initially it was made of linen; later, the
term came to be applied to cotton fabrics as well. Cambric is used as fabric
for linens, shirts, hand kerchieves, ruffs, lace and needlework. The term “cambric cloth” also
applies to a stiff, usually black, open-weave cloth typically used for a dust cover on the bottom
of upholstered furniture.
Chambray, though the same type of fabric, had a coloured warp and a white weft, though it
could be “made from any colour as you may wish, in the warp, and also in the filling; only have
them differ from each other. “Chambray differs from denim in that “chambray’s warp and weft
threads will alternate one over the other, while denim’s warp thread will go over two threads in
the weft before going under one.” As a result, the color of chambray cloth is similar front and
back, while the reverse side of denim is lighter in color.
3. Casement Fabric
Casement is a medium weight cotton fabric made of closely packed thick warp yarns. Generally,
it is used for curtains, table linen, upholstery and rarely used for dresses.
4. Cheese Cloth
It is a popular lightweight sheer fabric having an open weave. It has a low count fabric consisting
of carded yarns. Originally it was used for wrapping cheese or meat and hence the name. It is
neither strong nor durable. It is finished in a variety of ways that attract the consumer. It is used
not only for women’s and children’s dresses but also for drapery fabrics. Due to its open
structure, it does not require much ironing.
5. Chiffon Fabric
Chiffon fabrics are sheer, lightweight fabrics made of hard twisted yarns. Originally these are
made in silk fabrics but today they are made from rayon or polyester. They are used
for sarees and women’s evening wear. The fabrics encounter the problem of shrinkage.
 Buy Online Beautiful Chiffon Sarees

6. Chintz Fabric
Chintz is a medium weight, plain woven cotton yarn. It is often given a glazed finish which may
be temporary or semi-permanent glazed chintz are available in solid colour as well as printed
with floral prints. These are often made from blends of cotton and polyester or rayon. They are
used for skits, dresses, blouses, pyjamas, aprons, and draperies.
7. Corduroy Fabric
It is a cut pile fabric available in solid colours. The cut pile fibres are seen in the form of ribs on
the surface. It is mainly used for pants, jeans, and shirts.

8. Crepe Fabric
A silk fabric is originally characterized by a crinkle, puckered surface formed by highly twisted
yarns in the warp or weft or both. By using ordinary yarns similar crepe effects can also be
produced. Synthetic fabrics also impart crepe effect finish. It is used for sarees, shirts, women
and children’s dresses.
 Shop Online Exotic Crepe Silk Sarees

9. Denim Fabric
It was traditionally a yarn dyed, warp-faced cotton twill fabric. Warp is usually coloured (mostly
blue, maroon, green and brown) and weft is white. This fabric is made of two weights for
sportswear and overalls. Its use as jeans has made it very popular and so the nature of denim is
also changed to suit the trend. It is often napped, printed and made with stretch yarn.

10. Drill Fabric
It is a warp-faced twill woven fabric. It has a stiff finish. Originally it was produced in white and
now it is available in solid colours. It is mainly used for pants, knickers, and uniforms.

11. Flannel Fabric
Flannel is a woollen fabric woven in plain or twill weave having the characteristic soft handle. It
looks like a bulky fabric due to the milling that is usually done to this fabric. Flannel fabric is
used for suits and pants and infant’s clothing.

This fabric is popular as cleaning fabric due to its extreme softness. This is also used to protect
children from the cold atmosphere.

12. Gabardine Fabric
Gabardine is a closely woven, clear finished warp-faced twill fabric. It contains a number of
warp yarns than weft yearns and also more durable. It is usually woven in 2/1 or 2/2 twill and has
a raised diagonal twill effect on the right side. It largely used for raincoats, suitings, and
sportswear.

13. Georgette Fabric
Georgette is a sheer lightweight fabric, woven in plain weave. It has a characteristic rough
texture produced by hard twisted ply, yarns both in warp and weft. Originally it was made in silk,
but today it is produced in rayon and polyester too. It’s mainly suitable for women’s evening
wear.

Buy Online Exclusive Georgette Sarees

14. Kashmir Silk Fabric

Kashmir silk is a silk fabric produced in plain weave and is either embroidered or printed. The
motifs used are characteristic of Kashmir. It is used for shirts, women’s wear and sarees.
Kashmir shawls are woven in twill weave and are usually embroidered with traditional Kashmiri
embroidery.
15. Khadi Fabric
Khadi is a term used for a wide variety of fabrics that are hand spun and hand woven. They are
produced in mainly one cotton fibre, blends of two or more fibres. They are known for durability
and simplicity. The fabrics can be suitings dhoties overalls and household textiles.
16. Lawn Fabric
The lawn is a fine sheet, lightweight, crisp fabric either made of cotton or linen. Various finishes
are given to this fabric, in which the fabric is called by the name of the finish. It is mainly used
as lining in a dress.
17. Mulmul Fabric
It is an Indian term generally applied to fine cotton fabric slightly heavier, than muslin. These are
often printed fabrics. They find use as sarees.
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18. Muslin Fabric
Muslin is a lightweight open cloth of plain weave. It may be used as grey or bleached and dyed.
It is used as household textiles and dress materials. The name is derived from the city of
Mosul where the fabric was first made.

It is a very light and open tabby (plain) weave fabric used for summer dresses and utility use. At
first, the cloth was not always plain but could also have silk and gold thread woven into it. As the
ability to spin yarns of greater fineness developed cotton was used more readily than silk. In this
muslin, the motif weaves in and out of the cloth, as if it has been embroidered. In the Madras net,
the motif is predominately woven on the surface.
19. Poplin Fabric
Poplin is a medium weight, the cotton fabric having a fine weft rib. it is generally used for
shirting, dresses, and upholstery.

20. Sheeting Fabric
These are primarily used for bed coverings. They are medium weight, closely woven fabrics
woven either in plain or twin weave. Sheeting fabrics are made in different widths. High-quality
cotton sheetings are made in plain weave with a width of 64″ x 58″ and in a twill weave with a
width of 60″x72″.

21.Taffeta Fabric
Taffeta is a smooth, crisp, transparent fabric having a fine rib. Originally it is made with silk
fibres but now it is also made of rayon. It has a characteristic finish which produces crispness. It
is used as women’s evening wear.

22. Tissue Fabric
It is a fine fabric either made of silk or man-made fibre. They are characteristically interwoven
with gold or silver threads. It is produced in rich colours and they are used as women’s dress
material, sarees etc.
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23. Aertex Fabric
A trade name for a cloth patented in Britain in 1886, which was first manufactured in 1888. The
cloth traps air in between its structure, keeping the body cool in summer, and warm in
winter. Two threads or ends act as one thread; when a weft thread passes between them, the doup
ends twist catching the weft and holding it tightly in place. Very fancy and beautiful clothes
can be produced by combining the cross weaving with other weave structures.

24. Madras Muslin Net Fabric

Madras net is used mainly for furnishing such as curtaining. The cloth is an open gauze ground
cloth where an extra weft is inserted to produce a motif, this is then woven into the ground
cloth. Where there is a surplus floating weft yarn this is then cut away after weaving revealing
the motif, the edge of the sheared motif shows shorn ends of a weft yarn.

25.  Aida cloth Fabric

Aida cloth is a cotton fabric with a natural mesh pattern generally used for cross-stitch
embroidery. The open, even-weave Aida fabrics’ natural stiffness enables the fabric the
embroiderer’s choice.

26. Velvet Fabric
It is a warp cut pile fabric, originally made from silk. It is also produced in Rayon. The dense cut
pile makes it very soft and lustrous. It is used as dress materials for women and children. It is
also produced with special high twisted yarns which are single or ply yarns. Based on the yarns
used and twist given, they are named as semi violes (single yarns1x1) full voiles. (ply yarns 2×2)
or half voile (double in warp and single in weft 2×1).

27. Mousseline Fabric
A term used to denote very fine clear fabrics, finer than muslins. Made of silk, wool or cotton,
the weave structure is either (plain) tabby or two and one twill. In the 18th century, the British
term referred to a fine cloth with a cotton warp and a worsted weft. In France, from the late 18th
century onwards mousseline-delaines were made of very fine wool which was printed in
beautiful designs. This fabric proved very popular for fashionable as dress and shawl fabrics. The
mousseline cloth is so fine and transparent it is often found backed with another cloth of either a
satin or taffeta silk.
28. Organdie / Organza Fabric
Originally it is a lawn fabric which is given a stiff finish. Acid is used for this finish to make the
fabric transparent and stiff. It is mainly used for women’s wear.

A thin light fabric in a (plain) tabby weave which, if organza, has a very stiff crisp finish; and for
organdie, the finish is lighter or there is no finish, and thus the cloth is more pliable.
The structure of the cloth always has more warps than wefts per inch, and the weft threads are
finer than the warp threads. Illustrated is a colourful group of organza fabrics.
29. Leno Fabric
A fabric in which an open effect is created by causing certain thread ends or doup threads to
cross over. Two threads or ends act as one thread; when a weft thread passes between them, the
doup ends twist catching the weft and holding it tightly in place. Very fancy and beautiful
clothes can be produced by combining the cross weaving, with other weave structures.

 Knit fabric is produced by interloping (or knitting) one set of yarn. Examples include

leggings, t shirts, sweaters, underwear.