Textiles and textile products – description, types, features, purpose

We use textiles on a daily basis to shape our homes, our clothes, and even how we protect ourselves from the weather. They are available in a wide variety of forms, each with special qualities and applications. Having a thorough understanding of these textiles aids in decision-making when choosing materials for upholstery, clothes, and other uses.

Every type of textile, from synthetic materials like polyester and nylon to natural ones like cotton and wool, has unique qualities that make it appropriate for a variety of uses. Certain products are renowned for their strength, while others are preferred for their comfort or visual appeal. Because of this diversity, there’s a fabric that’s ideal for any purpose, be it robust and long-lasting or lightweight and breathable.

When examining the world of textiles, it’s crucial to take the fabric’s intended use into account in addition to its type. Selecting the appropriate fabric can have a significant impact on the finished product’s functionality and appearance because different fabrics have different uses. To get the best results, whether you’re making clothes, designing interiors, or choosing materials for industrial use, you need to understand textiles.

Textile Type Description & Features
Cotton Natural, soft, breathable, often used for casual wear and bedding
Wool Warm, durable, natural fiber, ideal for winter clothing and blankets
Silk Luxurious, smooth, lightweight, often used for formal wear and lingerie
Synthetic (Polyester) Man-made, durable, wrinkle-resistant, commonly used in activewear

What is textile

The Latin words textus (matter, fabric), textilis (woven), and texere (to weave) are the origin of the word "textile." It is used to refer to any material that is made in various ways, such as felting, knitting, braiding, or weaving, from soft, flexible threads or fibers of natural, mixed, or synthetic origin. Additionally, this can be completed by hand or by machine.

At first, this name was limited to fabric that was woven or created using yarn on a loom. The transverse weft threads and the warp threads, which run the length of the fabric, were entwined to achieve this. There was a perpendicular relationship between these two thread systems.

Textile, though, is a broad concept. Any material created in any way from entwined fibers can be considered this. As a result, in addition to fabric, knitwear, laminated material, non-woven fabric, felt products, laces, sewing threads, and textile haberdashery are examples of textile products (textile goods), also known as products or textile materials, made from yarn, fibers, and threads.

The textile industry, one of several light industry branches that processes fibers from different sources into threads, yarn, and fabrics, produces textiles of every kind and function. Raw materials derived from plants, such as flax, cotton, kenaf, hemp, ramie, and jute, as well as raw materials derived from animals, such as wool and silkworm cocoon silk, can be used.

The textile industry is separated into divisions based on the raw materials used: woolen, cotton, linen, silk, hemp, cotton production; non-woven material production; and weaving, spinning, and finishing production.

The end product is impacted by every element of the textile product. The assortment of components within them may vary, as their quantity is contingent upon the intended application. However, the fiber and its quality are among the most crucial since they are spun into yarn, which is then used to make fabric.

The qualities of the fibers used to produce various types of canvas have a direct impact on the qualities and attributes of textiles.

  • The length of the fibers affects how soft, dense, tactfully pleasant the threads and the finished canvas obtained from them will be;
  • resistant to deformation and strong fibers will provide the finished material with good density, strength and elasticity;
  • It depends on the quality of the fiber how steadily the finished canvas will be the effects of ultraviolet radiation, chemicals, and high temperatures;
  • Natural fibers with good hygienic properties will provide a canvas with the ability to pass air, absorb water, good heat -insulating properties.

Various methods of decorating and processing textile materials are used in the production process to add values to the material, improve its aesthetics, and enhance its physical properties, such as strength, softness, failure, and other qualities: preliminary decoration, staining, embroidery, printing, and final decoration.

The main types of textiles

Fabrics

The primary indicator of a woven canvas is the weaving machine’s ability to interweave mutually crossing threads into a specific texture and pattern. The type of fabric weave used in its production determines the fabric’s final properties, characteristics, and uses. The four types of materials are satin, plain, twill, and satin. The type of weaving that is selected, as well as the quality, thickness, and grade of the threads used, determine the final product’s appearance, strength, wear resistance, and density.

Elastic fabrics

The same technique for creating woven fabric, but with elastic yarn instead, which quickly returns to its original properties and stretches well.

Knitwear

Knitted fabric, as opposed to fabric, is elastic, soft, moisture-resistant, dense, and holds its shape well. It can stretch in all directions. It is a kind of its subspecies with unique characteristics, but it is also a part of the group of materials known generally as textiles.

The word "tricotage," which means to knit in French, is the source of the term "knitwear." By definition, this is a product made of knit fabric or a textile knit material with a loop structure that is created manually or by a knitting machine from one or more threads by creating loops from them and joining them. Its primary distinction from fabric, which is created by weaving the warp and weft threads on a loom perpendicularly, is this.

It is not entirely accurate to refer to knitwear as a fabric for these and other reasons. In this instance, it would be more appropriate to refer to the material as "canvas" or "textile," as doing so does not change the meaning. Though it is perfectly acceptable to refer to something as "knitted fabric" in casual speech.

Non-woven materials

Though not through weaving, threads and fibers are also used to create non-woven fabric. Many physical, physical-chemical, and hybrid techniques, such as adhesive, thread stitching, knitting-punching, thermal, hydro-jet, air-forming, and felt-felting, are used to connect them.

Decorative non-woven material is used to make useful textile products such as robes, tea bags, masks, medical diapers, bags, wet wipes, and disposable items.

This material is used to create products that are technologically advanced, functional, fireproof, absorb moisture well, and have barrier qualities that are used, for instance, in operating room materials.

Woven textiles

The threads used to create woven materials are twisted at a specific angle. They vary significantly from fabrics where the threads are entwined perpendicularly with each other because of this. The result is an elastic braid that can be as wide as 20 cm and is woven in a round or flat pattern. It effortlessly stretches in both width and length in a specified direction. The braid is made with threads made of silk, wool, and cotton. It is primarily employed in clothing sewing.

Souache is another variation of this kind of fabric. When completed, the product resembles a 2-4 mm thin, elegant, flat cord. The lace’s foundation is made of cotton threads. Natural silk threads are tightly braided around its core. Poured enamel is applied as a decorative accent to completed items.

Felt-felt material

This kind of textile undergoes a number of intricate additional processing steps, including pressing, heating, moistening, and impregnation. Furthermore, the density of the needed product determines how much impregnation is necessary.

Low-quality animal wool, leftovers from weaving mills, and short, thin wool fibers—which felt into a smooth, even fabric very quickly—are utilized as raw materials to make felt-felt material.

The felt is smooth and pleasing to the touch, does not cause skin irritation, and maintains its shape well. It is used to make crafts, hats, and jewelry. But this material fades easily, becomes wet easily, and pellets stick to its surface. Additionally, the smell of wet material is disagreeable.

Curtain-tulle and lace products

Any type of textile fiber can be used to create openwork, lace textiles without a woven foundation. An airy, elastic fabric with an elegant pattern is produced by intricately weaving threads at any angle using specialized machinery or by hand.

Finished shirts, linen, designer clothing, plush bedspreads, patterned napkins, and tablecloths are all made with openwork textiles or lace.

Twisted materials – yarn, threads

This category of textile products is distinguished by their high strength and small diameter. This is accomplished by using twisting machines to twist multiple yarn strands.

The materials used to make them include wool, silk, cotton, nylon, linen, and mixed threads, depending on the type of fiber utilized. They are used for knitting, sewing, darning, and embroidery, respectively.

Types of textiles by composition

The following categories are most frequently identified if we use the material’s composition as the basis for classification: natural textiles made of natural fibers, mineral, synthetic, artificial with modifications to the original fiber, and mixed.

Natural textiles

Using specialized technology, fabrics from the natural textile group are created from plant or animal fibers.

The wool from sheep, alpaca, goat, camel, vicuña, llama, guaritso (animals derived from a female alpaca and llama), guanaco, pig skin, cow, rabbit down, and fur are among the animal fibers in this group.

Natural fabrics are made from a class of natural fibers derived from plants known as bast, which also includes fibers from cotton, pineapple, jute, abaca, kapok, henequen, coconut palm, kenaf, hemp, manila, flax, ramie, straw, sisal, and hemp (crotalaria).

Clothes are usually made from fabrics derived from plant fibers and animal wool, which mainly consists of cotton, silk, wool, and fur. This is the most precious, secure, and eco-friendly material available.

Products made of this type of fabric stay warm in cold weather and are not overly hot in the summer. They are long-lasting, hypoallergenic, pleasant to the touch, sturdy, and simple to clean. They do not hold their shape well enough, wrinkle easily, dry slowly, and fade in the sun.

Mineral textiles

This kind of textile is made of three necessary ingredients: asbestos, glass, and basalt. It is frequently used to produce precious stones, ropes, and cables, as well as to sew work clothes.

Synthetic and artificial textiles

The fibrous materials known as "chemical fibers," which are further separated into synthetic and artificial varieties, are the source of both kinds of textiles.

The primary distinction between artificial and natural textiles is that the former’s fibers are derived from natural raw materials that are obtained through natural material processing. However, with the use of sophisticated modifications and chemicals. Consequently, polymerization is used to create artificial chemical fiber, which is utilized in the textile industry, from natural polymers. Take viscose and acetate fibers, for instance.

Their characteristics are different from those of other natural fibers, even though they are derived from natural raw materials like wood pulp, which is primarily composed of cellulose or cotton fluff. Artificial material is bright and light, but it ages quickly in the sun and becomes weaker after washing.

Fibers made of polymers are synthesized chemically to create synthetic textiles. More than a thousand distinct kinds of synthetic fibers exist because there are numerous synthetic polymers. These could include, for instance, nylon, polyester, lurex, capron, polyester, lycra, and acrylic threads.

Synthetic textiles are widely available and reasonably priced for use in clothing. Its advantages include bright colors, durability, and a fairly presentable appearance. However, the material attracts dust and household debris, can become electrified and cause allergies, and occasionally allows air to pass through poorly, creating a greenhouse effect.

Blended

This kind of fabric blends synthetic, artificial, and natural fibers. Examples of blended textiles abound. To enhance the original fabric’s qualities and attributes, more threads are added. For instance, adding cotton fibers to woolen fabric will result in a softer final product.

When mixing threads from different sources, the material’s properties might not hold up. This typically occurs when synthetics are added in large amounts. However, it depends on the particular composition in each case.

Anyone interested in clothes and fashion needs to understand textiles and textile products. Whether natural or synthetic, every kind of textile has special qualities that make it appropriate for a range of uses, from daily wear to specialized applications.

You can choose fabrics for your clothing needs more intelligently if you are aware of the characteristics and uses of various textiles. With this information, you can choose materials that serve their intended purpose well in addition to being aesthetically pleasing.

In the end, selecting the appropriate fabric improves the comfort, toughness, and style of your clothes while expressing your unique style and fulfilling your lifestyle’s needs.

Clothing cannot exist without textiles and textile products, which come in a variety of forms with distinct characteristics and uses. Depending on their characteristics, textiles—which range from synthetic materials like polyester and nylon to natural fibers like cotton and wool—serve a variety of purposes. Knowing these variations makes it easier to select the ideal fabric for a given article of clothing, guaranteeing comfort, toughness, and style.

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Elena Gromova

I have been involved in fashion design for over 15 years. For me, fabric is the foundation from which any outfit begins. I love experimenting with textures and colors, creating new looks and inspiring others. Here I talk about how to choose the perfect material for your wardrobe and how to care for your favorite things.

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Tkani-Furnitura.com
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