Textile Processes

Through the process of fabric painting, different fabrics such as apparel fabrics or home furnishing fabrics can be given a crafty look. In fact, it can also be used for embellishing finished garments such as t-shirt, pants, jeans, and jackets as also many other products like bags, pillows, or anything made up of fabrics just by adding designs and colors to them.

According to Tadmor and Gogos, polymer processing are the "operations carried out on polymeric materials or systems to increase their utility." Therefore, polymer processing is done to increase the value of a polymer in order to obtain the desired shape, properties, and performansce for a polymer article.

Weaving is the most basic process in which two different sets of yarns or threads are interlaced with each other to form a fabric or cloth. One of these sets is called warp which is the lengthwise yarn running from the back to the front of the loom. The other set of crosswise yarns are the filling which are called the weft or the woof.

Quilts or duvets are types of bedding or bed covering that consist of a quilt top, batting, and a fabric backing. All these three layers of a quilt are attached together through the process of quilting. Quilting is a form of sewing done either by hands, sewing machine, or by quilting machines.

It is a known fact that the main material for fabric construction is yarn. Knitting is the second most frequently used method, after weaving, that turns yarns or threads into fabrics.

The basic process of sewing involves fastening of fabrics, leather, furs or similar other flexible materials with the help of needle and threads. Sewing is mainly used to manufacture clothing and home furnishings. In fact, sewing is one of the important processes in apparel making. Most of such industrial sewing is done by industrial sewing machines.

For a very long period of human history, man depended on natural elements to make fibers for clothing. These were natural fibers. However, with the technological advances many man made synthetic fibers were developed. Man-made fibers have two main categories: One that are made from natural products (cellulosic fibers) and the other that are synthesized from chemical compounds (noncellulosic polymer fibers).

Spandex is a synthetic fiber that has an exceptional characteristic of elasticity due to which it is also known as elastane. It is lightweight, soft, strong and very stretchable. In fact, spandex fiber was developed as an alternative to rubber but has a better quality than it.

For a very long period of the human history, children wore what can be called smaller versions of adult clothing with only a minor differences that can save the kids from any hazard like strings in place of any harmful closure. It was not before early 1800s that specific kids clothing started to be manufactured.

Footwear can be defined as garments that are worn on the feet. There main purpose is protecting one's feet. Of late, footwear has become an important component of fashion accessories. Although, their basic purpose remains that of protection, adornment or defining style statement has become their additional and a significant function.

Inflatable boats have become very popular means of enjoying water sports and recreational boating activities. They are lightweight boats manufactured with their sides and bows made of flexible tubes having pressurized gas within them. They come in various sizes.

For a good night's sleep, the basic necessity remains that of a good quality mattress.The pre historic man used to pile up leaves, straws, and animal skin to sleep on. These can be called the earliest mattresses. With time, the material that was used to make the mattresses, changed to horse hair, cotton fiber and rags.

Textile is one of the earliest inventions of our civilization. As time passed by, fabrics got refined and many textile accessories too were invented for the comfort of using these fabrics in an effective way. As textile became a style and fashion statement from being a mere necessity, these simple accessories also got trendy. One of the good examples of such accessories is the commonly used fabric closure, the button.

There are many products that use textile in a good measure. One of such textile products is the umbrella. An umbrella can be simply defined as a canopy for protection against rain, snow or sunlight. The term umbrella has been derived from the Latin word umbra which means "shade". Umbrellas are generally hand-held portable devices rendering fashion statement in some societies and used as an accessory in some other societies.

Polyester fibers, the synthetic fibers, are long chain polymers derived from coal, air, water, and petroleum. They are formed through chemical reaction between an acid and alcohol. In this reaction, two or more molecules combine to make a large molecule whose structure repeats throughout its length. These molecules are very stable and strong. There are variations in the compositions and therefore in the properties of polyester fibers.

The term "Denim" has originated from the city of Nimes in France where "serge de Nimes" was manufactured. Denim is made from a vat dye, the Indigo dye, which is applied to cotton fabric in loosely held form in layers. As far as manufacturing process of denim is concerned, it is similar to that of Grey fabric up to the process of weaving with the only difference that in case of Denim Fabric, it is dyed at the stage of sizing where as in case of Grey Fabric, the decision regarding dyeing stage depends upon the finished product..

Glass, with its glossy shine, attracts many. It has been put into many uses from being made into utensils, mirrors, windows, doors to furniture and artworks. Textile Industry too could not resist itself from the fatal attraction of glass. Although, hard and rigid by nature, glass can very well be made into fine, shiny and translucent fibers which more or less look and feel like silk fibers. These glass fibers are commonly known as fiberglass.

Since time immemorial, carpets and rugs have been a part of home. Apart from decorating, carpets give a style statement and add character to a room. They come in a wide range of styles, all of which have specific functionality.

Dyeing is the process of imparting colors to a textile material through a dye (colour). Dyes are obtained from flowers, nuts, berries and other forms of vegetables and plants as well as from animal and mineral sources. These are known as natural dyes.

The other class of dyes is known as synthetic dyes. These are based on a particular type of chemical composition. Some of these dyes are- Acid ( Anionic) dyes, Basic ( Cationic) dyes, Neutral- Premetalized dyes, sulfur dyes, vat dyes, reactive dyes, pigment dyes etc.

Applying coloured patterns and designs to decorate a finished fabric is called 'Printing'. In a proper printed fabric, the colour is affixed to the fiber, so that it may not be affected by washing and friction. Whether a fabric is dyed or printed can be known by examining the outline of the design. On a printed fabric, the outline of a design is sharply defined on the outer side. The design generally do not penetrate to the back of the cloth. However, the design may show up on the reverse side of transparently thin fabrics. These fabrics may be confused with the woven designs where yarn dyed warp and filling are used. If the design is printed on such a fabric, the yarns will show some areas on which colour is not equally distributed.

Textiles are important for everyone. It is used for covering body, for warmth or coolness, personality enhancement and sometimes to display one's status in the society. From the wholesale textile manufacturer and merchant to the retailer and the end- user, the customer, everyone consumes textile. Not only those who are in this direct trade are related to this product but there are certain industries which are indirectly associated with textile. Automobile industry is a good example of this type of industry which uses textile in various forms. Others who use textile in one or the other form may include designers, interior decorators, craftspersons, advertisers using hoardings and banners, painters etc.

Spinning is the twisting together of fibers to form yarn (or thread, rope, or cable). Earlier fiber was spun by hand using simple tools like spindle and distaff. Later the use of spinning wheel gained importance. Industrial spinning started in the 18th century with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Hand-spinning remains a popular handicraft.

Leather is a versatile fabric used in a variety of apparel and non- apparel products. One cannot think of riding a bike without a leather jacket or leather pants combined with leather gloves on a cold wintry night. Ladies love to carry leather handbags and leather lingerie is fast becoming their hot favorites.

Silk is a natural protein fiber produced by certain caterpillars in order to encase themselves in the form of cocoons. The making of silk is different from that of other natural fibers.