Textile Terms and Definitions

Textile is a term originally applied only to woven fabrics, now generally applied to fibers, yarns, fabrics or product made of fiber, yarns, or fabrics.

Photo Courtesy : Peter-herrmann-FaePhj_MCeU 

Textile as a basic need
Food, shelter, and clothing are basic human needs. Most clothing is made from textiles, and shelters are made more comfortable and attractive with textile.

Importance of textile
We are surrounded by textiles from birth to death. We walk on and wear textile product; we sit on fabric covered chairs and sofa; we sleep on and under fabrics; textiles dry us and keep us dry; they protect us from sunlight, fire, and infection.

What is textiles technology all about?
Textile technology is all about using your knowledge and skills to plan, design and make good quality textiles products.

Fiber
Any hair like substance natural or manufactured in which the diameter is negligible in comparison with the length, is called fiber. It is the smallest components with suitable characteristics for being processed into and could separated from fabrics.

Yarn
An assemblage of fibers that is twisted or laid together so as to form a continuous strand that can be made into a textile product.

Fabric
A flexible planar substance constructed from solution, fiber, yarn or fabrics in any combination which has length width and thickness.

Grey fabric
A grey or greige fabric refers to an unfinished material that comes out from a loom or knitting machine and that has neither been fully bleached nor dyed.

Dyeing
Aqueous dyeing is simply called dyeing. Coloration by dyeing involves the use of chemical dyestuffs called dyes, which are capable of combining with the textile fiber molecule, usually when in a water solution.

Printing
Textile printing is a process that applies a single or multi colored pattern also known as design on a white or dyed background fabric, using textile dyes or pigment in thickened form.

Finishing
It is the final processing of the fabric and its purpose is to make fabric suitable for its intended end use.

Finished fabric
Fabric has been processed by dyeing, printing or finishing and is ready for use.