What can you learn from a textile tree?
3
Structure of fabrics
Fabrics can be divided into two main groups - woven and non-woven. Woven fabrics are either knitted or made by weaving.
Non-woven fabrics are made by compressing fibres together; their structure is much less organised than woven fabrics.
- Felt was the first manufactured fabric, made by compressing wool fibres together.
- J-cloth is also a non-woven fabric used for cleaning cloths as it is hard wearing and can be washed and re-used.
- Tyvek is a non-woven fabric made from fibres of polythene. It behaves like paper and is used to produce waterproof, tear-proof maps.
Weaving takes place on a loom. Warp threads run along the length of the fabric being produced. A weft thread is threaded under and over the warp threads back and forth across the width of the fabric being produced. Knitting uses needles to cause loops of fibres to interlock to form a fabric.
Children can produce knitted, woven and felt fabrics using hand techniques in school. It is important that these processes do not become too time consuming. They are perhaps best used as part of an out-of-school hours activity.