Clothing: Fibers & Fabric

Cashmere

Made from goat hair.

Linen

Made from flax plant.

Man-made fibers

Produced from either natural or synthetic polymers.

Natural Fibers

Produced from animal or plants.

Synthetic Fibers

Nylon, Acrylics, Polyester.

Fiber

The smallest unit in making fabric and is base for cleaning directions.

Fabric

Cloth that can be made into clothing. Made by weaving, knit or nonwoven.

Weaving

The process of interlacing yarns at right angles to each other to produce a fabric.

Notions

Items such as thread, buttons, snaps, zippers, elastic, and trims.

Knitting

Interlocked by loops and very stretching. Made with on continuous yarn.

Finish

Added to the top of the fabric to improve its quality & use.

Yarn

Fibers twisted together.

Blend

Made by spinning different staple fibers together into a single yarn.

Cotton

The most used natural fiber, absorbent & can shrink.

Non-Woven

Short fibers that are pressed together & has no grain line. Felt.

Nylon

Made with petrochemicals, rationed during WWII, excellent strength.

Grain Line

The crosswise and lengthwise grain are at right angles.

Acrylic

Made to replace wool. Blended with wool; soft & bulky warm.

Polyester

Made to replace cotton.

Rayon

First manufactured fiber

Denim

A twill weave that has diagonal lines & is a strong fabric

Wool

From sheep; warm & comfortable.

Silk

Comes from the cocoons of silk worms; great luster & softness.

Permanent Press

The process of treating a fabric with a chemical (as a resin) and heat for setting the shape and for aiding wrinkle resistance

Napped fabric

A soft or fuzzy surface on fabric or leather.

Flame Resistance

Fabric will resist burning. Required in children's pajamas.

Waterproof

Not allowing moisture to get by fabric.

Preshrunk

Fabric or a garment that has undergone shrinking during manufacture to minimize subsequent shrinkage.