Introduction to Fabrics and Fibres

The clothes we wear, and the various cloth items we use daily like bed sheets, curtains, towels, and bags, are all made from different types of fabrics. There is a vast variety of fabrics available, such as cotton, wool, silk, and synthetic materials. Each fabric has a unique texture and properties.

If we look closely at any fabric, it appears to be a continuous piece. However, it is actually made up of numerous threads arranged together. These threads are known as yarns. A fabric is formed when yarns are woven or knitted together.

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From Fibre to Fabric: The Hierarchy

The yarns themselves are made of even thinner strands. If you take a piece of yarn and scratch one end with your nail, you will see it split into several thin strands. These thin strands are called fibres. Therefore, the entire process follows a clear hierarchy:

Fibres → Yarn → Fabric

1. Fibre: The thinnest, hair-like strand which is the basic raw material.
2. Yarn: Fibres are twisted together to form a long, continuous thread called yarn. This process is called spinning.
3. Fabric: Yarns are then woven or knitted together to create fabric, which is the final cloth material.

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Types of Fibres

The fibres used to make yarn can be classified into two main categories based on their origin:

1. Natural Fibres

These are fibres obtained from natural sources, i.e., plants and animals.

• Plant Fibres: These fibres are obtained from plants. Examples include:
  • Cotton: Obtained from the fruit of the cotton plant (cotton bolls).
  • Jute: Obtained from the stem of the jute plant.
  • Flax: The plant from which linen fabric is made.
  • Coir: Fibre obtained from the outer covering of coconut.
• Animal Fibres: These fibres are obtained from animals. Examples include:
  • Wool: Obtained from the fleece (hair) of sheep, goats, rabbits, yaks, and camels.
  • Silk: Obtained from the cocoon of the silkworm.

2. Synthetic Fibres

These are man-made fibres produced from chemical substances that are not sourced from plants or animals. These have been developed in the last hundred years or so. Examples include Polyester, Nylon, and Acrylic.

Some Plant Fibres

Cotton and jute are two of the most important plant fibres used extensively in India for making fabrics and other materials.

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Cotton

Cotton fibres are soft, fluffy staple fibres that grow in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of cotton plants. This cotton wool is used for making yarn and also for filling mattresses, quilts, and pillows.

Cultivation and Harvesting

• Climate and Soil: Cotton plants are typically grown in places with a warm climate and black soil.
• Source: The fibre comes from the fruits of the cotton plant, which are called cotton bolls and are about the size of a lemon.
• Harvesting: When the bolls mature, they burst open, revealing the seeds covered with white cotton fibres. A field ready for picking looks as if it's covered in snow. The cotton is then usually picked from the bolls by hand.

Ginning of Cotton

After harvesting, the cotton fibres need to be separated from the seeds. This process is called ginning. Traditionally, ginning was done by hand using a comb-like instrument. Nowadays, machines are also widely used for this purpose to increase efficiency.

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Jute

Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is one of the most affordable natural fibres.

Cultivation and Fibre Extraction

• Source: Jute fibre is obtained from the stem of the jute plant.
• Cultivation: In India, jute is primarily grown during the rainy season and is mainly cultivated in West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam.
• Harvesting: The jute plant is normally harvested when it is at the flowering stage.
• Fibre Extraction (Retting): After harvesting, the stems of the plants are immersed in water for a few days. This process, known as retting, causes the stems to rot, which loosens the fibres. The fibres are then separated from the rotting stem by hand.

From Fibre to Yarn: The Process of Spinning

To make fabrics, the raw fibres must first be converted into yarn. The process of making yarn from fibres is called spinning.

In this process, a mass of fibres (like cotton wool) is drawn out and twisted simultaneously. This twisting action binds the short fibres together, forming a stronger, longer, and more continuous thread known as yarn.

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Devices Used for Spinning

Spinning can be done using simple hand-operated devices or large-scale machines.

1. Hand-Operated Devices

• Takli: A simple hand spindle, which is one of the earliest tools used for spinning.
• Charkha: A hand-operated spinning wheel. The use of the charkha was popularised in India by Mahatma Gandhi during the Independence movement. He encouraged people to wear clothes made of homespun yarn, known as khadi, and to boycott imported cloth from Britain.

To promote khadi, the Government of India established the Khadi and Village Industries Commission in 1956.

2. Spinning Machines

For large-scale production, spinning is now predominantly done using advanced spinning machines in mills, which can produce yarn much faster and more uniformly.

From Yarn to Fabric: Weaving and Knitting

Once yarn is produced, it is used to make fabric. The two main processes for converting yarn into fabric are weaving and knitting.

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Weaving

Weaving is the process of arranging two sets of yarns together, perpendicular to each other, to create a fabric. The two sets of yarn are called the warp (lengthwise yarns) and the weft (crosswise yarns).

The Weaving Process

The weft yarn is passed over and under the warp yarns repeatedly to create a stable, interlaced fabric structure. This process is carried out on a machine called a loom. Looms can be either hand-operated (known as handlooms) or power-operated in large textile mills.

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Knitting

Knitting is a process that uses a single yarn to create a piece of fabric. The fabric is constructed by creating successive rows of interlocking loops of yarn.

The Knitting Process

Because it is made from a single continuous thread, a knitted fabric can unravel completely if a part of the yarn is pulled, as seen with a torn pair of socks. Many clothing items, especially sweaters, socks, and t-shirts, are made from knitted fabrics due to their stretchability. Knitting can be done by hand using knitting needles or on specialized knitting machines.

History of Clothing Material

The history of clothing is a fascinating journey that reflects the evolution of human civilization.

Ancient Times

In ancient times, people did not have fabrics. They used natural materials to cover themselves:

• The bark and large leaves of trees.
• Animal skins and furs.

As people settled into agricultural communities, they learned to weave materials like twigs and grass into mats and baskets. They also began twisting animal fleece or hair into long strands, which were then woven into early forms of fabric.

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Early Cultivation of Fibres

• India: Early Indians who lived in regions near the River Ganga wore fabrics made from cotton that grew locally.
• Ancient Egypt: In ancient Egypt, both cotton and flax were cultivated near the River Nile and used to make fabrics.

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Evolution of Clothing Styles

In those early days, stitching was not known. People simply draped the fabrics around different parts of their body in various ways. The invention of the sewing needle was a major milestone, allowing people to stitch fabrics together to create fitted clothes like trousers and shirts.

However, even after the invention of stitching, many traditional un-stitched pieces of fabric continue to be widely used in India. It is amazing that items like the saree, dhoti, lungi, and turban are still popular today. This shows a beautiful blend of history and modernity in our clothing culture.

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