Synthetic Textiles All synthetic textiles are used primarily in the production of clothing. Polyester fiber is used in all types of clothing, either alone or blended with fibres such as cotton. Acrylic is a fibre used to imitate wools, including cashmere, and is often used in replacement of them. Nylon is a fibre used to imitate silk [...] Write a Comment! »

Mineral Textiles Asbestos and basalt fiber are used for vinyl tiles, sheeting, and adhesives, “transite” panels and siding, acoustical ceilings, stage curtains, and fire blankets. Glass fiber is used in the production of spacesuits, ironing board and mattress covers, ropes and cables, reinforcement fiber for motorized vehicles, insect netting, flame-retardant and protective fabric, soundproof, fireproof, and insulating [...] Write a Comment! »

Plant Textiles Grass, rush, hemp, and sisal are all used in making rope. In the first two, the entire plant is used for this purpose, while in the last two, only fibres from the plant are utilized. Coir (coconut fiber) is used in making twine, and also in floormats, doormats, brushes, mattresses, floor tiles, and sacking. Straw [...] Write a Comment! »

Animal Textiles Animal textiles are commonly made from hair or fur. Wool refers to the hair of the domestic goat or sheep, which is distinguished from other types of animal hair in that the individual strands are coated with scales and tightly crimped, and the wool as a whole is coated with an oil known as lanolin, [...] Write a Comment! »

Waterproof Waterproof fabrics are usually natural or synthetic fabrics that are laminated to or coated in some sort of permanently waterproofing material, such as rubber, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), silicone elastomer, and wax. Examples include the rubberised fabric used in Mackintosh jackets and inflatable boats. Waterproof/breathable fabrics are defined as fabrics that will withstand over [...] Write a Comment! »

Woodblock Printing Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and probably originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest surviving examples from China date to before 220, and from Eygpt to the [...] Write a Comment! »

Starch Starch is a complex carbohydrate which is insoluble in water; it is used by plants as a way to store excess glucose. Starch (in particular cornstarch) is used in cooking for thickening sauces. In industry, it is used in the manufacturing of adhesives, paper, textiles and as a mould in the manufacture of sweets such [...] Write a Comment! »

Tie-dye Tie-dye is typically brightly colored, patterned clothing or fabric which is made from ordinary cellulose-based cloth through a process known as tie-dyeing. During tie-dyeing, if a good fiber reactive dye is used, a chemical reaction takes place which permanently bonds the colorful dye to the fabric, making tie-dye safe to wash amongst other, non-tie-dyed clothes once [...] Write a Comment! »

Dye A Dye can generally be described as a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and may require a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber. Both dyes and pigments appear to be colored [...] Write a Comment! »

Bleach Bleach something is to remove or lighten its color; a “bleach” is a chemical that can produce these effects, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include a solution of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), or “chlorine bleach,” and “oxygen bleach,” which contains hydrogen peroxide or a peroxide-releasing compound such as sodium perborate or sodium percarbonate. “Bleaching powder” [...] Write a Comment! »