The Finished Product

Delia Tacheny
INT 323 - Textiles, Materials, and Sourcing

Weekly Summary

This week, we read Chapters 8, 9, and 10, and studied a numerous amount of "Other Fabrications," "Dyes and Colorants," and "Finishes." After having studied fibers, and yarns, etc. the past couple weeks, we finally entered the stage that ends in finished textile products!

Besides weaving (which we covered last week) there are a variety of other fabrications. We talked about films and coated fabrics which have characteristics such as durability, washability, and functionality that make them popular choices. The most common film materials are vinyl (PVC), polyurethane (PU), and silicone -- each of which has different attributes. 

We also talked about knitting as another fabrication technique. Rather than the interlacing technique used in weaving, knitting uses interlooping and the lengthwise-running loops are called "wales," and those running crosswise are called "courses." Knitted fabrics tend to be more flexible and therefore less durable.

Another big category of fabrication is Pile fabrics, but unlike woven fabrics, there are two methods to add Pile yarns to already-formed fabrics: Tufting and Bonding. Tufting is when pile yarns are threaded through a machine and the yarns are poked through the back of the fabric, and then looped and suspended vertically. Bonding is when the yarns are precisely placed into an adhesive coating that has been applied to a base fabric.

There are a variety of other combined fiber fabrications as well including lacing and felting, but there are so many distinct processes, that one blog couldn't do them justice.

The next topic we read was about all the different options for dyes and colorants. It's important to first understand the science of light and know that the colors we see are part of the "visible spectrum" which is part of the larger "electromagnetic spectrum." Lighting affects the color's we see, which is why interior designers have to be aware of the location in which they are specifying products and colors. There is a difference between the apparent color and the actual colorant. The primary characteristics of color are hue (the color perceived), value (relative lightness or darkness of a color), and intensity (purity or strength of a color).

A textile colorant may either be a dye (soluble in water) or a pigment (insoluble in water), and the primary options for dying are solution dying (can be bleached), fiber/stock dying, yarn dying, or piece dying. There are countless dying techniques and machines, each with strength and weaknesses and different levels of water/energy conservation. Besides dyeing, however, another option is printing, of which there are also a variety of methods; printing is used to create a surface pattern. Tye-dying and screen printing are commonly known methods for creating patterns or images on fabrics.

Last but not least, are the various finishes applied to textiles. Once again, I can't cover every option, but I can provide a general summary. Surface luster can be increased through methods that impact the fiber's physical properties and allow for more light reflection; these methods include friction calendering, beetling, and moire.  There are also glazing options that can be applied. 

Three-dimensionality can be introduced by embossing, and you can also manipulate the pile yarns of a fabric to adjust certain features of the fabric. Embellishment, embroidery, flocking, and quilting are other options. 

It's highly important that fabrics stay "on-grain" so they don't become bowed or skewed. Tentering and heat setting are methods to create dimensional stability. The variety of finishing choices could go on and on... flammability, pilling, waterproofing, insect repellency, smoothness, and soil and stain resistance.

When it comes to finished goods, your options are quite plentiful, but each one has a variety of features, good and bad, and it's important to know what is best for what setting, especially as Designers. 

One Step Further - Knitted Manufacturing 

I decided to research a knitting manufacturer because I have always imagined knitting as simply a hobby for the homemaker or work by an artisan -- not a manufactured product. 

I landed on the Strauss Knitting Mills, Inc. website to look into their business. Their business webpage states:

"Straus Knitting Mills, Inc. specializes in manufacturing custom knit trim and fabric, all of which are made proudly in the U.S.A. Our onsite dyeing facility offers custom color matching to meet your specifications. We work with our customers to create unique and effective solutions to their fabric needs. We utilize natural and synthetic fibers such as nylon, polyester, wool, Nomex, Kevlar, Vectran, cotton, and acrylic."

It's so satisfying to recognize what they are talking about after having studied textiles for over a month now!

This company has four primary steps in their process:

1) They check the color of their incoming yarn to verify it meets standards.

2) The yarn is brough to the knitting floor where they have 400+ knitting machines, and they offer rib knits, interlock knits, waffle/thermal, and jersey knits.

3) The knit product is brought to the companies own Dyehouse where they have a whole library of options for their customers.

4) Their finishing department inspects and packages the final product!

The company also has a sustainability feature -- their Wastewater Treatment Plan:

"Our process water leaves this operation as clear as when it came in, protects our environment and the place we live."

You can view the list of fibers they use and the various applications of their products on their website. As consumers we often fail to realize the amount of work that goes into merely making the fabrics that form the clothes we buy. There are so many key roles and steps in every industry, especially the Textile industry. 

 Home. Straus Knitting Mills, Inc. (2019, August 2). https://www.strausknitting.com/

Research Initiative: Fire Identification by Burning

For this week's research initiative, I chose to watch the two of the videos on Testing. Here are my observations and key takeaways:

The first video was about tensile strength testing. The man put a piece of fabric, which he said was cut 50 mm in length, into a testing machine with both ends clamped in. It sounded like he said it was a cotton, laminated fabric. He started the machine which slowly pulled the fabric in opposite directions. Immediately upon the fabric breaking, he stopped the machines. This particular fabric sample broke at a force of 88Kg force, and had an extension of 58 mm. In the British Standard Test, he said they would repeat the same thing 5 times in both the Warp and the Weft Direction.

The second video was about abrasion testing. In this video they used a Martindale Abrasion and Pilling Tester, and the video ultimately illustrated how it works. First, the operator showed the movement of machine by showing us the shape that the machine draws while it moves. Next, they put actual fabric in all the spots as well as fabric on top to rub against it. The machine then moved around, and each top fabric was rubbed in a rhythmic pattern across all the fabric spots to test their abrasion.

I really enjoyed both of these videos because they helped me visualize these tests that are performed. 

Tensile Strength Testing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN6KUrdCywU 
Abrasion Testing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UBR19OR7u0