Semester Summary - The Final "Aha"

Delia Tacheny
INT 323 - Textiles, Materials, and Sourcing

Wow. The semester is almost over, and we have covered all our material for this class on Textiles, Materials, and Sourcing. Through the lessons, independent study, and bonus research, I have learned a lot. I honestly went into this class having no idea how in depth the study of Textiles and related products was; in many ways, it felt like a very scientific class as we covered all properties of fibers, and how that affects the properties of the various textile products that we buy.

My biggest takeaway from this class is probably learning about the properties of different fibers - the difference between natural and synthetic, animal and plant, filament and spun, etc. Before this class, I didn't even know what fabrics such as linen and nylon were made of. It was so fascinating to learn about the different manufacturing processes for the various fibers as well. Since we applied the properties of fibers to everything we learned, I think this will be the knowledge that sticks with me the most, which will serve as a great foundation for specifying textiles in the future. 

The topic of study that was a little overwhelming was learning all the different codes for every product. It was difficult to keep them all straight, and there were so many I had a hard time recalling the most important ones. That being said, I know that NFPA 701 and the California Technical Bulletins are at the top. I also had a hard time understanding and distinguishing between all the various fabric construction methods. However, going through the Textiles swatch book definitely helped and they started to make more sense as the semester went on. Both of these topics are knowledge bases that I would like to continue to grow, which will hopefully happen as we continue to work on various projects and the enter the industry. 

This whole semester was definitely packed with information, all of which I probably won't remember. However, as we read the book, I started to notice a consistency between products -- the evaluated properties, the codes, the considerations, etc. Having a foundational knowledge base of textiles will honestly help you in any specific area of textiles. Whether you are picking out upholstery, curtains, carpeting, or bedding it's always important to understand the function of the textile, the properties of the fibers and materials, and the necessary codes and qualities to be met. 

Overall, I learned so much and I look forward to both continuing my learning of Textiles and applying my current knowledge as I continue my studies in Interior Design.