Fibre

Fibre – The fundamental unit, either natural or man-made, which is warped into yarns, and then used in the manufacture of a fabric.

Fibres are the foundation for all textiles. You need to know the natural and synthetic fibres, how each fibre is utilized, and which fibres can work together.

Types of fibre

Textile materials are made in three phases:

spinning: fibres are twisted into yarns

weaving or knitting: yarns converted into fabrics

finishing: fabrics are finished to make them more valuable

There are two types of textile fibres:

natural

synthetic

Natural fibres

Natural fibres are made from plants, animals and minerals. They usually have short parts, called staple fibres. However, silk a natural fibre has constant filaments that are quite long in length.

Origins of natural fibres

Cotton from the cotton plant

Linen from the flax plant

Wool from sheep

Silk from silkworms

Synthetic fibres

Synthetic fibres are man-made or artificial, generally from chemical sources. They are constant filament fibres, hence the fibres are long and do not always have to be spun into yarn. Origins of synthetic fibres include Viscose coming from pine trees or petrochemicals. Also acrylic, nylon and polyester originate from oil and coal.