• Core Content: Textiles: Types – natural, synthetic and blended fibres 1

Question 1

Name 2 common textile products made from fabrics.

Answer 1

Clothing
Home furnishings

Question 2

Apart from clothing and home furnishings name other textile products made from fabrics

Answer 2

Medical applications
Car interiors and engines
Road and house building
Safety and security products

Question 3

Define fibres

Answer 3

Fibres are very fine hair-like threads and are the basic building blocks of fabrics

Question 4

What is a staple fibre?

Answer 4

A staple fibre is a short fibre

Question 5

What is a filament fibre?

Answer 5

A filament fibre is a fibre that is a very long continuous length

Question 6

Name 3 natural fibres that can be used in textiles.

Answer 6

Cotton
Wool
Silk

Question 7

Name 3 synthetic fibres that can be used in textiles.

Answer 7

Polyester
Polyamide (nylon)
Elastane

Question 8

Define natural fibres

Answer 8

Natural fibres are fibres from plant and animal sources

Question 9

Define synthetic fibres

Answer 9

Synthetic fibres are fibres manufactured from oil-based chemicals

Question 10

What are blended and mixed fibres

Answer 10

Blended and mixed fibres contain two or more different fibres

Question 11

Give 5 reasons why you blend fibres together.

Answer 11

To help reduce the cost of the fabric
To make the fabric stronger
To make a fabric easier to care for
To enable fabrics to be more crease-resistant
To allow fabrics to be heat-set

Question 12

Polyester and Cotton is a blended/mixed fibre.

Give reasons for adding the polyester to the cotton.

Answer 12

The polyester helps cancel out the shrinking of cotton
The polyester helps cancel out the creasing of cotton
The polyester helps cancel out the slow-drying of cotton
The cotton makes the fabric better at absorbing moisture
The cotton makes the fabric feel nicer to the skin

Question 13

Explain how polyester and cotton blends can be very dangerous

Answer 13

Polyester and cotton blends are very dangerous when they are set alight
This is because the cotton burns easily and holds the polyester in place
As the polyester gets hot it starts to melt and drip.
The fabric burns very fiercely at high temperatures and gives off a lot of black smoke

Question 14

What are polyester and cotton blends commonly used for

Answer 14

Polyester and cotton blends are used to produce:
shirts, bed sheets, car seat covers and furniture

Question 15

What is elastane?

Answer 15

Elastane is a synthetic fibre manufactured from oil-based chemicals

Question 16

Define blended/mixed fabrics

Answer 16

Blended/mixed fabrics are fabrics that contain two or more fibrest

Question 17

State a common use for elastane

Answer 17

Elastane is used in sportswear

Question 18

How are woven fabrics produced

Answer 18

Woven fabrics are produced by interlacing two sets of yarn at right angels to each other on a machine called a loom. The warp yarns run across the length of the fabric
The weft yarns run across the width of the fabric
The selvedge runs down the length of the fabric

Question 19

Define warp

Answer 19

The yarns that run the length of the fabric - warp

Question 20

Define weft

Answer 20

The yarns that run across the width of the fabric - weft

Question 21

Define fraying

Answer 21

Fraying is when the weft yarn can pull out of the unfinished edge of the fabric - the raw edge

Question 22

Define selvedge

Answer 22

A selvedge is formed at the edge where the weft yarns turn around a finished edge

Question 23

Draw a plain weave
Label the weft direction, warp direction and the selvedge.

Answer 23

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Question 24

What is meant by the “bias” of the material?

Answer 24

The bias of the material is when the interlacing warp and weft yarns makes the fabric strong and stable as the yarns do not stretch much, but the fabric will stretch diagonally.

Question 25

Define plain weave

Answer 25

The plain weave is made by passing the weft yarn alternately over and under the warp. On each new row, the weft goes under the warp it went over on the previous row

Question 26

Features of plain weave fabrics

Answer 26

The plain weave is the simplest and therefore the cheapest weave to produce It produces firm, strong, hardwearing fabrics which look the same on both sides, and their smooth plains surface makes a good background for printing Plain weave fabrics include calico, lawn, poplin and chiffon

Question 27

Features of plain weave fabrics

Answer 27

The plain weave is the simplest and therefore the cheapest weave to produce It produces firm, strong, hardwearing fabrics which look the same on both sides, and their smooth plains surface makes a good background for printing Plain weave fabrics include calico, lawn, poplin and chiffon

Question 28

What are plain weave fabrics often used for

Answer 28

Often used for fashion and furnishing fabrics

Question 29

What are non-woven fabrics?

Answer 29

Fabrics that have been made directly from fibres without being woven or knitted

Question 30

Types of non-woven fabrics

Answer 30

Felted fabrics Bonded fabrics

Question 31

What are felted fabrics?

Answer 31

Felted fabrics are made from wool fibres and use the natural felting ability of the wool to cause the fibres to matt together using heat, mechanical action and moisture

Question 32

Bonded Fabrics: State 4 ways of holding fibres together. Page 61. aqa textbook

Answer 32

Bonded fabrics are made from webs of fibres, which are held together in various different ways Using a special adhesive Thermal bonding - which makes use of the thermoplastic properties of some or all of the fibres, to fuse all the fibres together using heat and pressure stitching with thread (stitch bonding) Needle punching, which tangles the fibres together

Question 33

What are bonded fabrics

Answer 33

Bonded fabrics are made from webs of fibres, which are held together in various different ways

Question 34

State 4 properties or characteristics of felted fabrics.

Answer 34

Warm and soft Does not fray Not very strong does not drape well, no elasticity Expensive

Question 35

State the porperties of bonded fabrics

Answer 35

Cheap to manufacture and use Not as strong as woven or knitted fabrics, and do not drape as well Easy to sew Crease-resistant Does not fray

Question 36

Give examples of non-woven fabrics

Answer 36

Bonded fabrics Felted fabrics

Question 37

State the uses of bonded fabric

Answer 37

Interfacings and interlinings Disposable items (e.g. cleaning cloths and hospital items such as dressings

Question 38

State the uses of felted fabrics

Answer 38

Hats Slippers Toys Insulation materials Upholstery

Question 39

What are knitted fabrics?

Answer 39

Knitted fabrics are fabrics which are made from yarns which are looped together to make loser, more flexible fabrics

Question 40

What are the two main types of looping in knitted fabrics called

Answer 40

Weft knit Warp knit

Question 41

-State 3 applications of weft knitted fabrics

Answer 41

Socks T-shirts Jumpers

Question 42

State 3 applications of warp knit fabrics.

Answer 42

Swimwear Underwear Net curtains

Question 43

Give 4 properties of weft knit fabric that makes it suitable for making scarves.

Answer 43

Very stretchy Have a soft drape and do not crease easily Will ladder easily is snagged Trap air easily (and therefore warm in still air, but cool in windy weather as air can still get through the gaps in the fabric)

Question 44

State the properties of warp knit fabrics

Answer 44

Less stretchy than weft knits - firm Do not ladder and cannot be unravelled 'row by row'