Chapter 4 Fabric investigation

Types of fabrics can be named by often using TWO words; one to describe its STRUCTURE (e.g net ,lace, felt, jersey), another giving FIBRE CONTENT (e.g.nylon cotton, silk, wool).  It is hoped to identify most fabrics using TWO words from each of these categories.  Sometimes they can be identified by eye and feel but others by reaction to heat, especially where they may look and feel the same but have different fibre content (e.g. silk chiffon, nylon chiffon). 
A collection was made of many natural and man-made fabrics in white or natural colours
This chapter contains investigation of fabrics:

1. By weight
2. By testing the fabrics
3. By looking at edges

1.  By weight
The fabrics were sorted into thick; medium; thinner shiny or non-shiny, canvas type with a weave, see-through not sheer; see-through sheer; lace and net; special use fabrics; stretchy and non-textile used in stitch
Insert photos of different fabrics in piles

Insert scan of ‘Fabrics sorted by appearance’

I highlighted each where I thought I knew the fibre content – cotton, linen, man-made, silk or wool.  Those not highlighted I was less sure of the content.

2.  By testing the fabrics
I selected 28 fabrics to further test for properties and fibre content:

a.  Creases on crumpling or springs back – where natural fabrics crease, man-made spring back
b.  Frays or fringes easily or not, at the edges and/or on the bias – fabrics with a weave tend to fray or fringe, some also on the bias, but more difficult with baby wipes, wool, felt, man-made nets, Vylene, Lutrador, Tyvek
c.  Stretches across the weave, down the weave, and/or on the bias – more stretched on the bias, or in only one direction, others not at all
d.  Creases or not on ironing – Most creased on ironing between two sheets of parchment paper, with Tyvek reacting quickly to fine lace effect with more direct heat; giving concave bubbles or convex bubbles dependent of smooth or rough side of the fabric on gentler pressure
e.  Burn, melt or not using a candle – natural fibres tended to leave an ash burnt edge; man-made fibres melted, either shrivelling up or leaving a fine bubbly residue
f.  Easily scores or not using a soldering iron: selected 17 from the original 28 – man-made tended to slit easily with no scorch marks; natural were more resistant sometimes giving scorch marks but not slitting the fabric

The results are shown in this table:
Insert scan of table

Each fabric was placed on black card and kept on record showing results of each test.  The samples below are before they were added to the card.  I noticed a dark background better shows the results of each test.
Insert one from each fibre content
6 COTTON  CALICO
4 NATURAL SILK

25 MAN MADE LUTRADOR
19 NYLON STOCKING
27 SPECIAL USE TYVEK

LINEN - Not in selected 28
WOOL- test showed both the felt and wool must be man-made as they melted rather than left ash

It is very important to abide by strict Health & Safety rulings when heating fabrics: ironing; heating using a candle; a soldering iron or heat gun (see the Health & Safety section at the end of the Module and recorded in notes, at time of carrying out tests

3.   By looking at edges

Several decorative bands were made with mixed edges, using:

COTTON. LINEN, SILK, MAN-MADE FABRICS, LACE & SPECIAL USE FABRICS

Edges were made selecting from a variety of techniques:

FRAYING, FRAYIING & CUTTING, FRINGES, SLASHING, SNIPPING, MELTING, TWISTING AND KNOTTING

I tried to use the different fabric properties, finer fabrics were easier to knot or twist; man-made fabrics could be melted using a soldering iron, sometimes using different edged metal rulers;  woven fabrics were easier to fray and fringe; other cuts were with sharp scissors for fabric cutting (unfortunately had no pinking shears for some of the zigzags which would be quicker than individually snipping).  I tried to understand the fabrics from the tests above.  It was interesting discovering some fabrics I thought were man-made were in fact natural, not cutting with a soldering iron.

Here are the results of the different edgings:

In conclusion it was very interesting finding out the properties of fabrics, some I was able to apply two words to describe them others were more difficult.
When it comes to applying fabrics in future work I hope to consider not only those fabrics tested in this chapter but others collected or come my way, in order to interpret them within the landscape chosen.