“Put under the cloth” - this is what we say when the solution to a question does not budge. Good cloth is the material for a great coat or suit. What is the history of the word, material properties and purpose?
We read dictionaries
Cloth is a long-standing Old Slavonic noun, which is formed from the verb “knit” (yarn, threads). By knotting method, yarn was made from pure sheep wool, which became the basis for the fabric - cloth. Now this word is used for the name of any woolen or semi-woolen fleece fabric of plain weave, very dense, knitted to the formation of felt. Less commonly, it is possible to use the word to define a cotton cloth. Derived words related to the production of fabrics came from the main meaning: cloth-maker, cloth-maker, cloth-maker, cloth-maker, cloth-making.
Synonyms of the word: sukontse, sermyag, kirzach, boomazeya, flannel, bike.
The second use of the word is associated with the theater. In this case, the cloth is the backstage or curtains, regardless of what material they are made of. Sermag frames the scene and is used instead of scenery.
Clotters in history
The need for warm, strong fabric arose in territories with low temperatures in winter for a very long time. The cloth of fleece learned to produce even the ancient Greeks and Romans. Cloth-making processes are captured in the drawings of ancient painting, archaeologists during excavations find devices for these purposes. Felting was done manually, and special presses were used for pressing. The dense structure of the fabric is created due to the property of woolen threads "fall off", that is, cling to each other, especially when subjected to mechanical stress and contact with water. In the Middle Ages, the sheep-breeding area became the center for the manufacture of dense fabrics - England, Holland, Flanders, Saxony. A little later, the French also mastered the technology. The British were the first to learn how to produce delicate textiles, which were both warm and beautiful, with many colors. English cloth became famous and spread throughout the world.
Textiles in Kievan Rus
On the lands of Rusichs, felted coarse fabrics were made by artisans in the territories of developed sheep breeding. Such cloth was not used for the nobility - people from the poor class sewed rough clothes from it. For a more sophisticated consumption, textiles were imported from the same England. When the tsar - the innovator Peter I, got down to business, the situation changed. Cloth production moved into the category of industrial. There was enough raw material, as at the same time, breeding of fine-fleeced livestock was encouraged at the state level. The year 1668 was marked by the opening of the first factories for the production of cloth, and in 1705 the king put on the first cloth caftan of domestic production. Soon, a strong and warm overcoat cloth became the main material for uniforms of the Russian army. Cloth business declined after 1800, when less durable, but more elegant and cheaper woolen and cotton fabrics entered the market.
Classification of cloth
At present, dense felted fabric created on modern equipment continues to be in great demand among fashion designers and in technical production. According to its characteristics, modern cloth is divided into three categories, which have their own classification.
- Army cloth. It has several varieties, depending on the rank of a military man and the type of army, but the technology for the production of such textiles is distinguished by strict standards.
- Technical cloth is the most durable material that is used for various purposes in industrial enterprises. Durability, strength and waterproofness are qualities that attract manufacturers of workwear in this material.
- Civilian cloth is that sort of a woolen cloth which is divided into a mass of groups, which allows it to be used for a wide variety of purposes.
Expensive and cheap - varieties
For the production of fabrics for mass use, strict technological standards are not required. Textiles that are used for sewing fashionable coats, jackets, suits, skirts, hats and everything else, depending on the complexity of the creation, can be more expensive, or simple and cheap. The most expensive variety of civilian cloth is drap-velor. The best grades of merino wool are used to make the fabric from which shoes and coats are sewn . The simplest and cheapest material used for household needs is felt. In addition, woolen fabrics are called drape, bieber, wigon, grandfathers and others.
Billiard cloth
Cloth for billiard tables is a separate article on the use of fabric. The game with cue and balls arose originally as a street game. When the English lords were bored to while away the cold evenings, they came up with moving billiards to a warm room, and came up with special tables for this. So that the balls do not fend off irregularities and do not slip, the table began to be upholstered with cloth. Over time, the growing popularity of the game required for the decoration of billiard tables material with increased strength, but soft. So the production of specialized cloth for this purpose has grown into a separate industry. The technology of its manufacture provides special softness and the direction of the villi in one direction. The color of the billiard table can be red, blue, violet, black, but the green cloth remains traditional for such a coating - an association with the lawn on which the game originated. The billiard cloth is produced both universal and specialized for special types of games: pool, snooker, pyramids.
Fabric Feature
The composition of the cloth is artificial and natural. The main raw materials for natural fabrics are fluffy merino yarn, a little less often - wool of camels or sheep, a cotton base. An artificial cloth cloth is used more often for technical purposes, as a pad for absorbing excess moisture.
Cloth products are loved and appreciated in everyday life for their warmth and naturalness. It is easy for manufacturers of clothes to work with such a fabric - it does not crumble, is well cut, does not shift. The tenacious rough surface allows the material not to slip on the surface.
Of the features of care - the fabric does not like contact with water, it shrinks. Therefore, things from natural cloth, without artificial impurities, do not wash. Cleaning of such products is carried out in dry cleaning. The cloth is wrinkled, but it is well smoothed out with a hot iron.
Why put it under the cloth?
Back to the famous expression. Where did it come from, after all? The rough tables of tsarist officials of various ranks required coverage. The peculiarity of clinging well to irregularities made the tablecloth indispensable: the surface evens out and does not slip. And its density allowed some papers to be hidden under this tablecloth, so as not to interfere. Yes there sometimes they were forgotten by negligent performers. Since then, cloth has become a symbol of red tape and inhibition of affairs.