At present, there are no thoughts about how significant the invention of the fabric was for humanity at one time. But without her, life would be uncomfortable and unthinkable! A person is surrounded by various tissues throughout life. When did they appear and what are the fabrics currently made of? Let's talk about this in the article.
Tissue history
In historical sources you can find information about which first types of tissues appeared, and when. The first man-made woven material was linen. During excavations conducted in Greece, Rome, Egypt, archaeologists find fragments of linen fabrics preserved in silt, as well as primitive devices and tools with which weaving was carried out. The finds date back to the 8th-8th centuries BC.
It is confirmed by the artifacts obtained during excavations that the linen cloth was made in ancient Egypt. The thinnest linen fabric - fine linen among the Egyptians was considered a symbol of power. She was used for mummification in royal tombs.
Historians believe that the second fabric that appeared, according to some sources in Babylon, according to others - in ancient Greece, was wool. In the III millennium BC, cotton appeared. Residents of China are the creators of the fourth of natural fabrics. This is silk, about which many legends are composed. The first artificial material - chemical fibers, was created in the 19th century.
Varieties of fabrics
The weaving industry has developed dynamically since ancient times. Today, consumers can use a wide variety of woven materials, which are divided into:
- Natural. These include linen, wool and cotton. The raw materials for the production of fabrics in this case are natural plant fibers and animal hair.
- Artificial. This type of material is created from components that are organic and inorganic, and these include viscose and acetate silk. This type includes synthetic fabrics created from polymer, polyester fibers. The raw materials are polyester and polyamide.
- Mixed. These are fabrics combining different types of fibers, consisting of natural and artificial threads.
The modern range of fabrics is huge. It can conditionally be classified by composition, method of weaving the fibers in the fabric, purpose. The group of materials made from natural fibers should include silk, cotton, linen and wool.
Silk fabrics
Silk fabrics are attractive, light and pleasant to the touch. The manufacturing process of silk fabric is time-consuming, has a high cost. Raw materials for silk are silkworm cocoons. These cocoons weave caterpillars. After lowering the cocoon into boiling water, it begins to unwind into a thin thread, after which silk fabric is made.
The method of weaving the fibers in silk is different and depends on the further purpose of the fabrics. The satin or satin weave in the fabric has a matte inside and a shiny front side. The disadvantage is the flowability of the material when cutting. Cloth weaving is possessed by fabrics having the names: chiffon, crepe de chine, crepe georgette. Asymmetric shear fabric has an asparagus weave. This material is used for lining materials.
Crepe is an assortment of textile fabrics, each of which, regardless of the class of microfibers contained, has an interesting wave-like appearance similar to the effect on paper of the same name, pronounced graininess or microtexture. The degree of manifestation of “graininess” can vary greatly, but all the paintings are united by one thing: they are made of high-twist threads.
The classification of silk fabrics as intended has the following subgroups: lining, shirts, costume, technical.
Wool Fabrics
An important cultured human fiber was wool. IV century BC is the earliest date of the appearance of woolen fabrics. In Ancient Babylon, woolen fabrics were spun in every household. In India, they appeared a century later in the III century BC.
What are woolen fabrics made of? Usually, this is the coat of various animals. These include goats, sheep, camels, fallow deer. Pure-woolen fabrics are 100% animal hair. For example, cashmere is made from the fluff of cashmere goats that live in India, Pakistan, Nepal, China. It is impossible to recreate a cashmere fabric from the wool of ordinary goats, its unique properties are lost.
In the manufacture of woolen fabrics, additives of other fibers to raw materials are allowed, but not more than 5%. Woolen materials are produced in the following types:
- Worsted, thin fabrics. They have twill, crepe or plain weave. They include dress (crepes), costume (leotards, Bostons) and coats (gabardines) subgroups.
- Fine-woolen, usually made of hardware thin yarn. The subgroup includes drapes and cloth.
- Coarse cloth made from thick hardware yarn. She is used in tailoring of overalls.
Linen fabric
There is no question of what linen fabric is made of. Flax was grown in all states of the ancient world. It is appreciated for its qualities: high strength, hygroscopicity and resistance to wear. The disadvantage of the material is that it creases. Linen fabric has a division into household and technical. The first includes linen, linen, dress and costume for use with linen, combined and jacquard weaving of threads. Technical materials include burlap, canvas and packaging fabrics.
In the names of linen fabrics you can find overlapping names with cotton and silk, like a cambric, teak, calico.
Cotton fabrics
The first mention of cotton dates back to the III millennium BC. Cotton fabrics were made in India. The first materials brought from cotton were Alexander the Great, returning from a campaign in India. After this, the tissue spread throughout the Mediterranean.
The assortment of these fabrics over many centuries has more than thousands of items. Cotton fabrics have their pros and cons. The fabric is valued as anti-allergenic, resistant to wear, hygroscopic and having a relatively low cost. Material shrinkage and creasing are disadvantages. To eliminate them in the process of fabric production, raw materials are combined with other fibers.
The main raw materials for cotton fabric are cotton bolls with the cotton fibers in them. This is the basis of the threads. Their length depends on the length of the fibers. The density and thickness of the fabric will depend on the way the thread is twisted. In industrial production, there are seventeen groups of cotton materials. These are chintz, calico, satin, gauze, teak, towel and others.
The seasonal classification of cotton fabrics is subdivided into:
- Demi-season, like plaid, poplin, taffeta, crepe and others.
- Summer with plain or combined weave. These include a cambric, veil, marquise, calico and many other fabrics.
- Winter, usually having the structure of a pile or hem with increased density. This is a flannel, bike and boomazeya.
Poplin was invented more than 5 centuries ago. According to existing legend, the name has Italian roots and denotes papal material. In the 14th century, the residence of the pope was moved to Provence, the city of Avignon. He was famous for the production of fabrics, had a long tradition. Initially, poplin was used to make clergy clothes, but over time, it began to be used by the rest of the townspeople.
Denim
Most likely, there is no person who does not have a denim product in his wardrobe. What is it made of, so durable and at the same time elastic? In 1853, the first pants were sewn by an enterprising European merchant - Levi Strauss. He knew about the durable twill fabric that the Genoese fabrics had been making in Italy for many centuries, but at the time of sewing his pants he did not have this fabric, so he sewed them from canvas. So, for two centuries, pants were sewn from canvas, which was replaced by cotton material - denim.
And it was done by French tailors who liked twill, but the brown color was not very attractive. In the French town of Nimes, twill was painted blue for the first time, and the fabric was called "from Nimes" - denim.
Types of denim
What are denim made of today? Following modern technologies and keeping classical traditions, the main thing in fabric production is cotton thread. It is obtained from purified plant matter. The resulting yarn is dyed. At first, natural indigo dye was used. Artificial dyes are currently used in industry. The plexus of dyed and unpainted yarns gives different colors on the reverse and front side of denim. This is the most expensive and popular fabric.
Of the not expensive single-color fabrics on both sides is dyed cotton called gin. Summer sarafans and shirts are sewn from thin denim chambry. When elastin is added to the cotton thread, a stretch denim fabric is obtained, which is mainly used to make inexpensive women's jeans.