Woven fabric is any
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
formed by
weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...
. Woven fabrics are often created on a
loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
, and made of many threads woven on a
warp and a weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to one another.
Woven fabrics can be made of both natural and
synthetic fibres
Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants (like cotton) ...
, and are often made from a mixture of both. E.g. 100% Cotton or 80% Cotton & 20%
polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...
. 60% spandex and 40% cotton could also be woven together. Woven fabric is typically used in clothing, garments, for decoration, furniture or covering purposes such as carpets. In the Midwest, it is popular to have woven wicker furniture in sitting areas such as a patio or a dining room.
Qualities
Woven fabrics only stretch diagonally on the
bias
Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, ...
directions (between the warp and weft directions), unless the threads used are elastic. Woven fabric cloth usually frays at the edges, unless techniques are used to counter it, such as the use of
pinking shears
Pinking shears are scissors with saw-toothed instead of straight blades. They produce a zigzag pattern instead of a straight edge.
Before pinking scissors were invented, a pinking punch or pinking iron was used to punch out a decorative hem o ...
or
hem
A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
ming. Different companies use textiles differently to create products. Shirts of a woven fabric may be available somewhere but not seen in a different store.
Fabrics that are woven do not stretch as easily as knitted fabrics, which can make them advantageous for many uses.
Closely woven fabric is more durable and keeps it shape better, a loosely woven fabric will be the opposite. Woven fabric is constructed with two threads, horizontal and vertical. The horizontal threads are called the weft and the vertical threads are called the warp. The warp and weft can be woven together in different variations of the three basic weaves; plain, twill and satin. These varieties can be shaped into dresses, tops, and even coats, in some instances.
See also
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Knitted fabric
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Nonwoven fabric
Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres (continuous long), bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabri ...
References
External links
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