Why We Should Know About Textiles, Master Sewing And Design Program

It has been a while since I've posted my progress with the Textile module for The Master Sewing And Design Program. The good news is that I am just about ready to take my first test. Yea! I hope ;) As I prepare for the test over the next few weeks, I would basically like to use the blog as a platform for refreshing what I have studied and hopefully have me well prepared for the test. In the meantime, you will have the opportunity to follow along, if you wish, and I hope, glean a little knowledge as well. For the most part, these posts will be very wordy, no lovely pictures to show off, but as I said, I hope they will be informative and help to give you an idea of what the MSDP program is all about.

Textile products are an important part of our everyday life. Can you even imagine a world where there were no textile fibers that could be made into yarns and fabrics? This is unimaginable because textile fibers actually predate recorded history.  Archaeological evidence shows that textiles of fine quality were made thousands of years before written records cite their existence. Fragments of spinning wheels, loom weights, and fragments of fabrics have been found in archaeological digs as well as ancient Egyptian tombs.
All early fibers came from plant or animal life. Wool, flax, cotton and silk were the most important. Spinning and weaving of these fibers came about during the Stone Age. Prior to this, fibers were simply woven together by a plain weave, interlacing groups of fibers with grasses and other raw materials. The first manufactured fiber was not developed until beginning of the 20th century. Over the last one hundred years, technology has exploded. In 1950, cotton accounted for a large portion of the fiber that was available to consumers. By the late 1970's the pattern had begun to change and man-made fibers were most commonly used.  Seventy-one percent of the fibers used in 1981 were were man-made compared to only twenty-two percent in 1950. Now in the 21st century, the pendulum has begun to swing back to more natural fibers, but where would we be without the fibers that wick away perspiration and keep us comfortable in extreme temperatures?
So why should we know fibers? By knowing the properties of different fiber types, we can make a more informed decision about what fabric will work best for any given project. Would you use a cotton fabric for a car seat cover? Most likely not. The reason of course would be because of the amount of wear and tear that a car seat endures. A simple cotton cover would simply not last.
Tomorrow we will discuss five natural fibers and the advantages and disadvantages of each.