Woven fabrics are made by using two or more sets of yarn interlaced at right angles to each other.

Much variety is produced by weaving. Woven fabrics are generally more durable. They can be easily cut into different shapes and are excellent for producing styles in garments. However the raw edges ravel or fray easily and need to be protected. Fabrics having more fabric count (number of wrap and weft yearns present) eep the shape well. !ow count fabrics are less durable and may snag or stretch. Woven fabrics are manufactured in different widths depending on the end use. The fabrics used for apparels usually contain "# cms width. The $heeting materials are generally made having a width of %&# cm'%(#cms and %)#cms'%*# cms. Woven Fabric Types +uc ram ,t is a stiff coated fabric made from a light weight loosely woven fabric- impregnated with adhesives and fillers. This fabric is used as interfacing so as to provide support and shape rentention to nec lines- collars- belts- cuffs- waist bands- button closures etc in garments. They are also used as reinforcements for hand bags and other articles. .ambric .ambric a light weight fabric woven in plain weave and produced with a stiff finish. ,t is suitable for women/s dresses and children/s dresses that re0uire crispness. .asement .asement is a medium weight cotton fabric made of closesly pac ed thic warp yarns. 1enerally it is used for curtains- tablelinen- upholstery and rarely used for dresses. .heese .loth ,t is popular light weight sheer fabric having open weave. ,t has a low count fabric consisting of carded yarns. 2riginally it was used for wrapping cheese or meat and hence the name. ,t is neither strong nor durable. ,t is finished in a variety of ways that attract the consumer. ,t is used not only for women/s and children/s dresses but also for drapery fabrics. 3ue to its open structure- it does not re0uire much ironing. .hiffon .hiffon fabrics are sheer- light weight fabrics made of hard twisted yarns. 2riginally these are made in sil fabrics but today they are made from rayon or polyester. They are used for sarees and women/s evening wear. The fabrics encounter with the problem of shrin age. .hint4 .hint4 is a medium weight- plain woven cotton yarn. ,t is often given a gla4ed finish which may be temporary or semi permanent gla4ed chint4 are available in solid colour as well as printed with floral prints. These are often made from blends of cotton and polyester or rayon. They are used for s its- dresses- blouses- py5amas- aprons and draperies. .orduroy

,t is a cut pile fabric available in solid colours. The cut pile fibres are seen in the form of ribs on the surface. ,t is mainly used for pants- 5eans and shirts. .repe 6 sil fabric is originally characterised by a crin le- puc ered surface formed by highly twisted yarns in the warp or weft or both. +y using ordinary yarns similar crepe effects can also be produced. $ynthetic fabrics also impart crepe effect finish. ,t is used for sareesshirts- women and children/s dresses. 3enim ,t was traditionally a yarn dyed- warp faced cotton twill fabric. Warp is usually coloured (mostly blue- maroon- green and brown) and weft is white. This fabric is made of two weights for sports wear and overalls. ,t/s use as 5eans has made it very popular and so the nature of denim is also changed to suit the trend. ,t is often napped- printed and made with stretch yarn. 3rill ,t is a warp faced twill woven fabric. ,t has a stiff finish. 2riginally it was produced in white and now it is available in solid colours. ,t is mairly used for pants- nic ers and uniforms. Flannel Flannel is a woollen fabric woven in plain or twill weave having characteristic soft handle. ,t loo s li e a bul y fabric due to the milling that is usually done to this fabric. Flannel fabric is used for suits and pants and infacnt/s clothing. This fabric is popular as cleaning fabric due to its extreme softness. This is also used to protect children from cold atmosphere. 1abardine 1abardine is a closely woven- clear finished warp faced twill fabric. ,t contains more number of warp yarns than weft yearns and also more durable. ,t is usually woven in 7'% or 7'7 twill and has a raised diagonal twill effect on the right side. ,t largely used for rain coats- suitings and sports wear. 1eorgette 1eorgette is a sheer light weight fabric- woven in plain weave. ,t has a characteristic rough texture produced by hard twisted ply- yarns both in warp and weft. 2riginally it was made in sil - but today it is produced in rayon and polyester too.

,t/s mainly suitable for women/s evening wear.

8ashmir $il

8ashmir sil is a sil fabric produced in plain weave and is either embroidered or printed. The motifs used are characteristic of 8ashmir. ,t is used for shirts- women/s wear and sarees. 8ashmir shawls are woven in twill weave and is usually embroidered with traditional 8ashmiri embroidery. 8hadi 8hadi is a term used to a wide variety of fabics that are hand spun and hand woven. They are produced in mainly one cotton fibre- blends of two or more fibres. They are nown for durability- and simplicity. The fabrics can be suitings dhoties overalls and household textiles. !awn !awn is a fine sheet- light weight- crisp fabric either made in cotton or linen. 9arious finishes are given to this fabric- in which the fabric is called by the name of the finish. ,t is mainly used as lining in dress. Mulmul ,t is an ,ndian term generally applied to fine cotton fabric slightly heavier- than muslin. These are often printed fabrics. They find use as sarees. Muslin Muslin is a light weight open cloth of plain weave. ,t may be used as grey or bleached and dyed. ,t is used as household textiles and dress materials. 2rgandy 2riginally it is a lawn fabric which is given a stiff finish. 6cid is used for this finish to ma e the fabric transparent and stiff. ,t is mainly used for women/s wear.

:oplin :oplin is a medium weight- cotton fabric hving a fine weft rib. it is generally used for shirtingdresses and upholstery. $heeting These are primarily used for bed coverings. They are medium weight- closely woven fabrics woven eigther in plain or twin weave. $heeting fabrics are made in different widths. High 0uality cotton sheetings are made in plain weve with a width of &(; x )*; and in twill weave with a width of &#;x<7;. Taffeta Taffeta is a smooth- crisp- transparent fabric having a fine rib. 2riginally it is made with sil fibres but now it is also made in rayon. ,t has a characteristic finish which produces crispness. ,t is used as women/s evening wear. Tissue

,t is a fine fabric either made in sil or man made fibre. They are characteristically interwoven with gold or silver threads. ,t is produced in rich colours and they are used as women/s dress material- sarees etc. 9elvet ,t is a warp cut pile fabric- originally made from sil . ,t is also produced in =ayon. The dense cut pile ma es it very soft and lustrous. ,t is used as dress materials for women and children. ,t is also produced with special high twisted yarns which are single or ply yarns. +ased on the yarns used and twist given- they are named as semi violes (single yarns%x%) full voiles. (ply yarns 7x7) or half voile (double in warp and single in Woven Fabrics For applications where more than one fibre orientation is re0uired- a fabric combining #> and "#> fibre orientations is useful. Woven fabrics are produced by the interlacing of warp (#>) fibres and weft ("#>) fibres in a regular pattern or weave style. The fabric/s integrity is maintained by the mechanical interloc ing of the fibres. 3rape (the ability of a fabric to conform to a complex surface)surface smoothness and stability of a fabric are controlled primarily by the weave style. The following is a description of some of the more commonly found weave styles?

Plain

-woven Fabrics

For applications where more than one fibre orientation is required, a fabric combining 0 and 90 fibre orientations is useful.Woven fabrics are produced by the interlacing of warp 0! fibres and weft 90! fibres in a regular pattern or weave style. "he fabric#s integrity is maintained by the mechanical interloc$ing of the fibres. %rape the ability of a fabric to conform to a comple& surface!, surface smoothness and stability of a fabric are controlled primarily by the weave style. "he following is a description of some of the more commonly found weave styles' Plain (ach warp fibre passes alternately under and over each weft fibre. "he fabric is symmetrical, with good stability and reasonable porosity. )owever, it is the most difficult of the weaves to drape, and the high level of fibre crimp imparts relatively low mechanical properties compared with the other weave styles. With large fibres high te&! this weave style gives e&cessive crimp and therefore it tends not to be used for very heavy fabrics.

Twill

*ne or more warp fibres alternately weave over and under two or more weft fibres in a regular repeated manner. "his produces the visual effect of a straight or bro$en diagonal #rib# to the fabric. +uperior wet out and drape is seen in the twill weave over the plain weave with only a small reduction in stability. With reduced crimp, the fabric also has a smoother surface and slightly higher mechanical properties.

Satin +atin weaves are fundamentally twill weaves modified to produce fewer intersections of warp and weft. "he ,harness- number used in the designation typically ., / and 0! is the total number of fibres crossed and passed under, before the fibre repeats the pattern. 1 ,crowsfoot- weave is a form of satin weave with a different stagger in the re-peat pattern. +atin weaves are very flat, have good wet out and a high degree of drape. "he low crimp gives good mechanical properties. +atin weaves allow fibres to be woven in the closest pro&imity and can produce fabrics with a close ,tight- weave. )owever, the style-s low stability and asymmetry needs to be considered. "he asymmetry causes one face of the fabric to have fibre running predominantly in the warp direction while the other face has fibres running predominantly in the weft direction. 2are must be ta$en in assembling multiple layers of these fabrics to ensure that stresses are not built into the component through this asymmetric effect.

Basket 3as$et weave is fundamentally the same as plain weave e&cept that two or more warp fibres alternately interlace with two or more weft fibres. 1n arrangement of two warps crossing two wefts is designated 4&4 bas$et, but the arrangement of fibre need not be symmetrical. "herefore it is possible to have 0&4, /&., etc. 3as$et weave is flatter, and, through less crimp, stronger than a plain weave, but less stable. 5t must be used on heavy weight fabrics made with thic$ high te&! fibres to avoid e&cessive crimping.

Leno 6eno weave improves the stability in ,open- fabrics which have a low fibre count. 1 form of plain weave in which ad7acent warp fibres are twisted around consecutive weft fibres to form a spiral pair, effectively ,loc$ing- each weft in place. Fabrics in leno weave are normally used in con-7unction with other weave styles because if used alone their openness could not produce an effective composite component.

Mock Leno 1 version of plain weave in which occasional warp fibres, at regular intervals but usually several fibres apart, deviate from the alternate under-over interlacing and instead interlace every two or more fibres. "his happens with similar frequency in the weft direction, and the overall effect is a fabric with increased thic$ness, rougher surface, and additional porosity.

Weave Styles - Comparison of Properties

Woven Glass Yarn Fabrics vs Woven

ovin!s

8arn-based fabrics generally give higher strengths per unit weight than roving, and being generally finer, produce fabrics at the lighter end of the available weight range. Woven rovings are less e&pensive to produce and can wet out more effectively. )owever, since they are available only in heavier te&es, they can only produce fabrics at the medium to heavy end of the available weight range, and are thus more suitable for thic$, heavier laminates.

9ublished courtesy of %avid 2ripps, :urit