Fabrics For Costume Construction

DENIM


The material Denim has been something used in America since the later stages of the 18th century. The word denim originated from the word Serge, which was actually made in the French town of Nimes. Putting the name together created ''Serge de Nimes'' which when shortened became Denim. 

Denim was first used to create the iconic Jeans in 1853 by Levi Strauss, which is where the Levi Jean comes from, and the name Jean also came from the location in which it was made. The French word for Italy is Genoa which when translated becomes Genes.

The Denim Jeans were highly durable and that is the reason why in 1873 the American coal miners wore them as their unofficial uniform. The jeans stood up to the harsh environments which they worked in and survived the tasks in which they undertook. Because of this, the Jeans became an iconic symbol for the working class.
The durability of Jeans once again showed when in the late 1930's the American Cattle Ranchers (Cowboys) took on this look, and the film industry boosted the Denim jeans even more by having the top stars wear them in their motion pictures. The public, wanting to look just like their heroes, went out and bought Jeans and sales soon started to soar.

In the 1960's & 70's, the jeans were reinvented and no longer were they associated to the working class. The casual look started off the ''care free generation'' and accessorizing jeans with patches and embroideries followed.
This carefree image that came with the jeans led to them being banned from schools as they were classed as a stand against them.
The 1980's was the definitive turning point for Denim, and fashion designers worldwide started creating many different ideals involving the material. This led to the sales of denim rocketing.
Now in the 90's onwards, denim is considered a youthful clothing item linked to fashion and beauty, a far cry from the working class association it once had. 

WOOL

Wool mainly comes from the fleece of a sheep but it can also come from other animals. Wool fibres are naturally crimped which makes them very stretchy and strong. Wool can be used for clothes but its also very strong and can be used for carpets. Its very warm and very hard wearing.

Warmth
The fibres have natural crimps in them and each has tiny scales on them. They work together and trap air which helps to keep in warmth. If the wool is knitted, the knitting pattern making more pockets for the air to be trapped in which makes it warmer.

Resilience
Once again the crimps in the fibres make wool very resilient. You can fold it up very tightly but when you shake it out the creases fall out.

Absorbency
Wool is very very absorbent. This is quite useful when its being used for a garment or clothing. So even when its wet wool will still keep you quite warm. The problem with this is when you wash it, it absorbs a lot of water and you have to be careful how you dry it or it will stretch or go out of shape.

Washing
you have to be very carefully when you wash because if you wash it on a high temperature it can turn into felt. You have to wash it at a even temperature to stop it shrinking. It’s important to use a soft washing powder to it doesn’t damage the fibres, so it’s often better to hand wash pure wool items.

Heat
Wool is affected by strong heat. You need to be very careful when ironing it and keep it on a low heat.

Strength
Wool isn’t as strong as synthetic fabrics. It can be damaged if washed in the wrong way. It can also be damaged by moths. Wool does resist acids.

Dyeing
Wool is very absorbent so takes on dye very well.

Flammability
Wool doesn’t burn easily.

Cost
Wool is more expensive to produce than synthetic fibres and cotton. It’s cheaper to grow a crop than keep animals. Factory production of fabrics is more relievable. Outside factors like the weather don’t have a impact. 

ACRYLIC

Acrylic is a manmade fibre which is made to be like wool in its warmth and how it feels. It’s stronger and easier to wash than wool. It can be blended with other fibres. It’s cheaper to produce than wool and it easier to keep.

Warmth
Like wool it can be knitted or woven which created pockets which keep in warmth. It can be produced in different weights or thicknesses to produce different types of clothing. The thicker the clothing the warmer it will be.

Absorbency
Acrylic has a low absorbency so washing and dries easily and quickly. It can be woven into a fabric that breathes easy so it lets moister leave the body.

Resilience
Acrylics are soft and light weight. They resist creases, they are stretchy fibres so they fit well.

Washing
They wash and dry quickly and at low temperatures making them a really popular fabric. They dry well without losing their shape. Not really suitable for tumble drying at high temperatures.

Heat
It needs to be ironed at low temperatures however when it produced it can be set into pleats or folds at high temperatures so its suitable for dresses and blouses.

Strength
Acrylic is stronger than wool but not as strong as nylon or polyester. Its resists acids, alkalis and bleaches so can be washed with any washing powder. Its resists sun light so it’s very good for curtains and other furnishings. I doesn’t get attacked by mould or moths, it can sometimes go bobbly. 

Flammability
It burns and melts very easily.

Dyeing
Acrylic is resisted to dye.

Cost
It doesn’t cost much to produce.

SILK

Silk is seen as a special fabric that’s often worn by wealthy people or royalty. Silk is made by the caterpillar of the silk moth. They eat mulberry leafs, the caterpillar then spins its self a cocoon by producing a long thread and winding it around its self  hundreds of times. Each cocoon produces a mile of silk thread. This method has been used in China for 4000 years, Japan and China produce most of the worlds silk. Silk reflects light beautifully. When silk is spun together it gives a very strong fabric but the threads are still very fine. It used to be made to make parachutes.

Warmth
Its soft and feels warm. It doesn’t conduct heat very well so it keeps the body warm but because its fine it can also keep you cool in summer.

Resilience
Because its natural its very resilient.

Absorbency
As a natural fibre its very adsorbent but it dries easily.

Washing
Silk needs to be washed very carefully. It needs to be washed in very cool water with very mild soap powder. It better for it to be hand washed and you should ring it out or twist it. It does need ironing but it should be ironed damp and at a low temperature.

Heat
Silk is affected by high temperatures so should kept cool at all times including washing and ironing.

Strength
Its light weight and fine but it’s very strong. However its easily damaged by acid, alkali and bleach. Even sweat can damage it.

Flammability
Silk does burn but very slowly.

Dyeing
Silk takes dye very well, if you print a pattern it comes out both sides. 

Cost
Silk is the most expensive fabric there is, it’s expensive to produce and unwinding the silk from the cocoon is a highly skilled job. 

NYLON

Nylon is a man-made fibre. It’s made with by products from making patrol so there’s always plenty of products available. Nylon is a modern fabric, it was invented in 1935. It’s very light and sooth and has lots of uses. Its washes easily and dries quickly. It’s a very popular fabric with companies because it’s cheap and easy to manufacture. Nylon is often blended with other fibres to improve its properties.

Warmth
Nylon is a good conductor of heat but it’s not naturally warm. It can be made warm by making it a bit bulkier to trap air.

Resilience
Nylon is very resilient and creases fall out easily. It goes back into shape easily and it doesn’t much ironing. It’s quite a stretchy fabric.

Absorbency
Nylons not very absorbent so it dries quickly after it’s been washed. It’s not a very good fabric to wear close to the skin because you get quite sweaty but it can be improved to let in more air.

Washing
Nylon doesn’t stain very easily so it washes well at low temperatures and dries quickly.

Heat
Nylon melts quite easily so should be ironed at very low temperatures. Manufactures can use heat to make permanent creases or pleats.

Strength
Nylon is very strong even though it’s very light. It can be harmed by bleach and acid but it’s not affected by mould like natural fabrics.

Flammability
Nylon doesn’t burn but it melts so Nylon should never be anywhere near a naked flame.

Dyeing
Nylon takes dye well. Colours are normally added during manufacture.

Cost
Nylon is a cheap and cost affective fabric to make.      

        

POLYESTER

Polyester was invented in the 1950’s and we originally called Terylene. It’s a manmade fabric but it’s better than nylon. The name changed to polyester because it is a polymer.

Warmth
Polyester is not very warm to wear unless its blended with other fibres such as wool. Polyester can be used for a filling for quilts and pillows because it traps air and is very light and warm.

Resilience
Polyester is very resilient and doesn’t need much ironing. It doesn’t stretch much so clothes keep their shape well. It holds heat very well so is often mixed with other fibres to make it more comfortable to wear. Polyester blended with other fibres make clothes that are warm, look good and easy to look after.

Absorbency
Polyester resists water. It doesn’t stain very easily and washes and dries quickly and easily. Polyester is used for sails because it resists moisture and doesn’t need lots of drying after sailing.

Washing
Polyester washes very easily at low temperatures and dries quickly and doesn’t need much ironing.

Heat
Polyester melts at high temperatures so should be ironed at a low heat. Permanent creases or pleats can be put in using heat during manufacture. 

Strength
Polyester is very strong. It’s so strong that it’s used for seats belts in cars. It’s not harmed by alkalis, bleaches, acids or moulds. It makes good curtains because it’s not affected by sun light.

Flammability
Polyester doesn’t burn easily but it will melt at high temperature. If it’s mixed with cotton it’s very flammable.  

Dyeing
Polyester does not take on dye very well so dye has to be added at the manufacturing stage.  

Cost
It’s an easily manmade fibre so it’s cheap to produce.      

LINEN

The word linen comes from the word 'linium'.  It is one of the world's oldest fabrics, linen is manufactured from the fibres of the flax plant, which is a natural resource.

Warmth
Linen is a good conductor of heat. It’s good for summer clothes because it can keep you cool but it’s also very good for bed covers because it keeps you warm.

Resilience
Linen is a strong fabric but it creases very easily. I can be chemically changed to resist creases. Linen is not stretchy. It can be affected by mould.

Absorbency
Linen absorbs water very well which means it’s often used for tea towels. It takes a long time to dry.

Washing
Linen can be washed at any temperature but will take a long to dry. It needs ironing when it’s damp to avoid creases.

Heat
Linen takes heat very well and needs to be ironed at a high temperature. It resists sunlight so it’s a good fabric to wear in summer.

Strength
Linen is very strong and hard wearing. It resists sunlight well but it can be damaged by mould.

Flammability
Because it’s made from a plant fibre it burns easily and is very flammable.

Dyeing
Linen takes dye very easily as it’s a natural fibre.

Cost
Linen is an expensive fabric because it’s made out of natural resources which take time and money to grow. 

Fibres
Research shows all fabrics are fibres. They can either be short or long. Short are called staple fibres and long are called filament fibres. Fibres are weak on their own but when they are twisted together  into yarns they can be very strong. There are three different groups of fibres:

Natural Fibres
Natural fibres can either be plant or animal based. Wool and silk are the main animal based but you can also have angora, alpaca, cashmere, camel hair, wild silk, mohair and vicuna. The plant based fibres are linen, cotton, hemp, jute and ramie.

Synthetic Fibres
There are two types of synthetic fibres, manmade from oil-based by-products, e.g elastomeric, acrylic, aramid, modacrylic, polyamide, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and Micro-fibres which are fine synthetic fibres, e.g polyester and nylon. The name for micro-fibre trade is Tactel.

Regenerated Fibres
Regenerated fibres are made from a combination of chemicals and cellulose waste e.g lyocell, viscose, cupro, acetate, tencel, modal.

Yarns
Yarns are made by twisting fibres into long lengths and are wound onto cones or spools. They is two methods you can use for putting fibres together, spinning or twisting. The different types of yarns are spun yarns, filament yarns, multi-filament yarn, monofilament yarn, assembled yarn, folded yarns, plied yarns, complex yarns and fancy yarns.