Constructed textile techniques

How are fabrics made?

Fabrics can be made from natural fibres and man-made fibres. The fibres are cleaned and spun to produce threads and yarns. Different thicknesses are called ply. The threads and yarns are then used to weave or knit into fabrics. Non-woven fabrics are produced by felting or bonding fibres.

Weaving

Woven fabrics are constructed on a . threads are threaded first around the loom. These threads go up and down.

threads are woven under and over the warp threads using a shuttle, going from side to side.

The selvedge is at the edge of the fabric and is a strip where the weft threads come back on themselves to start the next row.

Woven fabrics are strong and they are stretchy on the .

Diagrams showing weave patterns — Image caption,
Designs and patterns are created by the order in which the weft threads are woven under and over the warp thread

A lighthouse design being woven by hand on a simple loom — Figure caption,
An example of an image being produced using the technique of tapestry weaving

You can produce two-tone fabrics by having a different coloured warp thread to the colour of the weft threads.

Interesting designs are created by weaving with different coloured and thicknesses of weft yarns in different sections of the warp. This makes tapestries.

A child weaving with a simple cardboard loom. A basket of coloured yarn — Image caption,
A simple loom made of cardboard and string

Experiment weaving with different fabrics, fibres and materials as your weft.

Question

How can two-tone fabrics be woven?

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Constructional textiles - OCRConstructed textile techniques