There are many kinds of fabrics for different product types. Different types of fabrics are cotton, denim, felt, fleece, polyester, rayon, satin silk and velvet.
Cotton is a thin, soft, cheap and light weight fabric. It is most commonly used fabric in the world. It can be used to make shirts, t-shirts, sox, dresses, bed sheets, cushion cover etc. It is not well suited for heavy-duty stitch crafting.
Denim is a strong and sturdy fabric made from cotton warp yarn and white cotton filling yarn. These are interwoven to create a complex twill weave. This strengthens the material. This type of fabric is useful to make jeans, jackets, dungarees and accessories can also be made with this.
Felt is constructed by matting and pressing fibres together. This is again a strong fabric like denim. Felt can vary in density, thickness and softness and doesn’t frey when cut. It can be used to make teddies, quirky hats and kids craft.
Fleece mimics the properties of the wool, it is an inexpensive option as compared to actual wool. It is constructed from a type pf polyester with synthetic fibres. It is an excellent heat insulator so it is best suited for making jackets, blankets, hats etc.
Polyester as a fabric is durable, has fantastic colour retention and wrinkle/shrink resistance. It is also inexpensive and hence is preferred by sewers to stitch shirts, trousers, jackets and more.
Rayon is a semi-synthetic fibre which is comfortable, smooth and absorbent. It has an extremely low elastic recovery and fails at insulating heat. Hence it is best suited to make garments for hot weather.
Satin is a glossy reflecting kind of fabric that is very soft. It is made by floating warp yarns over weft yarns. It is good for making bed sheets and furnishings. It can also be used to make scarves, ties and sleepwear.
Silk is constructed through cocoons of larvae of Mulberry Silkworms. It is soft, smooth and has a non slip texture. It has very low elasticity. It is ideally used to make shirts, suits, formal dresses, robes etc.
Velvet is made from natural or synthetic fibres. It is a woven fabric with a dense pile that has a unique and distinctive soft, smooth feel to it. It can be used to make clothing, cushions, home decor items etc.
There are three types of common printing techniques used for fabrics. These are direct printing, discharge printing and resist printing.
Under a direct printing, the dyes/colours are directly applied to the fabric. Direct printing is the most widely used method and can be done through engraved roller printing, screen printing, stencil printing, block printing, spray printing, heat transfer/thermal printing, direct to garment digital printing, sublimation and photo printing.
a. Engraved Roller is a method where fabric is passed through design engraved rollers in the printing machine. A separate roller is used for different types of colours. Then the fabric is further processed through dying and steaming to set the dye.
b. Screen Printing is a method where screens/mesh and films are used to transfer design patterns onto the fabric. These are made up of porous nylon fabric and where there is no design/pattern, those areas are not porous. So the dye/colours flow through the porous areas and make a design/pattern. A wooden squeegee is used to apply the colours/dyes onto the fabric evenly.
Screen printing is of two types. Flat bed and rotary screen printing which is a mechanised version of flat bed printing.
Note: Solid colours are best printed with screen printing. A lot of waste is also produced with screen printing.
c. Stencil printing involves using a plastic/wood stencil and colours/dyes are applied to spaces cut inside the stencil. This is a labour intensive printing technique.
d. Block printing involves using a piece of wood, copper or other materials bearing a design/pattern. These are then dipped in the dye/colours and then pressed onto the fabric.
e. Under spray printing, a specialised sprayer is used to transfer dye/colour onto the fabric through screens.
f. Heat Transfer/Thermal Transfer is a printing method wherein we use a heat press machine to transfer the print from paper onto the fabric.
Note: This method is very inexpensive and widely used for T-shirts. A disadvantage of this type of printing is that the print can crack if stretched or washed. The fabric can also become stiff.
g. Direct to garment (DTG) printing is a technique where in we use a computer to print via a inkjet printer onto the fabric. The inks used in the printer are special. The dye and artwork is heat set with a tunnel dryer or heat press.
Note: Digital printing gives very clear pictures and graphics on the fabric but is very expensive. Also for cotton fabrics, they need to be first dipped in a solution before they can be digitally printed. At the same time digital printing is also a fast printing option.
H. Under sublimation printing, a sublimation dye is used onto the fabric with heat. This is good for synthetic fabrics or polyester.
Note: This type of ink can wear off with exposure to direct sunlight.
I. Under photo printing the fabric is coated with a chemical (Liquid Photo Emulsion) that is sensitive to light and hence any photograph can be printed on it.
Under discharge printing, the dyes/colours are removed from patterns on already dyed fabrics with the use of chemicals.
Under resist printing, there is a resist paste applied on the fabric and then it is dyed. So the paste applied areas don’t get dyed and we get a design on the fabric.
We have 101 (single thread chainstitch), 103 (single thread blind hemming), 301 (lockstitch), 401 (chainstitch), Zigzag Stitch, 406 (cover seam), 503 (two thread overage), 504 (three thread overage), Four thread overage, Stitch 512, Stitch 514, 515 (four thread safety stitch), 516 (five thread full safety), 602 (twin needle cover seam with top cover), 605 (three needle cover seam with top cover) and 607 (Flat seam).
101 Single Thread Chainstitch is uses one sewing thread only. It is used as a temporary stitching and can have a run back from the finishing end of the seam.
103 Single Thread Blind hemming is formed by using a curved needle which enters and exits the fabric from the side carrying the needle thread. It can have a runback like single thread chainstitch.
301 Lockstitch looks the same on the top as it does on the bottom. It produces strong, tight and low bulk seams but lowers productivity due to the need to frequently change the under thread bobbin. This stitch type is reversible.
401 Chainstitch can produce higher productivity and elongation as compared to 301 lockstitch. But this is not reversible.
Zig Zag Stitch is a combination of stitch types 304 and 404. This type pf stitch is made by the needle bar that moves laterally as the material is fed.
406 Cover seam is formed using two needle threads and one looper thread. It is used for hemming of garments made from knitted fabric and elastic/lace attaching on lingerie and underwear.
503 Two thread overage (Serging) is used for hemming of tee shirts and single ply serving.
504 three thread over redge is formed by using one needle thread and two looper threads. It is used for serving to stop fabric fraying and for joining 2 or more plies together. These type of stitches can be done easily and hence increase productivity.
Four thread overage has four versions. Stitch 512, Stitch 514, Stitch 515 and Stitch 516.
Stitch type 512 is known as four thread mock safety.
Stitch 514 is known as four thread overedge, full cover.
Stitch 515 ( flour thread safety stitch) is formed by using one row of stitch type 401 and one row of 503.
Stitch 516 (Five thread full safety) is used for over edge seams requiring greater seam security.
602 Twin Needle cover seam with top cover is same as 406 type but has an addition of a top covering thread.
605 Three needle cover seam with top cover is formed by using 5 threads three needles, one looper and one cover thread. This stitch type has high elasticity in the seam. This can be used for stitch garments. This can also be used as a decorative stitch seam due to the top cover thread.
607 Flat seam is produced using four needles, one looper and one top covering thread. Thread consumption remains high with this type of stitch. 32 metres of thread is required to make per metre of seam. The 600 stitch type have the advantage of delivering flat, comfortable seams with high seam elongation.