THE GUIDE TO SUMMER SHIRT FABRICS The aim of a shirt bought for summer might seem easy: to stay cool. But there are several variations here, and crossovers with styles and other functionality. This, then, is our substantive yet focused guide to buying a shirt fabric for the warmer months. As ever, it is not aimed at recommending specific cloths, because the mills don’t vary that much in the things discussed here – fibres, weaves and finishes. Rather, it should enable you to know whether you want a linen, a muslin or a zephyr, and why. Then you can pick what weight and colour you want. So, how do you make a cool shirting fabric? Well generally you want it to be breathable – that’s the priority, rather than being lightweight. Superfine fabrics, for example, are often lightweight. But they are also densely woven, which makes them not very breathable and so not great in warm weather. That breathability will come from three things: the fibre, the yarn or the weave. First, the fibre. Most shirtings are cotton, and this is pretty breathable and cool – certainly more than fibres like wools, cashmere or synthetics. However, linen is better. Linen is such a strong fibre that it can be woven quite loosely, making it breathable. It is also cool to the touch, because the fibre is a good conductor. (Metal feels cool for the same reason.) Linen wrinkles of course. For some, that’s part of the charm, but it might also make it too casual for smarter shirts. In that situation it’s worth turning to linen/cotton mixes, which balance the sharpness of cotton and the breathability of linen. In fact, I’d recommend linen/cotton through most of the year, because it has that breathability (but not too much) and because it looks more casual than cotton (but not too much). And while you do often need a cooler shirt in the summer, in the winter it’s easy to just wear knitwear or heavier tailoring over the top. Next, the weave. In general here you want a more open, less dense weave. So in a basic cotton, a plain weave (or broadcloth) is more open than a twill, and will breathe better. Then there are more specialist warm-weather weaves, such as zephyr. Zephyr has a square weave construction, with an almost equal number of threads per inch in warp and weft, which makes it very breathable. Specialist cotton yarns can also make a difference. So voile, for example, uses a high-twist yarn. This gives the yarn extra strength (like linen) and enables it to be woven more openly. Muslin, on the other hand, uses a normal yarn but a very lightweight one. This makes it softer, but also quite liable to wrinkle, and therefore not as smart. Both voile and muslin are more commonly used in women’s clothing. What Is Mesh Fabric? There are a few different versions of mesh fabric, but this type of fabric is typified by its lightweight heft and permeable texture. Unlike most types of fabric, which feature closely-woven textures, mesh is woven loosely, which results in thousands of tiny holes being present in each mesh garment. The idea of mesh has been around for thousands of years; for instance, every type of net in existence is made from mesh, and this material has also been used to make items like hammocks. However, it wasn't until the end of the 19th century that textile innovators started using mesh for apparel. Mesh fabric is made with a variety of different techniques depending on the type of fiber from which it is composed. While nylon and polyester are very similar in a number of ways, polyester was developed a few decades after nylon, which means that the production of this synthetic material follows significantly more advanced manufacturing processes. Though the processes used to make these two types of fabric fibers differ, for each type of fiber, the process begins with the refining of petroleum oil. Polyamide monomers are then extracted from this oil, and these monomers are then reacted with various forms of acid to make polymers. Lining Fabric for Clothing Lining fabric refers to a group of materials inserted into various garments, from skirts and shorts to dresses, jackets and coats. Such fabrics can be made of natural or synthetic fibers and range from sheer to opaque. While most of them are produced in solid colors, you can still find lots of patterned lining materials. This F. A. Q. section covers the most popular questions about lining fabrics, their types, and properties. The purpose of lining fabric is to make your garment more wearable, long-lasting and comfortable. They are usually lightweight and have a soft or silky texture. Not all items need to be lined, though. When choosing the appropriate lining for a project, one needs to pay attention to the stretch factor. If the garment is not stretchy, e.g. a cotton shirt or a wool jacket, non-stretch lining fabric is ok. But if the item is made with elastic materials like jersey, tulle or stretch satin, the lining one ends up choosing should be stretchy as well. Blended or inlaid conductive fibers The mechanism of the first two methods is to increase the moisture regain rate of the fabric, reduce the insulation, and accelerate the electrostatic leakage. Therefore, if the processing effect is not durable or not significant in a dry environment or after repeated washing, it is usually applied to ordinary clothing fabrics. Only the third method can permanently and efficiently solve the static electricity problem of textiles. It is an anti-static fabric woven from a new type of conductive yarn (or metal fiber blended yarn). The addition of conductive wire (yarn) is divided into two kinds of inlaid and interwoven (specifically twill, according to customer requirements). The fabric has good durability, anti-static, dustproof and other properties. Therefore, it is widely used in the production of anti-static work clothes. Application of anti-static fabric Anti static fabric is fabric that has undergone anti-static processing and is widely used in the workwear of explosive industries such as petroleum industry, mining and smelting industry, chemical industry, coal mine, gas station, liquefied gas station, oil tanker, fireworks and firecrackers, and atomic energy, aerospace, Weapons, precision instruments, microelectronics, automobiles and other static sensitive industries, and other industries, such as: food, medicine and other industrial work clothes that require high cleanliness. The conductive wire in the conductive fabric is mainly embedded in the back of the fabric to facilitate the appearance and smoothness of the fabric. The back of the fabric is a semiconductor and the front of the fabric is an insulator. Therefore, after the garment is finished, the static electricity generated by the friction between the clothing and the human body is mainly eliminated, and the static electricity generated by friction with external equipment cannot be eliminated. There is still a charge accumulation on the front of the garment. Since the blended fabric is made by adding conductive fibers to the yarn during the weaving process, the front and back of the fabric are both semiconductors, and the positive and negative charges on the surface of the fabric can be conducted and cancel each other, which can quickly and evenly eliminate the body and clothing. The static electricity, and the static electricity generated on the surface of the clothing in contact with the outside, the clothing has no charge accumulation. Waterproof Breathable Fabrics Waterproof fabric completely prevents the penetration and absorption of liquid water in, in contrast to water-repellent fabric, which only delays the penetration of water. Traditionally, fabric was made waterproof by coating it with a continuous layer of impervious flexible material. The first coating materials used were animal fat, wax and hardened vegetable oils. Nowadays synthetic polymers such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyurethane are used. Conventional polymers coatings are considered to be more uncomfortable to wear than water-repellent fabric, as they are relatively stiff and do not allow the escape of perspiration vapour. Consequently they are now used for emergency rainwear. Water-repellent fabric is more comfortable to wear but its water-resistant properties are short lived. Coating Fabrics for Men and Women Coating fabrics are designed to protect your body from cold, wind and rain during early spring, autumn and winter seasons. Coat fabric comes in a variety of weights and finishes, from lightweight materials for cooler weather to heavy cloths that are up to the challenge even on the most freezing day. In this article we’re going to cover the most popular types of coat fabrics used for casual and special occasion coats and jackets. While one can definitely buy a ready-made piece, sometimes finding the perfect one seems almost impossible. Lightweight materials include jacquard, tweed and boucle, thin wool fabrics, velvet, etc. Some of them can be made into stylish outerwear to be worn on top of an elegant dress or a mind-blowing two-piece suit. Medium weight fabrics comprise denser wool materials and jacquards, cashmere, various wool blends. Properly lined or quilted, they make all kinds of coats, jackets and capes that are a pleasure to wear in the demi-season. Heavy coat fabrics are created to keep you super warm and comfortable in snowy and otherwise severe winters. The most popular ones are 100% wool materials, wool blends, furs and padded puffer fabrics. Now, let’s dive deeper into the types of fibers you should have your eyes open for when choosing a coat material. What Is Fleece Fabric? When you read the word fleece, the first thing you may think of is sheep. Interestingly, fleece fabric doesn’t come from sheep’s wool at all. Rather than wool, fleece fabric is a form of synthetic fabric. This means these warm, soft, and cozy garments are man-made. They’re usually made from polyester. Sometimes, it’s referred to as polar fleece or polyester fleece. Introduction Of Home Textile Home textile is a branch of technical textile comprising application of textiles in household purposes. Home textiles are nothing but an internal environment, which deals with internal spaces and their furnishings. Home textiles are mainly used for their functional and aesthetic properties which provides us the mood and also gives mental relaxation to the people. Definition Of Home Textile Home textiles can be defined as the textiles used for home furnishing. It consists of a various range of functional as well as decorative products used mainly for decorating our houses. The fabrics are used for home textiles consists of both natural and man-made fibres. Sometimes we also blend these fibres to make the fabrics stronger. Generally, home textiles are produced by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibers together. Different Types Of Home Textile Products A considerable portion of home furnishings consists of textiles. A number of these furnishings are typical in households and are made according to certain general methods of construction and composition. The basic items may be grouped as Sheets and Pillowcases, Blankets, Terry towels, Table cloths, and carpets and Rugs. Jacquard Fabrics Review Jacquard fabric is a type of cloth featuring an intricate pattern woven into the warp on a special mechanical loom, rather than printed on the surface. It was a French weaver Joseph-Marie Jacquard who invented this technology in 1804, so the jacquard fabric was named after him. These fabrics are available in a variety of compositions and weights and serve various purposes. Lightweight jacquards are often picked for spring and summer apparel, whereas heavy cloths have their say in colder seasons. Any jacquard fabric is all about the pattern, which looks that unique due to the way it is applied. Very often, if you look at the back of the cloth, long floats can be found; these are threads used to produce the pattern, and it tells you straight away that you are dealing with jacquard.