Cotton and Sustainability 2

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Textile Update

How will changes in water availability impact the sustainability of cotton? With climate change, we see some changes in how much and what quality of water is available in different regions of the globe. Places that used to depend on rain to grow their crops might see less in the future while other places will deal with increased flooding or sea level changes. Cotton competes with food for water, so we need to keep this in mind when thinking about the future of fashion.

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Cotton and Sustainability 1

Posted on November 17, 2024November 17, 2024 by Textile Update

Cotton is a popular fiber and this makes it a popular topic for research and development for sustainability. In this episode, I discuss the difference between conventional and organic agriculture in the United States and how this might impact the sustainability of cotton. My goal is to introduce concepts related to agriculture to my fashion students and explain how genetic modification is used in producing cotton that uses less pesticides. This is the first of a set of two episodes on this topic.

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Season 4 Introduction

Posted on November 17, 2024November 17, 2024 by Textile Update

I haven’t started a new season of this podcast, which is a companion to my Textiles course at Texas State University because the course is complete. However, I know that some people are looking for a recent episode to decide if the podcast is worth the listen. I will also be uploading two episodes from a lecture I am giving at a University in Tokyo in December. So, if you new to TextileUpdate, please go back to Season 2 and set your setting to see the oldest episodes first. Start with the episode titled Fiber Properties 1A and then go in order through season 2 to get my full college course.

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Season 3 Introduction

Posted on January 14, 2021February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

I start a new season of the podcast with each new session of my Textiles course. Rather than make students go back in time, I duplicate episodes from previous seasons, and put them in the proper order. Season 3 will start on January 20th, but I am going to release the first episode, on Fiber Properties, a bit early to whet your appetite. If you have been listening to Season 2, you can continue to enjoy the same content there, or you can start over with a new year and a new season. i will insert a bit more new content and the spring goes along.

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Functional Finishes B

Posted on August 1, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Water, stains, we can repel them all! Radiation, Fire, no problem!

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Functional Finishes A

Posted on August 1, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Changing the properties of textiles is the goal of functional finishing.

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Aesthetic Finishes B

Posted on July 31, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Besides Luster and Hand, we can change the Design or Texture of fabrics.

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Aesthetics Finishes A

Posted on July 31, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Aesthetic finishes are used to change the look or feel of fabric by changing the luster or the hand.

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Routine Finishes

Posted on July 30, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Routine finishes include bleaching, ironing and tentering.

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Printing C

Posted on July 30, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Printing and dyeing can have some quality issues that it is helpful to understand.

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Printing B

Posted on July 30, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Direct printing also includes screen printing and inkjet printing while indirect printing solves a problem we have since the invention of synthetic polymers.

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Printing A

Posted on July 30, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The methods used for printing have developed over time.

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Dyeing C

Posted on July 29, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We can dye at different stages during the production process. We can use dyes to make designs in a process called “resist printing”.

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Dyeing B

Posted on July 29, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

How do we improve the affinity of dyes for fibers?

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Dyeing A

Posted on July 29, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We give color to textiles using dyes and pigments.

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Nonyarn C

Posted on July 28, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We don’t need to use fibers to make nonyarn fabrics, we can just use polymers in solution or look to nature.

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Nonyarn B

Posted on July 28, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The nonyarn fabrics usually have fairly descriptive names.

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Nonyarn A

Posted on July 28, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We can make fabrics without using yarns.

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Knits C

Posted on July 25, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Weft and warp knits don’t have warp or weft yarns, but they do go in different directions. The warp knits include tricot and raschel knits.

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Knits B

Posted on July 25, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The weft knits include jersey, rib and purl knits.

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Knits A

Posted on July 25, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Knits are far newer than wovens and borrow vocabulary from wovens.

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Fancy Weaves D

Posted on July 23, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Double cloths can use 3, 4 or 5 yarns instead of the usual two. Textured weaves, on the other hand, stick to familiar methods to create a subtle pebbly surface.

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Fancy Weaves C

Posted on July 23, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Pile weaves can be made in so many ways and produce so many fabrics, including velvet, velveteen and corduroy. Plus, let’s dig into carpet!

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Fancy Weaves B

Posted on July 23, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The Jacquard Weave is pretty fancy, while the Leno weave is pretty dull looking.

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Fancy Weaves A

Posted on July 22, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The Dobby weave was very popular for several hundred years and remains a great choice for interiors.

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Basic Weaves B

Posted on July 22, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The basket weave, twill weave and satin weave are three other types of basic weaves, although the basket weave is actually a plain weave too.

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Basic Weaves A

Posted on July 22, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The Basic Weaves start with plain weaves but this is the most diverse category of weaves, despite the plain wrapper.

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Fabrication B

Posted on July 21, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

What sort of properties are built into fabric during weaving and how can we identify them to help us differentiate fabric?

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Fabrication A

Posted on July 21, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We make fabrics using several methods, but we will focus on weaving for now. How do looms work?

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Yarns C

Posted on July 17, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Novelty yarns are just faancy!

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Yarns A

Posted on July 17, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

What is up with the Venus de Milo? She isn’t Venus! But we love Goddesses of Spinning and Weaving, like Athena, just as much as the Goddess of Love. Spinning was the foundation of several ancient trade cultures.

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Synthetic Fibers B

Posted on July 15, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The Olefin polymer family goes by many other names, but Acrylic is famous for just being itself, and for being our nails!

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Synthetic Fibers A

Posted on July 15, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The first synthetic fiber was nylon followed by polyester, both inveted by scientists at Dupont.

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Regenerated Fibers B

Posted on July 14, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The late 10th century brought an eco-friendly player to the regenerated fiber scene, the generic name for this innovated fiber is lyocell. Oh, we also talk about Acetate, a modified cellulose regenerated fiber.

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Regenerated Fibers A

Posted on July 14, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The regenerated fibers are “manually” made. Manufacturing fibers from naturally concurring polymers, such as cellulose, is a major accomplishment of the 20th century.

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Manufacturing Fibers B

Posted on July 13, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We can modify manufactured fibers by adding compounds to the “dope”, we can change their size and cross section, we can add a crimp.

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Manufacturing Fibers A

Posted on July 13, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Manufacturing fibers involved either using naturally occurring polymers or synthesizing polymers in the laboratory.

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Cellulose Fibers D

Posted on July 10, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The minor cellulosic fibers include Hemp, Kenaf, Coir and Abaca. Isn’t this fun?

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Cellulose Fibers C

Posted on July 10, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Linen is an ancient fiber with an ancient vocabulary.

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Cellulose Fibers B

Posted on July 9, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Cotton is King and with good reason

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Cellulose Fibers A

Posted on July 9, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

What are the good and bad properties of fibers made from cellulose?

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Protein Fibers D

Posted on July 8, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Silk is another important protein fiber that has a totally different history and set of properties, despite also being made from polymers of amino acids.

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Protein Fibers C

Posted on July 8, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

The specialty hair fibers include mohair, cashmere and camel, just to name a few.

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Protein Fibers B

Posted on July 8, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

This double length episode of the podcast focuses completely on wool, my favorite fiber.

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Protein Fibers A

Posted on July 8, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

This double length episode of the podcast introduces our first natural fiber, protein fibers, and explains some of the great properties of these fibers, going deep on moisture and moisture regain.

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Fiber Properties 3B

Posted on July 7, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We wrap up our discussion of the internal morphology of fibers, focusing on polymer properties, by considering what the arrangement of polymers into crystalline structures can do for strength, or how cross-linking agents can improve resiliency.

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Fiber Properties 3A

Posted on July 7, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

While the surface morphology of fibers is an important influence on properties like luster and hand, it is the internal, chemical structure of the polymers that make up the fibers that has the greatest influence on properties like strength and absorbency.

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Fiber Properties 2B

Posted on July 7, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

Fiber crimp deserves its own podcast because it is so cool! This 3D physical property influences lots of things like resiliency, bulk and luster.

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Fiber Properties 1B

Posted on July 7, 2020September 2, 2021 by Textile Update

Performance properties such as comfort as actually a dimension of performance made up of several properties, including absorbency.

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Fiber Properties 2A

Posted on July 7, 2020February 10, 2021 by Textile Update

We can categorize fibers using various features, including physical structures (morphology) that we can easily see under a microscope.

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Fiber Properties 1A

Posted on July 7, 2020September 2, 2021 by Textile Update

Our first podcast focuses on the properties of fibers that make the textiles we make out of these fibers behave in different ways.

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