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construction'. Examples of such a cloth would be voile and jappe. If only a small proportion of the area of a
fabric is covered by, say, the warp yarns, the warp is said to have a 'low cover', whereas the weft may
provide a higher degree of cover, perhaps by virtue of its coarser yarns. In fact, the combination of the
amount of cover provided by the warp and weft yarns determines the openness or closeness of the cloth. A
voile will have a much lower cover than a cambric, and a dress poult will have a greater cover than either.
Some fabrics made from the plain weave are listed below and are defined.
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
batiste afgalaine chiffon
buckram crepe crepe-de-chine
cambric delnine grosgrain
lawn domet jappe
organdie flannel organza
poplin panama poult
voile thornproof tweed shantung
tropical suiting taffeta
The fabrics in Group 1 were commonly produced from cotton or linen, those in Group 2 from wool,
and those in Group 3 from silk. Nowadays some of these fabrics may be made from man-made fibres.
The rule to establish the size of repeat is to add all interlacing above the line to the sum of interlacing
below the line.
Z= diagonal lines from left to right,
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S= diagonal lines from right to left.
Continuous diagonal lines characterize twill weaves; they cannot be produced on less than a three
thread repeat. See Figures 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4. It will be noticed that some of the twill lines run up to the right
and are known as right-hand twills or 'Z twills'. Twills with their diagonal lines running in the opposite
direction are known as left-hand twills or 'S twills’ (the centre stroke of the letters Z and S denote the
direction in which the twill lines run).
Fig. 2.2 2/2 Twill (Z direction) Fig. 2.3 1/2 Twill (S direction) Fig. 2.4 3/1 Twill (S direction)
Taking a '2/2' as an example, the term 2/2, which may also be written 2/2 signifies that each end floats
over two successive picks and under two successive picks, with each adjacent end to the right stepping up
one pick, resulting in a 'Z twill'. It is possible to have a 2/2 twill stepping down one, which, of course,
would produce an 'S twill'. Twill weaves with a 2/2, 3/3, or 4/4 repeat are regarded as balanced twills. If
they are used in a fabric of square construction, the warp and weft will be equally prominent on both faces
of the fabric. An example of such a fabric is a serge, which is made in a 2/2 twill.
On the other hand, weaves such as 1/2 and 3/1 twill are regarded as 'unbalanced' twills, since in the first
example the right side of the fabric will be composed mainly of weft threads. The cloth is, therefore,
referred to as 'weft-faced', and the 3/1 twill produces a 'warp-faced' fabric such as a denim. See Figures 2.3
and 2.4.
The prominence of the twill lines in a simple twill weave depends to some extent on the length over
which the threads 'float' across each other. For instance, a 2/1 twill has a shorter float than a 4/1 twill. There
is, of course, a limit to the length of float that can be used, since fabrics with very long floats may be
unstable and liable to snag. The use of warp and weft yams differing in colour, diameter, or twist may also
enhance the twill effect.
It is possible in a twill weave to accommodate more ends and picks in the fabric than the maximum that
can be accommodated in a plain weave using the same count of yarn. Consequently, similar yarns can be
made into heavier fabrics by using twill rather than plain weave. Twill weaves are always less stiff than
plain weaves made from the same yarns and with the same ends and picks per centimeter.
Twill weaves are often used simply to create surface interest, It is possible for the fabric designer to use
attractive or expensive yarns in the warp, which will show, and incorporate the less attractive or
inexpensive yarns in the weft, which may be scarcely visible on the face of the cloth.
Some fabrics made from twill weaves are listed below.
Croup 1 Group 2 Croup 3
Denim dog's-tooth check foulard
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Jean flannel surah
Regatta gaberdine
Regina Glen check
Silesia whipcord
3 Satin (warp faced construction) and Sateen Weave (weft faced construction)
Fabrics made from these weaves have a typically smooth and generally lustrous appearance without
strong diagonal lines of the type associated with twill weaves. The satin weave is used in fabrics made from
a wide range of fibres. Flat continuous filament yarns are very commonly used, since their bright lustrous
surface enhances the smooth appearance of the fabric. However, cotton yarn, mercerised or unmercerised,
and worsted yarn are both put into these weaves, and it follows that whilst a satin has a smooth surface it
may not necessarily have the lustre which is sometimes erroneously considered to be an essential
requirement of the fabric.
A satin is warp-faced, whereas sateen is a weft-face fabric. An examination of the weaves illustrated in
Figures 2.5, 2.6 and 2.7 shows the intersections between the warp and weft to be distributed so that they
can be somewhat concealed on the face of the fabric. In fact, in a closely woven cloth the floats tend to
overlap the binding points and consequently make them less conspicuous. Satin and sateen weaves
commonly repeat on 5 or 8 threads and are generally called a 5-end or 8-end satin or sateen.
Satin fabrics are available in a range of weights suitable for lightweight linings, lingerie, slippers,
foundation garments, heavy dress fabrics suitable for evening wear, and bridal gowns. Generally, the
heavier satins are made with an 8-end repeat, and the threads per centimetre and cloth 'cover' are greatly
increased.
The smooth surface of a satin
lends itself to printing, machine
embroidery, and embossing to
produce lustrous patterned effects.
Sateens are frequently made from
cotton, and apart from being printed Fig. 2.5 5-end satin Fig. 2.6 8-end satin Fig. 2.7 5-end sateen
The rule to establish the size of repeat is to add all interlacing above the line to the sum of interlacing
below the line.
Indications of “count” numbers:
3↑=count warp-way (vertical),
2→=count weft-way (horizontal).
Count numbers:
repeat 5 ends/picks = 2 or 3
repeat 7 ends/picks = 2 or 5, 3 or 4
repeat 8 ends/picks = 3 or 5
repeat 9 ends/picks = 2 or 7, 4 or 5
repeat 10 ends/picks = 3 or 7
repeat 11 ends/picks = 2 or 9, 3 or 8, 4 or 7, 5 or 6
repeat 12 ends/picks = 5 or 7
repeat 13 ends/picks = 3 or 10, 4 or 9, 5 or 8
repeat 14 ends/picks = 3 or 11, 5 or 9
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Fig.2.8
MORE EXAMPLES OF WEFT SATEEN WEAVES (FIGURE 2.9~2.12).
Fig. 2.9
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Fig. 2.13
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