Key Words

Sustainable

Capable of being sustained. Capable of being continued with minimal long term effects on the environment.

Social

Social factors are things that might affect our lifestyle, and include wealth, gender, family and religion. These can change over time as well as people’s attitudes to them.

Moral

Morals are concerned with the differences between proper and improper behaviour.

Ethical

Ethical factors concern things that are seen as the right thing to do and morally correct.

Upcycling

The process of changing an unwanted product or material into something new

Linear Economy

A linear economy is a process of taking, making and wasting.

Circular economy

A continuous life cycle of taking, making, wearing, and fixing it when necessary as well as giving/selling it away and finally recycling.

Carbon Footprint

The amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere

Biodegradeable

Breaks down over time using natural resources

Loom

A frame or machine used to create woven fabric

Warp

The threads that run vertically down the fabric when woven on a loom

Weft

The threads that are woven across horizontally

Selvedge

The self finished edge created when the weft thread changes direction to weave the next row on a loom

Pattern piece

The industry term for the templates use to create textiles products.

fabric gain

the direction of the warp threads in woven fabric

lay plan

the industry term for the planned layout of the pattern pieces on the fabric before cutting out.

seam

the line of sewing that joins the fabric

seam allowance

the distance between the sewing line and the cutting line

finite resources

non renewable materials that are in limited supply and cannot be regrown or replaced. examples are oils and iron

non finite resources

renewable materials that can be regrown or replaced such as trees and plants - once dug up we can replant/regrow them

natural fibres

natural textiles come from either animal or vegetable (plant) sources

synthetic fibres

synthetic fibres are made from crude oil called petrochemicals

regenerated fibres

regenerated fibres are made from wood pulp (cellulose)

petrochemicals

A large group of chemicals derived from petroleum and natural gas and used for a variety of commercial purposes

calico

a strong, plain weave fabric made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton

facing

a piece of fabric that is used to finish and conceal the raw edges. it creates a clean, professional look and can add strength and stability to the textile product

ethical

in accordance with accepted standards for morally right conduct and practice.

one off production

when only one product is made. this could be a prototype or a special order.

batch production

when a small to medium number of identical products are made.

mass production

when thousands of identical products are made, usually on a production line

CAD

computer aided design. design using computer software

CAM

computer aided manufacture. the use of computer software to control manufacturing systems

block printing

the process of printing patterns by carving designs onto a ‘block’. traditionally, a woodblock is used.

stencil printing

a printing technique where patterns are created by applying ink through a stencil onto a surface.

flat bed screen printing

a traditional method where ink is squeezed through gauze attached to flat, stationary rectangular frames.

rotary screen printing

a continuous method of printing using perforated cylindrical screens

sublimation printing

a process that uses heat and pressure to transfer your design from sublimation paper onto polyester fabric or polymer coated surfaces

digital printing

a modern printing method where digital files are transferred directly onto fabric without the need for traditional printing plates.

design specification

a list of requirements that the products must meet

tack

a way of temporarily joining fabric using a running stitch to avoid the need for pins.

overlock

a specialist machine stitch that cuts and finishes the raw edge of the fabric to prevent fraying

sew

to join with thread

stitch

to join with thread