Textiles and Design: Colouration, Production, and Fabric Science

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering principles of dyeing, printing techniques, fabric structures, finishes, and emerging textile technologies.

Dye solution / liquor

The liquid quantity of dye prepared by dissolving dyestuff in the correct amount of water.

Wetting out

The process of moistening fibre, yarn, or fabric to cause the fibres to swell, allowing for better absorption and even dye uptake.

Exhaustion (dyeing)

The phase during dyeing when dye molecules migrate and are attracted to the textile, causing the dye solution to lose its colour.

Fixation

The stage where dye molecules undergo diffusion into amorphous regions of the fibre and become anchored via chemical fixation, heating, or heat setting.

Mordant

A chemical (either plant-based, such as high-tannin plants, or mineral-based, such as alum, iron, tin, and chrome) that assists in the dye fixation process.

Substantive dyes

A class of natural dyes that do not require a mordant to fix colour, though using one can help achieve a variety of shades.

Adjective dyes

A class of natural dyes that require a mordant to bring out and fix their colour.

Foam dyeing

An economical and environmentally friendly dyeing method that uses foam to significantly reduce water consumption.

Batch dyeing (exhaust dyeing)

A low-cost, flexible dyeing method where textile material is circulated through a dye bath under controlled temperature.

Winch dyeing

A dyeing method in which fabric is sewn together at the ends to form a continuous loop and lifted out of the bath by a reel.

Jig dyeing

A dyeing method where fabric is guided back and forth through a dye bath on two rollers situated above the vat, suitable for large quantities of fabric.

Pad dyeing

A dyeing process where fabric passes through a dye bath and rollers pressure-pad the surface to force dye into the material, followed by heat setting.

Solution / dope dyeing

A pre-fibre dyeing method for manufactured fibres where colour pigment is added directly to the liquid polymer solution before extrusion.

Stock dyeing

The process of dyeing loose, unspun staple fibres before they are spun into yarn.

Cross dyeing

Dyeing a fabric made from two or more different fibres with varying dye affinities to produce patterned colour effects in a single bath.

Union dyeing

A fabric dyeing process designed to achieve an even, uniform single colour across a fabric made of different fibre types.

Pigment

An insoluble, viscous, coloured substance applied onto the surface of a textile rather than chemically bonding within the fibres.

Registration (printing)

The precise alignment of repeating designs and multiple colour screens during the printing process.

Thickener (printing paste)

A substance that produces a uniform consistency and viscosity for the dye base to maintain design clarity and edge sharpness.

Sublimation

The physical change of a substance directly from a solid to a gas without passing through a liquid state, utilized in heat-transfer printing.

Discharge printing

A technique applied to previously dyed fabric using a print paste containing chemicals that destroy and discharge the existing background colour.

Warp printing

A process where warp yarns are printed prior to weaving with plain-dyed weft yarns, producing a soft, blurry, muted design.

Rotary screen printing

A high-speed continuous printing method that uses automated squeegees inside cylindrical screens to force paste onto the fabric.

Ikat

A resist dyeing technique where yarns are bound tightly at intervals along their length, dyed or painted, and then woven together to create patterns.

Batik

A resist method where wax is stamped or drawn onto fabric before dyeing, after which the wax is scraped away to expose the design.

Applique

The decorative technique of applying cut fabric shapes onto a background fabric backing by hand or machine.

Kumihino

A traditional Japanese textile art form consisting of pounded decorative braiding.

Plain weave

A basic fabric structure created by alternating one warp yarn over and under one weft yarn, producing an inexpensive, moderately draping fabric.

Twill weave

A fabric weave characterised by a diagonal rib created by weaving two yarns over and one under, offering high strength, durability, and soil resistance.

Satin weave

A smooth fabric structure characterized by long floating yarns (typically four over and one under), giving high lustre and drape but lower durability.

Weft knit

A knitted construction where yarn loops horizontally along the width of the fabric, providing high elasticity and comfort but curling at cut edges.

Warp knit

A knitted construction where yarns zigzag vertically along the length of the fabric, creating a denser, more run-resistant structure than weft knits.

Bicomponent yarns

Yarns produced by co-extruding two chemically or physically different polymers side-by-side, as core-and-sheath, or as biconstituent fibrils.

Microfibres

Extremely fine synthetic fibres measuring less than $1$ denier in thickness.

Washable webs

Non-woven textile fabrics formed by bonding parallel, cross-laid, or randomly laid webs of fibres together using heat, pressure, or adhesives.

Nanowhiskers

Billions of microscopic fibres embedded onto fabric surfaces to increase surface tension, mimicking plant water repellency to resist stains.

Proban

A chemical finish and process applied to cellulose textiles that forms an insulating char to provide durable flame-retardant performance.

Mercerising

Treating cotton fibres, yarns, or fabrics with an alkali solution to swell and straighten the fibres, removing convolutions to increase lustre and dyeability.

Delustering

The addition of titanium dioxide ($\text{TiO}_2$) powder into synthetic polymer spinning solutions before extrusion to reduce fibre gloss and shine.

Design for Environment (DfE)

A design philosophy encouraging businesses to evaluate lifecycle impacts and make design choices that minimize environmental damage.