Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Taylor.

And I'm really pleased you can be here to join me for our lesson today.

Our lesson today is sources and stock forms of textiles, and this is part of the technical principles unit.

The outcome: "I can describe where different materials come from and identify their common stock forms." We have four key words.

Source, which is where a material originates from.

Raw material, a natural material in its original state.

Process, changing a material to make it suitable for making products.

And stock form, the standard shape and size a material is supplied in.

There are two parts to the lesson, sourcing and processing materials and material stock forms. Let's begin with sourcing and processing materials.

A source is where a material originally comes from.

For textile, fibres and fabrics, the source can be natural such as from plants and animals, or synthetic, for example, from crude oil or regenerated from existing textiles.

Natural sources include plants and animals, and we can see here a picture of a cotton plant and some sheep.

And synthetic sources include crude oil, which is mined from the Earth's crust.

Regenerated textiles are a type of man-made fibre created by chemically processing natural raw materials.

A raw material is a natural material in its original state.

Regenerated textiles are made by breaking down natural cellulose, usually sourced from wood pulp, bamboo or cotton waste, and then reforming it into fibres.

Here we can see a jumper made from regenerated fibres.

Viscose and lyocell are made from wood pulp and are examples of regenerated fibres.

Plants are a renewable resource.

This means it can regrow naturally and be replaced over time through responsible practises.

Animal sources are renewable as the animal can grow more and animals can reproduce.

Here we can see a cotton plant boll and a silkworm cocoon.

Also a sheep being sheared.

This does not hurt the animal.

It's similar to when we get a haircut.

Crude oil found in the earth is not renewable.

Crude oil is the source of polymers such as acrylic, polyester, and nylon.

It is an example of a finite resource which will eventually run out and cannot be replaced.

Here we can see an image of polyester and nylon.

We now have a check for understanding.

Which of the following is a textile source? Is it A, knitting; B, the ground; C, a silkworm cocoon; or D, a fabric merchant? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful! Let's check.

That's right.

It's a silk worm Cocoon.

Well done! This table summarises some common textiles and its source.

Plants can include cotton, linen, and hemp.

The earth, crude oil include nylon, acrylic and polyester.

And animals include wool, silk, and leather.

We can see images of cotton, polyester, and silk.

Sustainable means that the resource can replenish itself so future generations can meet their needs.

Using renewable sources is desirable that these must be managed carefully.

For example, when farming sheep, overgrazing can damage the land and cause erosion.

Chemicals used to keep sheep free from parasites can harm the environment if not disposed of carefully.

Different types of textile fibres and fabrics originate from different parts of the world.

Most of the world's silk originates from China.

Wool can be produced in many different countries, including the UK, South Africa, China and New Zealand.

However, Australia produces the most.

Transporting materials from far locations can contribute to carbon emissions.

Here we have a check for understanding.

Which factor is not important when considering the sustainability of textiles? Is it A, where in the world it is produced or B, if the raw material is from a renewable source, or C, if the sourcing is managed responsibly or D, how much is produced? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful! Let's check.

That's right.

It's D.

How much is produced is not important when considering the sustainability of textiles.

Well done! crude oil needs to be processed to create polymers for textiles.

Oil drilling, to extract crude oil from the ground, followed by fractional distillation where heat separates crude oil into fractions like naphtha.

Naphtha is the raw material that is broken down by cracking to produce monomers such as propane and followed by polymerization process.

Monomers are joined together to make polymer chains such as acrylic.

After polymerization, the polymer which could be acrylic, nylon, or polyester is melted into a thick liquid and forced through tiny holes called a spinneret.

As it cools, it forms thin strands called filaments.

As the filaments come out, they cool down quickly and becomes solid.

You can see the molten polymer forced through the spinneret, with cold air being blasted onto the thin filaments.

The filaments are twisted together to create a continuous yarn.

Twisting gives the yarn strength and makes it easier to weave or knit.

The twisted filaments are stretched to make them thinner, stronger, and more flexible.

The finished yarn is wound onto spools, so it can be used to make fabric.

Here we have a check for understanding.

What is the correct order of steps for turning synthetic filaments into yarn? Is it A, cooling, stretching, twisting, winding; or B, twisting, cooling, stretching, winding; or C cooling, twisting, stretching, winding; or D, stretching, cooling, twisting, and winding? Pause the video and have a go.

Fabulous! Let's check.

That's right.

It's cooling, twisting, stretching and winding.

Well done! Natural fibres like wool and cotton go through a series of processes to become a usable textile fibre.

The cotton balls are picked or wool is sheared.

The raw material is cleaned.

The fibres are carded using a special machine.

They are passed through the machine's rollers covered with fine teeth.

These brushes pull, separate and comb the fibres into smooth fluffy layers called slivers.

Here we can see, rollers covered in fine teeth, tangled fibres entering and straight slivers exiting.

Once the fibres have been carted into slivers, the next processing step is to spin the slivers into yarn.

Several slivers are combined and gently stretched through rollers to make them thinner and stronger.

This is called drawing.

The slivers are fed into a spinning machine.

The machine draws out the fibres and spins them around each other.

This is called twisting.

Here we can see the slivers being drawn through rollers, followed by twisting and collecting yarn.

Silkworm cocoons are the raw material for silk.

It needs to be processed before it can be turned into threads ready for weaving into fabric.

Cocoons are collected before the moths hatch.

Cocoons are boiled to soften the silk.

Silk threads are unwound and the threads are twisted into yarn for weaving or knitting.

We now have task A.

There are three parts.

Use examples to explain the difference between natural, synthetic and regenerated fibres.

Part two, explain the difference between a textile based raw material and a processed material.

And part three, use a diagram to explain how polymers such as nylon are turned from filaments into yarn.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic! Let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

For part one, you may have said, natural fibres come from plants or animals like cotton, which is a plant or wool, which is from an animal.

Synthetic fibres are made from chemicals, usually from crude oil like polyester or nylon.

Regenerated fibres come from natural materials but are chemically processed, like viscose made from wood pulp.

And for part two, a raw material is a natural material that comes straight from nature and has not been changed or processed.

A processed material is made when the raw material is changed or treated to make it more useful.

For example, cotton is a raw material because it grows naturally on the cotton plant.

When the cotton is cleaned, spun into yarn and woven into fabric, it becomes a processed material that can be used to make clothes.

And for part three, your answer may look something similar to this.

Molten polymer is forced through the spinneret and cooled to make filaments.

Filaments are twisted and stretched to make them flexible and stronger, and yarn is wound onto a spool, ready to be woven or knitted.

Well done! We now move to the second part of our lesson, which is material stock forms. A stock form is a standard shape and size in which material is supplied.

Standardising means that the shape and size of the material are made to specific dimensions.

Stock forms allow designers and manufacturers to know which form a material is available in.

This information is required when designing a product and planning its manufacture.

There are many benefits to materials being available in a range of stock forms. Handling, makes it easier to store and transport.

Cost, bulk production of standard sizes lowers cost.

Waste, buy only what is needed.

Efficiency, consistent sizes are easier to work with.

Here we have a check for understanding.

What does standardised mean? Is it A, made in different shapes and sizes every time; B, made the same way every time so it fits and works well; C, made only by hand; or D, made to be thrown away after one use? Pause the video and have a go.

Fabulous! Let's check.

That's right.

It's B.

Made the same way every time so it fits and works well.

Well done! With textiles, stock forms include fibres, yarns with specific ply and denier, fabrics, bolts or rolls.

These are created from raw materials from a source, for example, plants, animals, or synthetic.

Here we can see images of fibres, fabric bolts, yarn and fabric rolls.

Loose fibres are not spun, which makes it useful for stuffing and thermal insulation.

Loose fibres can also be bonded together with heat, moisture, and pressure to make non-woven fabrics.

An example of this would be felt.

Non-woven fabrics can also have medical and horticultural applications.

Felt is an example of a non-woven fabric that is made from loose fibres which are processed using pressure and heat.

Here we have a check for understanding.

Why are non-woven fabrics often used in disposable products? Is it A, they are expensive and luxurious; B, they have no environmental impact; C, they are cheap to produce and can be made quickly; or D, they are stronger than woven fabrics? Pause the video.

Wonderful! Let's check.

That's right, it's C.

They are cheap to produce and can be made quickly.

Well done! Fibres are twisted together to form continuous lengths, yarn and threads.

Yarn is generally thicker and used for creating fabric through knitting, crocheting and weaving.

Threads are thinner and are used for fine weaving and sewing fabrics.

Here we can see that yarn comes in a range of thicknesses and thread is thinner and used for sewing.

Yarn can be described by its ply, which affects fabric strength and texture.

Ply refers to the numbers of strands twisted together to make yarn.

Single ply is one strand, two ply is two strands twisted together, and three ply is three strands twisted together.

Yarn can be described by its denier.

Denier is the unit that measures the thickness of fibres or yarns.

It describes the weight of the yarn in grammes per 9,000 metres.

9,000 metres in length, lower denier equals a fine yarn.

For example, 10 denier tights are very sheer.

Higher denier equals a thicker yarn.

For example, a hundred denier tights are opaque and durable.

Fabrics can be available on a roll wound around a tube without folding.

Rolls are used for larger amounts and when folding would damage the fabric.

For example, a thick or delicate material.

They are common in factories and wholesale.

Rolls are available in different widths.

90 centimetres wide would often be used for craft or quilting.

112 to 115 centimetres wide is general use and fashion.

140 to 150 centimetres wide would be for upholstery and home decor, and 280 to 300 centimetres wide would be for linens and curtains.

Fabrics can be available as bolts where the fabric is folded in half length ways and wrapped around a flat board.

Bolts are common in shops for smaller quantities like cotton prints as they are easier to stack and display.

Rolls and bolts protect the fabric from creasing or damage and make measuring and cutting easier.

They also save space for storage and transport.

Here we have a check for understanding.

Why is fabric sometimes folded onto bolts instead of rolled? Is it A, to make the fabric heavier; B, to make the fabric stronger; C, to stop the colour from fading; or D, to save space and make it easier to display? Pause video, and have a go.

Fantastic! Let's check.

That's right, it's D, to save space and make it easier to display.

Well done! Sometimes you will need to work out how many pieces can be cut from a piece of fabric, calculate the total cost based on quantity of fabric used and estimate waste left over after cutting.

For example, a piece of cotton calico is 1,150 millimetres long and 280 millimetres wide.

You need pieces that are 250 millimetres long and 250 millimetres wide.

How many full pieces can you cut? The length, 1150 divided by 250 equals 4.

6, which we round down to four pieces.

The width is 280 divided by 250 equals 1.

12, which we round down to one piece.

In total, you can acquire four times one, which equals four pieces.

This is with rounding down.

Like in the previous example, there are often occasions where you have to round down.

This is because any leftover material called an offcut is too short and can't be used to make another full piece.

In the previous example, the calculations were rounded down to four and one.

How many full pieces can you cut? The length is 1150 divided by 250 equals 4.

6, rounded down to four full pieces.

1000 millimetres is used and 150 millimetres is left over.

The width was 280 divided by 250, which equals 1.

12, which is one full piece.

250 millimetres was used and 30 millimetres left over.

You may have to calculate the total cost based on the quantity of fabric used.

If each piece costs £2.

50, what is the cost of four pieces? Four times £2.

50 equals £10.

We now move to task B.

Part one, describe what a stock form is.

Give one example of a stock form and explain how it might be used in a product.

Part two, explain two reasons why textile materials are manufactured and sold in standard sizes.

And part three, you have a 300 millimetre width fabric and a length of 2000 millimetres.

You need rectangular pieces that are 750 millimetres by 140 millimetres for a project.

How many rectangles can you cut from the fabric you have? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful! Let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

For part one, you may have said, a stock form is a standard shape and size in which a material is commonly supplied.

An example of a textile stock form is a roll which is usually available in widths of 90 centimetres, 112 to 115 centimetres, 140 to 150 centimetres, and 280 to 300 centimetres.

Using stock forms makes it easier and faster to manufacture products.

And for part two, you may have said, standard sizes allow manufacturers and designers to plan products more efficiently because the dimensions are predictable.

This reduces time spent measuring or adjusting materials to non-standard sizes.

Using standard sizes helps reduce material waste because products can be designed to fit these dimensions leading to more efficient use of materials and lower production costs.

And for part three, step one, pieces along the 300 millimetre width, 300 divided by 140 equals 2.

14, rounded down to 2.

Step two, pieces along the 2000 millimetre length, 2000 divided by 750 equals 2.

66, which is rounded down to 2.

Step three, the total, two pieces from the width times two pieces from the length equals four pieces.

Well done! We now have a summary of our learning.

Raw materials need to be sourced from plants, the earth or from animals.

They are then processed into a usable form.

Materials are available in a range of stock forms, which influences materials selection and production methods.

Stock forms and standard sizes help reduce material waste as products and components can be designed to fit these dimensions.

Rounding down is necessary for calculations because small offcuts can't be used as full pieces.

Thank you for joining me today and well done.