History of Fabric

There are many different methods for creating fabrics from textiles. Weaving is performed using a loom, typically a rectangular frame on which strands of fibers are hung and interlaced with other fibers. Knitting involves interlacing strands of yarn with the use of a needle, and is typically done by hand, while weaving is largely mechanized. Lacing is performed using a backing piece to create finer fabrics with open holes throughout the piece. Interlacing a yarn through an existing piece of woven cloth results in a layer known as a pile, which is prominent in the manufacture of carpets and velvet. Finally, and by far the oldest technique, is felting, which involves squeezing a mat of fibers together in a liquid to create a tangled, flat material.

Clothing in the ancient world

• Ancient civilizations like Greece and Rome favored wide, unsewn lengths of fabric from which they constructed their clothing (fabric was expensive and they didn’t want to cut it). Ancient Greek clothing was made of lengths of rectangular wool or linen cloth which was secured at the shoulders with ornamented pins and belted with a sash. Women wore loose robe called peplos, men cloak called chlamys while both men and women wore chiton - a type of tunic which was short to the knees for men and longer for women.
• In Renaissance Europe wool remained the most popular fabric for all classes but the linen and hemp were also used.
• Industrial revolution brings machines that spin, weave and sew and with that produce fabric that is of better quality, faster made and has lower price. Production moves from small cottage production to fabrics with assembly lines.
• Fabric has far-reaching significance in Indian society, but it also plays an important role in the home, providing comfort, warmth and privacy in interiors that typically lack freestanding furniture.
• Traditionally, fabric was functional or sacred. Now it is a site of innovation as textiles are used as artworks in urban homes.
• Traditional forms of weaving and stitching are being reinterpreted. Swati Kalsi uses sujani, the running stitch, to reposition the traditionally female practice of embroidery as an innovative one. This type of stitch is used to recycle saris and dhotis by sewing them together to give the fabric a new form.