Is plain fabric really simple and plain?

When I had been relatively new to this field of fabric and wear, I often wondered what these materials are made up of? Where does the source material of such a diverse class of clothing come from? I was aware only of some of these source materials and they were certainly silk, cotton and one or two of synthetic materials. It was not until I read about these fabrics and particularly weaving patterns that I came to know what creates such unique and multiple varieties of so many kinds from a handful of source materials. It was the weaving patterns and not the source materials that contributed to such a rich supply of different types of clothing. Plain weave is one of those simple and plain weaving patterns but the fabrics made using this type of weave are not necessarily simple and plain fabrics.

 

Difference between fibre and fabric:

 

The very first thing to understand is that fibre and fabric are two separate things. Fibre is what a final product or cloth made up of while the fabric is the final product. Fibre relates to the textile and yarns, and in some cases thread. Fabric is the end-use product that is made for people to wear. Having said that and taking all of this into account, now we look at what is plain fabric.

 

How is it created?

 

A plain fabric refers to the type of weave pattern used in weaving cloth. It is one of the most basic patterns of weaving (other being satin and twill). In this weaving pattern, each weft thread goes over one warp thread and under next to it and this pattern is repeated in a row. In the next row, it will do the same i.e. going over one and under another but this time it goes under the thread where it went over the warp thread in the previous row. This pattern is repeated giving rise to a magnificent piece of cloth in the final run.

 

End-user products:

 

Plain fabric be used for the following purposes.

Stitching suits

Making outerwears

Clothes that are sheer and fine

Clothes that do not need stretching

Making blouses

 

Some of the many important end-user products are Chiffon, Organza, Taffeta, Tweed and most importantly Muslin.

 

A diverse group of fabric:

 

Although it is based on a very basic type of weave and has no proper and wrong facets, it leads to such a diverse variety of fabric that almost 70% of all fabric in the market is plain fabric. It is made more beautiful through the use of printing and embossing. Its finishing can be changed largely due to its simple nature. It is more serviceable amongst all other types of fabric as it is very cheap and easy to produce and reproduce. It does not take much time and expertise and also does not require complex machinery to produce fabric from this simple weave. Cotton, linen, silk, wool and rayon all can be used as fibre and woven by using plain weave that ultimately leads to multiple plain fabrics. Thus you can have a rough idea of just how great and diverse this fabric group is.

 

Some of the qualities of a plain fabric are crucial and specific to it and no other fabric can have such qualities or if it has then not to the same degree as a plain fabric has. It just does not get aged easily and has a longer life when compared to others. There is no crosswise stretch, it has only biased stretch. It is less catchy and absorptive as compared to other fabrics. It has long durability and indeed very strong.