History of Textiles
Textiles have been used since the Stone Age. At first, simple hides were wrapped around bodies to provide warmth. Later, wool, silk, cotton, and flax were woven on looms and then made into tunics and capes. In some cultures, woven textiles were not sewn but instead were wound around a person, as is done with saris, in India, and Kangas, in Africa. The first loom was probably a straight branch of a tree running parallel to the ground, with the lengthwise, weighted warp threads dangling down. Ancient Greeks laid a loom frame horizontally on the ground. The Egyptians invented a shuttle, with two sticks holding the weft apart, so the shuttle could pass through. Spinning and weaving were carried out by hand in the home until the 18th century, when machines that could do the work were made, creating the Industrial Revolution.
Textiles
Also called cloth or fabric, textiles are a network of fibers, such as thread or yarn, that are woven on a loom, knitted, or formed using some other craft. Animal textiles are woven from animal hair or fur, such as wool or silk. Plant textiles include cotton, hemp, straw, tree pulp, and seaweed.
Weaving
Weaving is the ancient art of interlacing horizontal (weft) fibers with vertical (warp) fibers. The warp fibers are attached to the loom, and the weft fibers are woven alternately over and under them.
Tapestry
Made in many cultures, tapestries are elaborate weavings used as blankets, clothing, carpets, and wall decorations. Popular as wall hangings in Europe from the 10th to the 17th centuries, a time when many people lived in cold, stone buildings, tapestries provided warmth and insulation and reduced echoes and noise.
Looms
A loom is a device used for weaving thread or yarn into textiles. Looms range in size from frames that are handheld to huge machines. The loom holds the warp threads under tension, and the weft threads are woven in and out of them. Handwoven cloth was probably made as long ago as 8,000 B.C.E.
Quilting
Quilting is a sewing method, done by hand or machine, that joins 2 or more layers of material together. These layers include the top fabric, often pieced together from many small pieces, a central batting or insulating material, and a backing. The layers are sewn together using straight or running stitches. Quilts are used as bed spreads, wall hangings, and clothing.
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