Colors- The Joy of Textile

“Man needs colour to live; it's just as necessary an element as fire and water”. These are the words uttered by Fernand Leger, the painter. I fully agree with this statement. Do you? In fact when I imagine a life devoid of colors, it just scares me. Look at the world around you- the beautiful colors scattered everywhere. People around you wearing blue and pink and red and black and yellow and so many other colors. That sheen curtain in off white giving glimpse of greenery outside. Your marvelous wardrobe having a rainbow of colors. The contrasting cushions and pillows with that colorful bed cover!.... Now close your eyes and visualize all these in simple white! I'll not comment on what you see with your closed eyes but I am sure, that is enough to know the significance of colors in each of our lives!

Colors- How They are related to Textile?

Till now, you have known that fabric is woven with fibers- natural or synthetic. These fibers, if natural, don't have colors and if they have, they are so light that it is equivalent of having no color. They have to be dyed with textile colorants. These colorants may be in form of textile chemicals - dyes or pigments. The synthetic fibers these days are made with colors at the first instance. And if not, then they are also dyed like the natural fibers.

More Textile Chemicals

Textile Chemicals are not only used for coloring the fabrics, there are many other processes involved in textile manufacturing that need a variety of chemicals to be applied. Whether the raw material is prepared for making textile or dyeing and printing has to be done or the finishing processes have to be carried out for the final product, chemicals of one or the other kind has to be necessarily used.

I have introduced you to the lesser known aspect of textile manufacturing- the textile chemicals. Meanwhile you find out more about these chemicals, I will gather information on some other aspect of textile. Keep reading!

Colors- The Joy of Textile

“Man needs colour to live; it's just as necessary an element as fire and water”. These are the words uttered by Fernand Leger, the painter. I fully agree with this statement. Do you? In fact when I imagine a life devoid of colors, it just scares me. Look at the world around you- the beautiful colors scattered everywhere. People around you wearing blue and pink and red and black and yellow and so many other colors. That sheen curtain in off white giving glimpse of greenery outside. Your marvelous wardrobe having a rainbow of colors. The contrasting cushions and pillows with that colorful bed cover!.... Now close your eyes and visualize all these in simple white! I'll not comment on what you see with your closed eyes but I am sure, that is enough to know the significance of colors in each of our lives!

Colors- How They are related to Textile?

Till now, you have known that fabric is woven with fibers- natural or synthetic. These fibers, if natural, don't have colors and if they have, they are so light that it is equivalent of having no color. They have to be dyed with textile colorants. These colorants may be in form of textile chemicals - dyes or pigments. The synthetic fibers these days are made with colors at the first instance. And if not, then they are also dyed like the natural fibers.

More Textile Chemicals

Textile Chemicals are not only used for coloring the fabrics, there are many other processes involved in textile manufacturing that need a variety of chemicals to be applied. Whether the raw material is prepared for making textile or dyeing and printing has to be done or the finishing processes have to be carried out for the final product, chemicals of one or the other kind has to be necessarily used.

I have introduced you to the lesser known aspect of textile manufacturing- the textile chemicals. Meanwhile you find out more about these chemicals, I will gather information on some other aspect of textile. Keep reading!

Fabric- Its So Wonderful!

Have you ever seen a bird making its nest? How they bring one straw at a time and tuck them at the exact position so that it joins the other straws already collected and placed on the branch of a tree! Such a simple activity but so scientific a concept! Our ancestors might have got the inspiration for making fabric from these beautiful creatures only. After all fabric is woven with more or less the same concept- connecting the fibers with each other so that they are tightly joined to form a network which is then known as 'Fabric'. When we go shopping for clothes and reject one after other to select the one with a perfect feel and look, we don't even think about the efforts gone into making that fabric!

How is Fabric Constructed

You now know that fabric is basically manufactured through weaving fibers. Based on the composition of fiber, fabric may be a natural fabric or a synthetic fabric. There are other categories of fabrics too. Other than weaving, there are other techniques also for making fabric, such as knitting and braiding. The technological developments in the textile industry has now made it possible to make fabrics without weaving too. Such fabrics are known as non woven fabrics.

The New Fabrics

As we all know, todays age is the age of specialists. Fabrics are no exception in that matter. Functional fabrics are fast becoming the norm of the day. The Fireworkers cannot work in cotton, they need to have uniform made of flame resistant fabric. The aeroplanes cannot have seats made of ordinary fabric, they need a strong as well as beautiful fabric such as carbon fabric. Why go so high, think of yourself having urgent work out when its raining heavily. Won't you need a raincoat made of some water resistant fabric?

Thats the importance of fabric in our lives! So I'll take your leave now and will come back with some more interesting information on textile.