WEAVES

By: Dr. Khushboo Singh

Weaving: The process of interlacing two sets ofyarns placed at right angles to each other.

Two sets of yarns –

• Warp Yarns- Lengthwise yarns –

• Weft Yarns- Crosswise yarns

PLAIN WEAVES

• Plain weave consists ofalternate interlacing ofwarp and weft yarns i.e.the weft thread runsover one warp threadand under the next warpthread.

• Also called as 1×1weave.

• Also known as tabby orhomespun weave.

• Requires only twoharness

• During operation the alternate warp yarns arepassed through heddle eyes of one harnessand remaining from the heddle eyes of thesecond harness.

• One harness is raised a space is createdbetween the raised alternate warp yarns andthe other unraised ones. Shuttle carryingfilling yarn is passed through this space andfilling yarn is pressed back into place by areed.

• Plain weave fabrics have no wrong and rightside unless colour and finish are applied onone side only.

• It is relatively inexpensive and is extensivelyused. Fabrics with this weave wear well areeasy to wash i.e. without special care. Manytypes of finishing processes such asembossing, moireing etc. can be applied onplain weave fabrics

• These can be easily dyed, printed or embroidered.

• Cotton, silk, wool, linen and rayon fabrics are woven inplain weave.

• There are two variations of plain weave:a) Rib weaveb) Basket weave

Rib Weave

it is a variation of the plain weave only in whicha rib effect is produced by using coarse, lesstwisted yarns alternately with the fine yarns orby using double yarns alternate to the singleyarn.

• The rib can be produced in warp or in fillingyarns

• Warp ribbed fabrics are called waled orcorded fabrics.

• Ribbed effect adds variety, provides a pattern,stiffness, better drape and compact structureto the fabric as compared to the plain weavebut it may conceal some defects of the weaveas the yarns that make the rib are hidden inthe thickness of the cloth and some inferiorquality yarns with insufficient twist may beadded to the weave which are difficult todetect. Moreover, the durability of ribbedfabric is also low because the coarse yarnsused in the weave have less twist which mayslip at the places of tensions like seams.

• The ribbed fabrics are generally mediumweight. Dimity, used for dress materials andfor curtains is a warp-ribbed fabric whilepoplin, broad cloth, taffeta are filling-ribbedfabrics which are used for a variety ofapparel.

Basket Weave:

• Another variation of plain weave in which twoor more filling yarns with little or no twist areinterlaced with the equal number of warpyarns

• Instead of 1×1 weave, it may be 2×2 or 3×3 or4×4.

• the untwisted doubled yarns give the effect ofa basket, hence it is called the basket weave.More variations can be created in this weaveby interlacing 2×1 3×2 or 4×3 threads

• But to provide a balance in the pattern, thecombined diameter or thickness of warp yarnswill always be equal to the diameter or thicknessof corresponding filling yarns.

• Basket weave produces attractive, loosely woven,flexible, wrinkle resistant and resilient fabricshence it is suitable for drapery and upholsterybut it is not very durable because of looseconstruction and low tensile strength of yarns.Monk’s cloth (for drapery) oxford (for shirting)are the fabrics woven in basket weave.

TWILL WEAVE

• The filling yarns float over and under the warp yarnsin regular variations to form a diagonal lines.

• In this weave, the filling yarns interlace more thanone warp yarn but never more than four as thisdecrease the strength of the fabric.

• Three or more harnesses are used

• Each time the shuttle is passed through thesheds, the filling yarn moves the design onestep to the right or to the left, thus forming adiagonal

• The design always runs in the oppositedirection on the reverse side.

• When the direction of the diagonal starts fromthe upper right hand of the fabric and movesdown to the lower left side, it is called righthand twill.

• When the direction of the diagonal starts fromupper left hand side of the fabric and movedown towards the lower right side, it is calledleft hand twill.

• Twill weave can be even or uneven dependingupon the no of warp and filling yarns visibleon the face of the fabric .

• The even twill shows equal no of warp andfilling yarns in the visible design e.g. two yarnsover and two yarns under also expressed as2/2 weave.

• It is called four-shaft twill as this type ofdesign requires four harness.

• An uneven three-shaft twill may have onewarp yarn riding over two filling yarns i.e. twoup and one down will be referred as 2/1 oruneven warp-faced right hand twill.

• A four shaft twill that will have one warp yarngoing under three filling yarns will be referredas 1/3 or uneven filling faced left hand twill.

An uneven twill is of two types-

i. Warp face twill- showing more warp yarns ascompared to filling yarns, on the face of thefabric is called warp-face twill

ii. Filling face twill- showing comparativelymore filling yarns on the face of the fabric.

The face or right side of the cloth is the one onwhich diagonal effect is more prominent

• Warp face twill fabrics are stronger, cantolerate more abrasion and wear, they havebetter drape and resilience, retain their shapebetter because warp yarns are stronger andhave better twist as compared to filling yarns

• Broken twill: It can produce decorative effectsby varying yarn colours or the slant of thediagonal. In this weave, the design movesdiagonally one step, each time the shuttle ispassed through the warp but the direction ofthe slant is changed abruptly. Repeatedchange in the direction of the slant gives abroken twill effect e.g. a broken Herring bone

• Twill weave is known for its greater strength,compact structure and pliability, betterdrapability and resilience as compared to plainweave.

• Fabrics with twill weave do not get soiledeasily but are also difficult to clean.

• Twill weave is used for men’s suiting, coatmaterials and for fabrics of children wearwhere durability is required.

• Can also be used for household furnishingssuch as drapery and upholstery.

SATIN WEAVE

• It is also a basic weave which resembles twillweave in construction but the difference is thatthe number of floating threads on the surface ofthe fabric is more, giving it a flat smooth andlustrous appearance.

• Secondly, the interlacing of warp and weft yarnsis irregular and the diagonals formed are notvisible on the surface. Fine floating yarns lie veryclose to each other and are greater in number.Therefore, no design is visible on the surface. 5 to12 harness are used for construction of satinweave.

• Satin weave fabrics are lustrous, smooth,compactly woven, heavy with good drape.

• Lusture makes them suitable for dresses andsmoothness for using them as lining material. Asthe weave is heavy, the satin-weave fabrics drapewell. Good drapability makes them suitable forevening wear. Compactness makes them warmerand provides good shape

• Satin weave has some weak points also. Longfloats in satin fabric with minimum twist andminimum of interlacing make the fabric weak.Longer the floats, greater is the chance thatsurface will roughen up, snag and show signsof wear.

It is of two types:

• Warp-face satin weave

• Filling face satin weave

FILLING FACE WARP FACE

Warp-face satin weave:

It is the one in which warp yarns are seen on the surfaceof the fabric e.g. in a five-shaft satin weave, warp willpass over 4 filling yarns and under one. In 12 shaftweave, warp may pass over 11 filling yarns and underone. Thus the warps lie on the surface and interlaceonly one filling yarn at a time.

The length of warp yarns between filling yarns are calledfloats. The floats lie compactly on the surface.

The light reflects on these smooth yarns to give lustre onthe warp direction. To increase the lusture andsmoothness, the yarns are given minimum twist.

Filling-face satin weave:

• It is also called sateen weave.

• It is actually the reverse of satin weave

• Sateen is a weft faced construction whilesatin is a warp faced construction

• The filling yarns lie on the surface of the fabricas it interlaces with warp yarns e.g. a fillingyarn may pass over four warp yarns and underone. Thus the floats are formed of the fillingyarns and lustre also appears in the fillingdirection.

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