Overview

A textile is a non-woven fabric of fibers or a cloth made by weaving, knitting and knotting. Needlework is the craft of using needles and similar tools to produce a textile product.

Textiles are used for a variety of purposes, especially clothing. Dressmaking is hand-making clothing from a rolled out specific length of fabric. Although dressmaking was originally a popular alternative to purchasing clothing from businesses, controversial modern production processes and business practices have made clothing available at very low prices. As a result, the activity is usually instead reserved for recreation.

Types of Textile Crafts

A variety of textile crafts exist.

• Tapestry is creating textiles for decorative purposes. The craft originates from oriental countries. It is done by weaving threads of various bright colours through a fixed base of thread. Tapestry is usually used for carpets, chairs and wall hangings.
  
• Weaving is an ancient craft in which two threads of fibre yarn are interlaced. The two threads are processed through a loom at rights angles to produce cloth. In commercial textiles, the process is almost entirely automated.
  
• Crochet is the making of cloth from yarn using special hooks to loop the yarn in a selection of different stitches following a strict pattern.
  
• Knitting is a process of turning straight horizontal parallel threads into cloth. It is done by creating a loop in one of the threads and wrapping this around a knot in the other thread. Two knitting needles are required.
  
• Lace-making is using lace fabric to produce a light product. Lacework has holes which create patterns in the fabric.
  
• Sewing is the use of a needle or sewing machine to stitch for producing or repairing clothing or creating decorative textile products. Sewing can also be used to fasten or attach a label or patch to clothing. The repairing of clothing is considered an important aspect of homemaking and so women have been traditionally stereotyped as the people in a household who sew. It is an ancient art that can involve a variety of flexible materials, including cloth and fur. Commercial sewing is usually automated.
  
  • Quilting is the sewing of two pieces of material together with a middle insulation layer in between. A common example of quilting is a bed quilt, in which a warm insulating layer is placed between two pieces of fabric which are sewn together.
  
  
• Patchwork is the stitching different pieces of fabric together to produce a single large sheet fabric design. Patchwork designs are typically quilted and the different pieces of fabric are often sewed together.
  
• Embroidery is creating designs by stitching threads or woollen fibre of a material into another material, such as a woven cloth. It is the adding of ornamental or decorative tapestry or stitching to clothing, furniture and other fabric surfaces. The activity became very popular in Europe, the Middle East and India, especially around the eleventh century.
  
  • Canvas work is a variation of embroidery which uses canvas. Types of canvas used include even weave cloth, single thread and double thread. Canvas work produced on a mesh canvas is known as needle point.
    
  • Banner-making is an ancient craft of making textile flags. It combines a variety of techniques, including embroidery and patchwork.
  
  
• Lucet is a form of needlework in which loops are made to make cords. Yarn is spun around a lucet fork to produce a loop, which is tightened to produce a cord.