Fibers and Threads

Plant fibers come from leaves, shrubs, stalks/stems, or the outer shells of plants. Examples of plant fibers are found in cotton, flax, hemp, jute, banana, kenaf, ramie, sisal fibers (Bunsell, 2018), kapok, coir, bamboo. They are classified as hard or soft fibers. Soft fibers are those that are soft, fine fibers like cotton while hard fibers are coarse, stiff fibers like hemp.

Natural Fibers: Those fibers derived from natural sources without being chemically processed.

Synthetic fibers are those created from non-natural sources. They are created in factories using chemicals and then processed into the fibers. Acrylic, lycra (elastane and spandex), nylon, and polyester are examples of synthetic fibers.

Animal fibers come from animals and include wool (sheep), cashmere (goats), silk (silkworms), mohair (musk ox), alpaca, llama, vicuña, guanaco, camel wool (bactrian camel), yak, bison, and rabbit wool (angora rabbit), and spider silk (Bunsell, 2018)

Natural Fibers: Those fibers derived from natural sources without being chemically processed.

Unlike the other types of fibers listed on this pageultra-processed fibers are those that are chemically processed to create something new. For example, regenerated cellulosic fibers are made from cotton and wood pulp. Most common ultra-processed fibers are acetate made from natural cellulose, cupro made from cotton waste, and modal and rayon made from wood pulp.

Spinning Threads

Textile history is prehistoric. The histories of cloth and clothing are almost as old, varied, and rich as the histories of human civilizations. Nomadic humans used animal pelts and sinews to fashion coverings that protected them from harsh elements.

Spinning threads into fibers is an ancient practice. Indeed, the use of sewing needles date back to nearly 50,000 years ago before modern humans developed (Grundhauser, 2016). Furthermore, weaving silk is believed to have begun in India circa 400 AD, and spinning cotton in India dates back to 3000 BC.

Across the tropics, the bark of trees has been softened into wearable items for thousands of years. Ugandan barkcloth is a striking example of how textiles connect past and future. Ugandan artisans use the bark of the mutuba fig tree to create textiles for use. Once only accessible to Ugandan royalty, bark cloth has been used as clothing for everyday and special occasions, a form of currency to pay land taxes, a symbol to resist colonial suppression, and now in home furnishings like wallpaper and lampshades (pictured). This non-woven, sustainable fabric is made by carefully removing the bark of the tree, boiling the fibers until soft, then pounding the fibers with a heavy wooden mallet until they are soft and wide. The damp cloths are left to dry in the sun until they are ready to use. The trees are cared for and used again and again to make the barkcloth.

Barkcloth stitched together

Barkcloth Lampshade

Barkcloth on the gearshift of a luxury car

Hand Spinning Fiber (prehistoric)

Drop Spinning

Spinning thread with a spindle or distaff.

Wheel Spinning

Spinning thread using a table top chakra in India.

Fabric Construction

Making fabric has been historically done through weaving, knitting, or felting.