CH 1 - The Interior Textile Industry

Question 1

The chemically distinct raw material of which fabric is made.

Answer 1

fiber

Question 2

Natural fiber materials naturally occur as short lengths called ______.

Answer 2

staple fiber

Question 3

Describe the process of producing staple fiber.

Answer 3

The fiber is combed, cleaned, and aligned to make long lengths that can be woven or knitted. The fiber is shipped in a loose, rope-like form.

Question 4

The loose, rope-like form that staple fiber is turned into is called ______.

Answer 4

tow

Question 5

How are natural man-made fibers produced?

Answer 5

from natural materials such as wood chips, cotton linters, bamboo, sugar beets, glass, and corn, which they process chemically to generate fibers.

Question 6

Give some examples of natural man-made fibers.

Answer 6

rayon, PLE (polylactic acid), fiberglass, and acetate.

Question 7

What are synthetic manufactured fibers?

Answer 7

acrylic, nylon, polyester, polypropylene (olefin), and PVC (polyvinyl chloride, also known as vinyon.

Question 8

What are synthetics derived from?

Answer 8

synthetic polymers from petroleum

Question 9

Synthetic fiber is extruded from a liquid (much like toothpaste in a tube) into a continuous length called a ________________.

Answer 9

continuous filament form

Question 10

In what ways are filaments made to simulate natural fiber?

Answer 10

can be cut, texturized, brushed and combed

Question 11

What fiber naturally occurs as a filament?

Answer 11

silk

Question 12

Name some of the processes that fabric manufacturers use to form fabric structures from yarns.

Answer 12

weaving, knitting, knotting and twisting, braiding, and tufting.

Question 13

How are nonwovens?

Answer 13

fabrics made directly from fiber, bypassing a need for yarn

Question 14

What are some of the processes that produce non-wovens.

Answer 14

polymer is extruded to produce film or sheeting made directly from the solutions, also felting, spunbonding, and needle punching

Question 15

Fabric producers and textile machinery engineers work cooperatively to develop new equipment and devise more efficient fabrication techniques, continually striving to fulfill what two major goals?

Answer 15

1) engineer fabric structures that will be appealing to and perform satisfactorily for the consumer.
2) strive to operate as efficiently as possible in order to be more profitable.

Question 16

What are three ways fabrics are dyed?

Answer 16

solution-dyed; stock-dyed; yard-dyed

Question 17

In this dye process, dye pigments are incorporated within filaments as they are extruded.

Answer 17

solution-dye process

Question 18

In this dye process, fibers are immersed

Answer 18

stock-dye process

Question 19

In this dye process, yarns are immersed

Answer 19

yarn-dye process

Question 20

Color applied after the fabric is woven by immersing the entire bolt of fabric in a dye bath.

Answer 20

piece-dying

Question 21

Color applied only to certain areas of the surface of the fabric.

Answer 21

printing

Question 22

Before unfinished fabrics are dyed or printed, they are called ___________.

Answer 22

greige goods

Question 23

What do finishers do with fabric?

Answer 23

wash, dry, apply mechanical and chemical treatments to alter the appearance or performance (like soil-repellency, shape retention); apply coatings to backs of carpets or wallcoverings to improve functionality and stability.

Question 24

What does the term “vertical manufacturer” mean?

Answer 24

A textile company that produces or handles most but not all of the manufacturing steps from fiber to end product.

Question 25

What are converters?

Answer 25

Converters take ownership of he fabric that is unfinished, add value to it, for example, by having it dyed or printed, and then resell it. They employ designers who create original designs and signature collections. They buy large runs of fabrics and sell in smaller bolts like 60 yd. bolts.

Question 26

Who do converters generally sell fabrics to?

Answer 26

They act as a mill and sell to furniture manufacturers, wholesalers/distributors, and may also act as a distributor to segments of the industry that purchase in large quantities, such as the hospitality segment.

Question 27

What are distributors?

Answer 27

wholesalers or jobbers, main suppliers to the interior designer and architect marketplace.

Question 28

Who does the term “end-user” refer to?

Answer 28

corporate purchaser

Question 29

Who does the term “consumer” refer to?

Answer 29

retail customer

Question 30

What do “design directors” or creative directors” do?

Answer 30

They manage the entire creative team.

Question 31

What are colorists?

Answer 31

designers who specialize in color development of patterns in process, but the term can also describe personnel of dyers who develop dye formulas and match colors.

Question 32

What are some of the responsibilities of a fabric designer?

Answer 32

They are responsible for ensuring that the company’s line is ready, on time, in the proper form, starting from a scrap of yarn, a few colors, and some ideas, all the way to having samples ready to ship on the date of the product’s release.

Question 33

What are end-product producers?

Answer 33

They fabricate and construct items that are ready for immediate use or for installation in an interior setting. For example, furniture, window treatments, wallcoverings, carpet and padding, and other textiles.

Question 34

What is meant by “residential” and “contract”?

Answer 34

residential interiors are privately owned;

contract interiors are public spaces

Question 35

What is meant by “domestics”?

Answer 35

household textiles used in residential interiors including beddings, towels, and tabletop accessories

Question 36

What are “Institutional textiles?

Answer 36

textiles used in hospitality or healthcare facilities, that are required to conform with performance criteria and life-safety codes.

Question 37

What are some of the aesthetic considerations in the selection of interior textile products?

Answer 37

Design elements - color, line, texture, & form
Design principles - emphasis, rhythm, contrast, and harmony.
Styling features - drapability; availability of matching or coordinating items; effects of lighting; life expectancy.

Question 38

What are some performance and safety factors in selecting textiles?

Answer 38

1) functional properties
2) appearance retention
3) durability& wear-life;
4) structural stability
5) flame resistance
6) design and performance mandates

Question 39

What are some examples of functional properties?

Answer 39

insulation; glare reduction, static, reduction, fatigue reduction, acoustic control, mobility improvements, safety enhancement

Question 40

What are some examples of appearance retention?

Answer 40

color retention, texture retention, resistance to piling and snagging, soil hiding, repellency, soil shedding, soil release

Question 41

What are some examples of durability and wear life?

Answer 41

resistance to tear and surface disturbance, dimensional stability, fuzzing, fiber loss, repairability, warranty availability

Question 42

What are some examples of structural stability?

Answer 42

tuft bind strength, delamination strength, stability of yarn twist

Question 43

What is meant by flame resistance in textiles?

Answer 43

natural characteristics , chemically manipulated in fiber state (“inherent”) or in yarn/fiber state (“applied”), treatment durable to cleaning.

Question 44

What are some types of design and performance mandates?

Answer 44

flame resistance, indoor air quality, structural stability colorfastness, wear resistance, functional properties (acoustical value, static reduction)

Question 45

What is the most common reason that the end-user replace fabric?

Answer 45

because it has become dirty

Question 46

Why is proper maintenance and cleaning of textiles so important?

Answer 46

It affects the textiles’ serviceability , in terms of appearance retention, wear, durability, and safety. Dirt that is not removed from carpet, for example, will facilitate an abrasive action between traffic and carpet fibers, as well as affect the apparent color.

Question 47

What is the difference between initial cost and life-cycle cost?

Answer 47

Initial cost starts with the product ; as well as the cost incurred for installation, including site preparation, labor, and any accessories that are needed;
life cycle cost includes several factors including the initial cost, installation expenses, ongoing maintenance costs, and the anticipated life-span of the product.

Question 48

In what way could a more expensive textile be more economical than a lesser priced textile.

Answer 48

If the more expensive textile lasts longer, then it wouldn’t have to be replaced as often as the lesser cost textile, saving money in the long run.

Question 49

What does a project bid provide?

Answer 49

prices for each of the products chose, together with the installation charges, enabling the client and designer to determine affordability of the project.

Question 50

What is meant by project specification? (Commonly referred to as “spec” or “specking”)?

Answer 50

A listing of multiple performance criteria that should lead to a single product specification.

Question 51

What types of costs are included in “Initial” costs?

Answer 51

Product price, accessories prices, fees for design professionals, delivery charges, installation charges.

Question 52

What types of costs are included in the “Life Cycle Cost”?

Answer 52

Maintenance costs, including equipment, cleaning agents, and labor;
Warranty costs, insurance costs
Energy costs; interest charges; disposal

Question 53

What types of costs are included in “Installation Factors”?

Answer 53

Site preparation; labor, tools, and level of skill needed;

Permanence, movable, removable, permanent

Question 54

What are the major segments of the interior textile industry, and how are they connected?

Answer 54

Fiber suppliers & producers supply the fibers to the yarn producers who then turn the fibers into yarns. The yarns are then used by the fabric manufacturers to make textiles. Once the textiles are made, they go to the converters, the dyers, printers, and finishers to have the colors and finishes added. Once textiles are completed, they go to the distributors who supply the textiles to end product producers and market segments such as furniture companies, upholsterers, window treatment fabricators, bedding fabricators, interior designers. The end user or consumer is essentially the person or entity that purchases and owns the finished product.

Question 55

What are the environmental challenges that face natural fiber suppliers and manufactured fiber producers?

Answer 55

Growers and producers of natural materials are at the mercy of weather, pests, and plant and animal diseases.
Fabric manufacturers must respond to environmental concerns such as water pollution and consumption, avoid pesticide and fertilizer runoff into water supplies, and depletion of non renewable resources such as oil, utilize renewable resources, and create and utilize recycling opportunities for their products. Animal-fiber suppliers must use human treatment for the fiber-producing animals in their care.

Question 56

Why is it critically important that the members of the industry monitor slight shifts in both the aesthetic features and the functional expectations of interior textile products?

Answer 56

Interior products businesses must offer desirable product to their customers in order to generate the necessary volume of sales to support cash flow, cover their operating expenses, pay their suppliers, and realize an adequate profit. End-product producers and fabricators will not survive without a flow of viable fabric and fiber supply.
Reductions in end-product sales result in reductions in the quantity of fiber, yarn, and finished fabric needed, and thereby threaten the financial stability of upstream firms. Low profit margins limit the ability of firm at all levels to expand and develop new product.