fibre to fabric class 7

FIBER TO FABRIC- IMPORTANT TOPICS

ANIMAL FIBERS- WOOL AND SILK

WOOL

Wool is a very popular animal fiber widely used all over the world. It is mainly obtained from sheep. But there is much wool yielding animals like camel, alpaca, llama, goat, yak, etc.

WOOL YIELDING ANIMALS

fiber to fabric class 7

SHEEP

alpaca

ALPACA

llama

LLAMA

yak

YAK

angora goat

ANGORA GOAT

Angora goats are reared in Jammu and Kashmir and are known for their soft and fine fleece.

Pashmina shawls are made from the wool of Kashmiri goat.

pashmina shawl

SELECTIVE BREEDING

In order to get special characters in the offspring, good quality parents are selected for breeding. This selection process of parents is called selective breeding.

Example- sheep with soft under hair are selected for getting good quality wool.

PROCESSING OF FIBRES INTO WOOL

STEP-1- SHEARING

shearing

Shearing is the process of removal of the fleece of sheep along with a thin layer of skin. It is normally done during summer.

STEP-2 -SCOURING  

Scouring is the process of washing the sheared skin with fleece in tanks to remove dirt, dust, and grease. It is usually done by hand or machines.

STEP-3- SORTING

Sorting is done in the factories after scouring, based on its texture.

STEP-4 - REMOVAL OF BURRS

There will be fluffy fibers called burrs on the fleece. Burrs are picked out and the fibers are scoured again and dried. 

STEP-5 - DYEING

dyeing

The natural colors of fleece are white, black, and brown. The fibers can be dyed in different colors.

STEP- 6 - ROLLING

wool roll

The fibers are then straightened, combed, and rolled into yarn for making fabric.

ANTHRAX- SORTER'S DISEASE- Sorters in the wool industry will get affected by a bacterium which causes a fatal blood disease. This kind of disease faced in industries is called an occupational hazard.

SILK

silk

Silk was originated in China and now it is made all around the world.

SERICULTURE- it is the rearing of silkworm for obtaining silk.

sericulture

LIFE HISTORY OF SILK MOTH

eggs

EGGS

silkworms

SILKWORM

cocoons

COCOON

silk moth

SILK MOTH

The female silk moth lays eggs on leaves and then hatch silkworms or caterpillars. Silkworms eat mulberry leaves and grow in size. Then it enters the pupa stage. It swings its head in the form of eight and secretes a liquid that contains protein. It hardens on exposure to air and turns into silk fiber. This covering made is called a cocoon. Inside the cocoon, the pupa will develop into a silk moth.

Examples of silk- Tassar silk, Mooga silk, Kosa silk

PROCESSING OF SILK

• Eggs are stored on cloth or paper and sold to silkworm farmers.
• They keep them under suitable conditions of temperature and humidity
• The eggs are hatched to form silkworms.
• They eat mulberry leaves day and night and grow in size.
• After 25 to 30 days, the silkworms stop eating and move to a tiny chamber of bamboo in the tray to spin cocoons.
• The cocoons are kept under the sun or boiled in water or exposed to steam to separate out silk.
• The silk fibers can be used to make silk threads and are woven into silk cloth by weavers.

REELING- It is the process of taking out silk threads from the cocoon for use as silk.

reeling silk

silk cocoons