Textile manufacturing by pre-industrial methods

Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest of human activities. The oldest known textiles date back to about 5000 B.C. In order to make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fibre from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving to create cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. Cloth is finished by what are described as wet process to become fabric. The fabric may be dyed, printed or decorated by embroidering with coloured yarns.

The three main types of fibres are natural vegetable fibres, animal protein fibres and artificial fibres. Natural vegetable fibres include cotton, linen, jute and hemp. Animal protein fibres include wool and silk. Artificial fibres (made by industrial processes) include nylon and polyester. Almost all commercial textiles are produced by industrial methods. Textiles are still produced by hand in village communities in Asia, Africa and South America and as an artisan craft or hobby in Europe and North America. Traditional practices are also kept alive by artisans in China and Japan; for instance at the Chinese Printed Blue Nankeen Exhibition Hall (Blue Cloth Museum) in Shanghai.

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