Textile Appreciation

dyeing fabrics fibres finishing innovation sustainability textile yarns

Online course

course info

This course guides the learner from the fundamentals of textile fibres to fabric construction. It gives a strong overview of each stage of manufacturing and their related effects.
The learner will walk away with an appreciation of the choices and trade-offs when selecting fabrics – aesthetics, performance, cost, commercial and sustainability levers in order to ensure product performance and compliance.
By providing a finer understanding of the nuances of textile terms, the course will also enable the learner to communicate more efficiently with a broad network of suppliers across geographies, allowing for fewer samples, shorter lead times and lower costs.

Intermediate

7 hours

$99

All prices in USD. Provides access to the course and all its updates for 6 months from date of purchase.

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Who, How & What

Who is it for?

This course is aimed at professionals involved in garment design, buying, technical, merchandising and quality functions.

It is suitable for anyone involved in textiles who is looking for a greater understanding of textile manufacturing. This includes from Junior Buying Admin Assistants up to Senior Buyers, Garment Technologists, Designers, Merchandisers involved in cost negotiations.

How will you learn?

The online course is self-paced and includes a pre-assessment test, modules of interactive instruction combining a variety of formats such as videos, practical exercises, assignments, discussion forums and case studies. It concludes on a final assessment. An in-course glossary at the learner's fingertips facilitates the understanding of technical terms.

The course gives learners opportunities to look at and analyse fabrics up close and in detail. It covers real-life issues and different options to overcome them.

All participants who successfully complete the course will receive a MOTIF Certificate of Completion.

What will you learn?

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

At a new starter / junior level:

1. Gain fabric knowledge and understanding to put everyday tasks into context (such as dealing with submissions), therefore functioning more effectively

2. Streamline communications with internal colleagues / external suppliers

At a more senior level:

1. Apply the knowledge gained to interpret and compare different fabric specifications

2. Understand pricing differences and negotiate more effectively with suppliers

3. Evaluate different fabric qualities and make more informed decisions

4. Evaluate new fabric suppliers objectively and systematically on defined criteria

5. Make informed decisions at each stage of textile manufacturing by understanding the associated impact in terms of sustainability.

Online course Detailed outline

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Introduction Free trial

You will go through the course roadmap and explore the exercises and resources that are included in the course. You will also access the natural fibre museum and a case study on communicating with a fabric supplier.

0.1 Welcome to the Course
0.2 Course Overview
0.3 Introduction to Textile
0.4 Natural Fibres Museum
0.5 Case study

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Pre-assessment Free trial

This pre-assessment has been designed to test your textile knowledge from raw material to finished fabric following the key stages in the production of different fabric types – exploring choices and their effects on the finished fabric at each stage.

Module 1: Natural Fibres Free trial

This module will give you an overview of Global fibre production; discuss the origins and key properties of the major natural textile fibres, sustainability as well as what influences their quality and price.

1.1 Global Fibre Production
1.2 Staple and Continuous Filament Fibres
1.3 Cotton
1.4 Wool
1.5 Linen
1.6 Cashmere
1.7 Silk
1.8 Fibres Summary
1.9 End of Module Assessment

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Module 2: Man Made Fibres

This module covers some of the major man-made fibres – both synthetic and regenerated cellulosic fibres. It covers common blends and consider reasons why different blends might be used. Finally it covers fibre composition labelling of textiles – which is a legal requirement.

2.1 Polyester
2.2 Nylon
2.3 Performance Fibres
2.4 Acrylic
2.5 Viscose
2.6 Lyocell
2.7 Elastane
2.8 Fibres Summary
2.9 Blending fibres
2.10 Textile Labelling
2.11 End of Module Assessment

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Module 3: Spinning - Creating the Yarn

Different types of yarns will result in fabrics with very different appearance, handle and performance characteristics. This module covers the major types of spinning, their uses and associated characteristics.

3.1 Cotton Spinning Process
3.2 Different Spinning Methods
3.3 Wool Spinning
3.4 Yarn Twisting
3.5 Yarn Count Systems
3.6 End of Module Assessment

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Module 4: Woven Fabrics

This module, looks at the difference between the 3 main ways of creating fabrics: weaving, knitting and non-wovens – and looks in more detail at how woven fabrics are constructed.

4.1 Recap
4.2 Different Methods of Creating Fabrics
4.3 Woven Fabrics Introduction
4.4 Plain Weaves
4.5 Other Common Weaves
4.6 Pile Weaves
4.7 Woven Fabric Specifications
4.8 Fabric Through the Looking Glass
4.9 End of Module Assessment

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Module 5: Knitted Fabrics

This module looks at some of the different ways knitted fabrics are constructed; some of the machinery used, and the properties of different constructions.

5.1 Knitted Fabrics Introduction
5.2 Common Weft Knitted Fabrics
5.3 Knitted Fabric Specifications
5.4 Fabric through the Looking Glass
5.5 End of Module Assessment

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Module 6: Dyeing and Finishing

Module 6 firstly looks at how and when colour can be added to fabric – and the implications on the aesthetics, cost, lead time, and sustainability of the different methods available. It then looks at some different types of fabric finishing – including mechanical and chemical.

6.1 Adding Colour to Fabric
6.2 Printing
6.3 Finishing
6.4 End of Module Assessment

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Conclusion

This module summarises what you learned from this course. Upon passing the final assessment, you will get the course certificate which can be added to your resume or shared on Linkedin.

Course Summary
Final Exam
End of Course Survey

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Deborah Shulton

Course Instructor

Deborah Shulton has been involved in the Textile industry for over 30 years with experience in fabric sourcing and development, fabric performance and implementing fabric buying and quality control systems. She has worked with a number of High Street and Online retailers across Men’s, Ladies and Homeware covering lingerie, light sewing, tailoring, outerwear (including leather), performance wear, casualwear and furnishing fabrics.

About DS Textile Solutions

DS Textile Solutions was established in 2016 by Deborah Shulton. The company was created primarily to create and deliver bespoke Fabric Appreciation Workshops to apparel buying and design teams. Having worked as a fabric specialist in retail for over 25 years followed by 5 years working in education it became clear to Deborah that there was a gap in the market for Fabric Appreciation Workshops that were aimed specifically to the commercial requirements of buying and design teams in contrast to some of the more in-depth technical courses that were already on offer at a number of academic institutions.

DS Textile Solutions also offers Fabric technical services including establishing and implementing fabric buying procedures, driving key fabric developments with fabric mills and interpreting fabric test reports and offering recommendations for overcoming issues.