Chantilly lace is a lace that originated in Northern France, it is a type of bobbin lace.
Bobbin lace also known as pillow lace is a modified weaving process. It is made from a group of bobbins and a lace-making pillow. A pattern is drawn onto a piece of card and attached to the pillow, and pins are put in place to mark out the design. The threads are then put through the pattern using the bobbins in order to create the design. This lace tends to be made of a higher quality fibre such as silk or linen.
Production of Bobbin lace
Physical Properties
Chantilly lace can stretch fairly well on the width but not the length. It is a very delicate and fragile fabric and can be easily damaged or torn.
Atheistic properties
Chantilly lace has a very intricate pattern but is prone to shrinking when washed or ironed so care must be taken to preserve this lace. This lace also has an excellent drape.
Uses
Chantilly lace is often used in wedding dresses due to its soft feminine look. Its excellent draping capacities also highlight why is it good for bridal wear.
Chantilly lace can also be used in women’s underwear. Once again this is due to its soft feminine look as well as the fact that it has a slight stretch.
The main fibre used when making felt is wool. The wool is mixed with another fibre normally synthetic in order for the felt to last longer. The synthetic fibres that are mixed with the wool normally consist of either Nylon or Polyester.
The first step of producing felt is to mix the chosen fibres together. The wool along with the synthetic fibre chosen are put into a machine which contains nails that will mix the fibres together.
After this process the fibre mixture is put in a carding machine which will matt the fibres together to form a web like structure. This is done between two carding machines to ensure the fibres are matted properly and form a thick web. After the fibres have been carded twice a comb like device is used to remove the web from the carding machine and rolls up the fibres. The fibres are now known as a batt and are the basis of felt.
Felt BattingCarding Machine
The next step in the process of making felt is to apply heat and moisture to the batting layers so they will stick together. This is done by putting the batting through a steam table.
The next step is to shrink the felt to the desired size, this is done through a process called fuling. The felt is coated with a chemical and water solution and forced through a pair of rollers, this causes the fabric to shrink and also become denser.
The felt is then soaked in another chemical bath in order to neutralise the chemicals which it previously absorbed. It is then pressed through rollers a final time in order to ensure the felt is smooth.
If the fabric is to be dyed it is sent to a dying vat in order to dye the felt otherwise it will be sent straight to the drying phase. The felt is taken to a large dryer where the felt is dried.
Finally the felt is ironed a final time to ensure smoothness and to make even denser before the edges are cut off and the felt is ready to use.
Physical Properties
Felt is a very resilient fabric which can withstand chemical damage easily. It is a fire retardant fabric and can also self extinguish. This makes it a very safe fabric to use. It is a insulator which will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. It I a hydrophilic fabric and has excellent absorption. A downside to felt is that it has no elastic resistance or strength so can easily tear.
Atheistic properties
Felt is a very dense fabric so keeps a ridged shape and has no draping properties. It also does not have any lustre. Despite these points felt is a very soft fabric which never frays and cuts with a smooth clean edge. It is also wear resistant.
Uses
One of the uses of felt in the fashion industry is the use of felt to make hats. This is due to felt being a ridged material which will hold its shape as well as it being very safe to use. As it does not fray and cuts with a clean edge I is an ideal fabric to use when making hats.
Fedora made from felt
Another use for felt is to make items such as slippers. This is once again due to the safety of this material as well as it being an insulator. Another reason for felt being a popular choice is due to it being wear resistant which essential in footwear as well as the fact the material is ridged and does not fray.
Leather can be made from the hide of almost any animal such as cows, pigs, sheep, or even crocodiles. To be more sustainable cow is the most common animal used for leather due to it commonly being killed for meat. This way the animal is not being wasted.
The first step in preparing leather is to remove the skin off the animal. Then the flesh is removed either using a fleshing machine or by hand. This is done as fast as possible so that the skin does not dry out.
The hide is then placed in a salt brine in order to stop the hide drying out and decomposing. A chemical called calcium oxide is used to soak the hide in order to remove any hair. After soaking, the hide will have swollen so it is possible to cut it in half. The two layers of leather can be used for different products.
Cow Hide
The next stage is called tanning. This process is done in order to preserve the hide and stop it from decomposing. The hide is placed into a tanning drum along with a solution. What this solution consists on depends on what type of leather is being made. After being left in the tanning drum the hides are put through a roller which applies high pressure to the hide and removes any extra moisture in the hide. The hide is then shaved so the hide all measures the same length in width. The leather scraps can be used in making belts and other accessories. The leather is sometimes tanned a second time.
The final step is to dry the hide. The hides are most often vacuum dried. This dries the hide extremely quickly but can sometimes cause the leather shrink slightly but will leave the leather smooth.
Leather being vacuum dried.
Physical Properties
Leather is an extremely strong and resilient fabric. It resists warping from being stretched. Leather is also a good insulator of heat. it is a hydrophobic fabric and does not absorb water.
Atheistic properties
Leather is a very soft and smooth fabric with a high lustre. It is also an extremely safe fabric as it is non flammable and resists mildew.
Uses
Leather is a very common fabric used in the fashion industry. One of the most well known uses of leather in fashion are for leather jackets. This is due to it being a good insulator as well as it being soft, smooth and having a high lustre. This makes it a very attractive looking material to use for jackets.
Another use of leather is in shoes. This is due to the high lustre making it very attractive looking. It is also strong and and resilient which is essential in footwear in order to protect the feel.
Amy Mckerrell 