Natural and Synthetic fibers &Fabrics
Natural Fibers
A fiber obtained from a plant, animal, or mineral is natural fiber. The commercially important natural fibers are cellulosic fibers obtained from the seed hairs, stems, and leaves of plants; protein fibers obtained from the hair, fur, or cocoons of animals; and the crystalline mineral asbestos. Until the advent of the manufactured fibers near the beginning of the twentieth century, the chief fibers for home furnishings and apparel were linen and wool in the temperate climates and cotton in the tropical climates.
The natural fibers may be classified by their origin as protein (from animals), cellulosic (from plants), and mineral. The plant fibers may be further ordered as husk fibers, such as coconut; seed hairs, such as cotton; bast (stem) fibers, such as linen from the fax plant and hard (leaf) fibers, such as sisal . The animal fibers are grouped under the categories of hair, such as wool; fur, such as angora; or secretions, such as silk. The only important mineral fiber is asbestos, which because of its carcinogenic nature has been banned from consumer textiles.
NATURAL FABRICS : are created from natural fibers obtained from plants' seeds, leaves, and stems, animals coats, silkworm cocoons.
Examples of natural fabrics are: Cotton, Wool, Linen, Silk, Jute, Ramie and Hemp
Synthetic or man-made fibers
Synthetic or man-made fibers generally come from synthetic materials such as petrochemicals. But some types of synthetic fibers are manufactured from natural cellulose,including , modal , rayon and the more recently developed Lyocell . Cellulose-based fibers fall under two categories, regenerated or pure cellulose such as from the cupro-ammonium process and modified or derivitized cellulose such as the cellulose acetates.