Unit 2 (Level 2): Advanced Textile Science, Performance, and Sourcing

Length (2 weeks)

2 weeks (about 10 classes). Pairs with the Level 2 capstone planning: the sourcing dossier produced here feeds directly into a real Level 2 garment.

Builds On (Level 1)

In Level 1 (../02_Fibres_Fabrics_Care.md) students learned to name fibre categories, tell woven from knit, read a care label, and pick fabric by use, cost, skill, and impact. That is now assumed. Level 2 does not re-teach "what is polyester." Instead students test fibres and fabrics like a lab, explain why structures behave as they do, evaluate performance and technical textiles, and source materials with evidence, certifications, and a documented trade-off argument.

Unit Description

Students work as textile technicians and ethical sourcers. They run a small battery of classroom-safe tests (burn ID, drape, stretch and recovery, colourfastness, pilling/abrasion, shrinkage) on several mystery fabrics, record results in a professional Textile Test Report, and interpret what the data means for construction. They study weave and knit structures in depth and link structure to behaviour. They examine performance textiles (wicking, waterproof/breathable, elastane stretch, interfacings) and the science behind them, including an introduction to smart/e-textiles. Finally they build a Sourcing Dossier that selects and justifies the materials for a planned Level 2 garment on use, performance, cost (CAD), and ethics — citing certifications and traceability, not just the care label.

Historic Notes

Standardised textile testing grew out of the industrial era, when buyers and mills needed to agree on quality without trusting a salesperson's word. Organisations such as ASTM and AATCC published repeatable test methods (rubbing for crocking, Martindale rubs for abrasion, wash tests for shrinkage) so a fabric could be specified and verified anywhere in the supply chain. The burn test is older and simpler — a workshop trick from a time before fibre-content labels were legally required. In Canada, the *Textile Labelling Act* now requires fibre content and dealer identification on most consumer textiles, which is why a care label tells you far less than a lab does, and far less than the test methods that quietly stand behind every spec sheet.

Contemporary Uses

Brands write fabric specifications (weight in g/m², test thresholds for pilling and colourfastness, shrinkage limits) before production, and reject lots that fail. Performance wear lives or dies on measurable properties: a wicking shirt, a waterproof-breathable shell, a compression legging. Sustainability claims are increasingly backed by certifications (GOTS, OEKO-TEX) and traceability systems rather than vague "eco" wording. A designer who can test a fabric, read a structure, and source with evidence is doing exactly what a junior product developer does on the job.

Learning Targets

• I can run safe classroom textile tests (burn, drape, stretch/recovery, colourfastness, pilling, shrinkage) and record results accurately.
• I can identify a fibre from burn behaviour and cross-check it against feel and a label.
• I can explain how weave and knit structure cause specific fabric behaviour and affect construction choices.
• I can evaluate performance and technical textiles (wicking, waterproof/breathable, elastane, interfacing) using the science behind them.
• I can explain why fibres are blended and analyse the trade-offs of a given blend.
• I can source materials ethically, citing certifications, deadstock/recycled options, and traceability — reading beyond the care label.
• I can write a justified materials decision balancing use, performance, cost (CAD), and ethics.

Key Notes

Textile Testing — Safe Classroom Methods

You do not need a lab. You need careful method, repetition, and honest recording. Test small swatches (about 10 x 10 cm where possible) and always test more than one sample.

Burn Test — Safety First (Supervised, Ventilated, Water Nearby)

The burn test is the cheapest fibre-ID tool and the one most likely to cause harm. Run it only with teacher supervision, near ventilation, with a bowl of water and metal tongs at the table, tied-back hair, and a fire-safe surface (ceramic dish or metal tin). Use tiny swatches held in tongs. Never lean over the flame. Have the room's fire procedure reviewed before starting.

Cross-check: burn test alone is not proof, especially for blends (you may see *both* ash and a bead). Confirm with feel, stretch, and the legal fibre-content label.

Fabric Structure In Depth

Wovens interlace warp (lengthwise, strong, stable) and weft (crosswise) yarns.

• *Plain weave* (over-one, under-one): most stable, flat, frays at cut edges; e.g. quilting cotton, poplin, canvas. Easy to sew, less drape.
• *Twill* (diagonal float, e.g. 2/1): visible diagonal line, strong, hides soil, drapes better; e.g. denim, gabardine, chino.
• *Satin* (long floats on the surface): smooth, lustrous, drapey, but snags and frays badly and shifts when sewing; e.g. satin, sateen.

Knits are loops, so they stretch and need stretch-aware seams (ballpoint/stretch needle, zigzag or serger).

• *Jersey* (single knit): stretchy, curls at the edges, has a clear right/wrong side; e.g. T-shirts.
• *Rib* (alternating knit/purl wales): big crosswise stretch and recovery; cuffs, neckbands.
• *Interlock* (two interlocked jerseys): thicker, stable, same on both sides, lies flat; e.g. better tees, dresses.

Structure drives construction: the more a fabric floats, frays, drapes, or stretches, the more it demands the right needle, stitch, seam finish, and handling.

Performance and Technical Textiles

• Moisture-wicking: synthetic (often polyester) with engineered cross-sections and knit channels that pull sweat along fibres to the outside to evaporate. Cotton absorbs and holds water, so it stays wet.
• Waterproof/breathable: a membrane or coating with pores too small for liquid water drops but large enough for water *vapour* to escape (e.g. laminated shells). Trade-off: more waterproof often means less breathable.
• Stretch fibres (elastane/spandex): a few percent of elastane blended into a fabric gives stretch and recovery (shape return). Too little = bags out; too much/old = goes slack. Recovery, not just stretch, is what matters.
• Interfacings and stabilizers — the science: a second layer (fusible or sew-in, woven/knit/non-woven) added to control a fabric's behaviour: it adds body to collars and cuffs, prevents stretch in buttonhole and zipper areas, and reinforces stress points. Fusible bonds with heat-activated glue dots; match the interfacing weight *below* the fashion fabric weight so it supports without stiffening. Stabilizers (tear-away, wash-away) temporarily hold fabric still for embroidery or fine stitching.
• Smart/e-textiles (intro): conductive thread, sewn LEDs, and simple sensors let fabric carry signals or light. Low-cost classroom versions use conductive thread and a coin-cell "soft circuit." Keep it as awareness and one optional sample.

Blends — Why and the Trade-Offs

Fibres are blended to combine strengths and offset weaknesses, and to manage cost.

Key idea: blending almost always reduces recyclability, because end-of-life sorting can't easily separate the fibres. That is a real ethical cost, not a footnote.

Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing — Beyond the Label

• GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): organic fibre content plus environmental and social criteria through processing.
• OEKO-TEX (e.g. Standard 100): tested for harmful substances; a chemical-safety signal, not an organic or labour claim.
• Deadstock: leftover/surplus fabric from mills or brands; diverts waste, but supply is limited and inconsistent.
• Recycled fibres: e.g. rPET from bottles, or mechanically recycled cotton; lowers virgin input, but quality/length can drop and blends still resist recycling.
• Fibre footprint and traceability: water, energy, land, and chemical load differ by fibre and by where/how it was grown and dyed. Traceability means being able to follow a material back through the supply chain. Ask: *Where is this from? Who made it? What's the proof?*
• Reading beyond the care label: the legal label gives fibre % and care symbols only. Sourcing evidence (certifications, mill name, deadstock origin, recycled content) comes from the supplier, hangtags, or your own questions — and "eco/green/natural" with no certification is not evidence.

Stó:lō territory note: GW Graham is on Stó:lō land. As sourcing skill grows, so does responsibility. Do not source, copy, or imitate protected, ceremonial, or Nation-specific designs, motifs, or materials. If a project involves Indigenous knowledge or design, follow the Level 2 collaboration protocols (work *with*, credit, and compensate knowledge keepers) rather than borrowing.

Hands-On Assignment: Textile Test Report + Sourcing Dossier

Task

Part A — Textile Test Report. Choose 4-5 fabrics (mystery swatches and/or fabrics you might use). For each, run at least four tests: burn ID (supervised), drape, stretch & recovery, and one colourfastness test (crocking or wash). Add pilling or shrinkage if time allows. Record method, observation, and an interpretation ("what this means for sewing/use") for every test. State a final fibre/structure best-guess with your evidence and your confidence level.

Part B — Sourcing Dossier. For one planned Level 2 garment, select the fabric, interfacing/stabilizer, and one notion. For each material, document: intended use and required performance, structure and tested behaviour, cost per metre and total in CAD, and an ethics line (certification, deadstock/recycled, or traceability evidence — or an honest note that evidence is missing). End with a one-paragraph justified decision balancing use, performance, cost, and ethics, including at least one trade-off you accepted and why.

Cost

Very low. Use scraps, donated garments, thrifted textiles, and supplier/store swatch samples. Burn test uses tiny swatches. Shared class kit supplies tongs, a ceramic dish, white cotton crocking cloth, and interfacing samples. Sourcing research is free (hangtags, supplier sites, certification websites).

Deliverables

• Completed Textile Test Report table for 4-5 fabrics, with interpretation for each test and a final identification + confidence.
• Sourcing Dossier: a material spec sheet for at least three materials (fabric, interfacing/stabilizer, one notion) with use, performance, cost (CAD), and ethics evidence.
• One paragraph justified materials decision naming an accepted trade-off.
• Safety self-check signed for the burn test.

Worksheet

1. List the burn-test safety setup you must have on the table before any flame.
2. A swatch burns fast to a soft grey ash and smells like burning paper. Give two fibres it could be and one follow-up test to tell them apart.
3. Explain, using floats, why satin frays and shifts more than plain weave.
4. Why does jersey curl at the edges but interlock lies flat? Refer to knit structure.
5. Define stretch and recovery, and explain why recovery matters more for leggings.
6. Explain how a waterproof/breathable membrane can block liquid water yet let sweat vapour out.
7. Give one reason to blend cotton with elastane and one trade-off the blend creates.
8. A care label says "100% cotton." Name two things the label does *not* tell you that you would need for ethical sourcing.
9. Compare GOTS and OEKO-TEX: what does each actually certify?
10. For a garment you plan to make, name one accepted trade-off between cost and ethics, and justify it.

Quiz/Test

1. Name the four observations you record in a burn test.
2. Match flame behaviour to fibre: "melts and drips into a hard bead, chemical smell."
3. Name the three woven structures studied and one fabric example of each.
4. Why do knits require a different needle and stitch than wovens?
5. What does an interfacing do, and how do you choose its weight?
6. Explain why blending fibres usually reduces recyclability.
7. What is deadstock, and give one limitation of relying on it.
8. Reading scenario: a fabric is labelled "eco bamboo, natural." What is missing before you can call this ethically sourced?
9. Design scenario: choose a fabric and interfacing for a structured collar on a low-cost shirt. Justify on use, performance, cost (CAD), and ethics, naming one trade-off.

Answer key (model answers; accept accurate equivalents): 1 flame/burning behaviour, smell, smoke, and the residue (ash vs. bead). 2 polyester or nylon (a melting synthetic). 3 plain (poplin/quilting cotton/canvas), twill (denim/gabardine/chino), satin (satin/sateen). 4 knits stretch and run, so they need a ballpoint/stretch needle and a stretchy stitch (zigzag or serger) so seams flex instead of popping. 5 interfacing is a support layer that adds body and controls/stabilises areas like collars, cuffs, buttonholes and zips; choose a weight lighter than the fashion fabric so it supports without over-stiffening, and match fusible vs. sew-in to the fabric. 6 because the fibres can't be easily separated at end of life, so blended fabric is hard to recycle. 7 deadstock is leftover/surplus mill or brand fabric; limitation: supply is limited, inconsistent, and you often can't reorder or verify its full history. 8 missing: certification (e.g. GOTS/OEKO-TEX), the actual fibre processing (bamboo is usually chemically processed into viscose), the mill/origin, and labour/traceability evidence — "eco/natural" alone is marketing. 9 accept any reasonable choice (e.g. a stable cotton twill or poplin with a fusible woven/non-woven interfacing one weight lighter), justified with: holds collar shape (performance), affordable per metre in CAD, and an ethics note (certified, deadstock, or honestly flagged), naming a trade-off such as choosing a cheaper non-certified fabric to stay on budget, or paying more for OEKO-TEX certainty.

Rubric

References and Further Learning

Watch

• All you need to know about the GORE-TEX membrane — How a membrane can block liquid water yet let sweat vapour escape (GORE-TEX Brand).

Read

• The Standard (GOTS) — What the Global Organic Textile Standard certifies across the whole supply chain (Global Organic Textile Standard).
• Textiles and Clothing (1914) — A free primary text on fibre origins, weaving, and cloth structure for deeper textile science (Internet Archive / Kate Heintz Watson).

Explore

• OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 — What a "tested for harmful substances" label does and does not promise (OEKO-TEX).

_Links were verified at publication; if one moves, search the title._