Local fulling method and applications in woolen garment design

Thanks to its production and performance, wool, one of the main fiber groups in textile business has long competed with man-made ones in our life over the last five decades.On the other hand, the fact that winters tend to decrease both in time and severity due to global warming has combined with the mistaken idea that wool could only be used during cool or cold periods of time and therefore its possibility to vie with other fibers has diminished.In this respect, R&D research contributes to its diameter being acceptably reduced and used even in summer time as items which can be dried easily and do not require ironing in order to increase its ability to compete with different and comparable fibers.Considering fashion trends which are major determinant of textile consumption, wool is observed not to have been sufficiently used as a designing material. Use of wool is limited to classic forms of garments which are generally worn for longer time and preferred by those in the upper income group, just because it is of high quality and expensiveness.However in view of fabric and garment designing, it is quite possible for its unique properties to be reflected and expressed in designs of textile items and fashion trends and for mass of its consumers to be increased. The subject of the thesis study was determined by examining the above- mentioned attempts.Felting property of wool found to be often undesirable element in textile sector has been seen to be insufficiently used in terms of fabric and garment designing.Variable dimensions caused by felting of wool create numerous innovative effects in cloth and garment visions. Felting of such fabrics for garments can both achieve a way of production quite different from known tailoring methods and create innovative cloth impressions on garments, the most striking of which is 3D effects seen in felted weaving processes designed by fibers other than wool and non-wool threads.A suggestion of new methodolgy has appeared thanks to local or occassional felting processes in order to shape up sleeves, collars and waist sections and combination of layers of cut cloth layers to create the above impressions using a felt needle.To achieve such a suggestion of methodolgy, I examined items of fabric and garment designers who worked on fulling and assessed their recommendations for the matter involved, upon which two different categories of items were formed, namely fulled woven fabrics and fulled garments and classification made involving their related production methods.Based on the classification, ways of producing fabric and garment were interpreted to finally achieve methodolgy of local fulling and associated proposals.Initially experimental fabrics were produced to determine visual effects and numerical data caused by fulling, yarn density and number and rate of shrinking in fabric. In the light of to data obtained from the above, the most available weave, technique, wool and non-wool raw material and density and number of yarn were established which would all be used in garments to be designed.Care was taken in order that fabrics should be able to be used within a spectrum of extreme temperatures as they are of finess and tact to support the concept of ?cool wool? in fabrics. Considering the data of what was conducted, five fabrics with different weaving and techniques were designed and woven on 90 cm dobby loom.Numerical and visual data such as rate of shrinking and 3D respectively obtained from fulling process was determined first then garment models decided on for every fabric involved. Pattern measurements were determined by adding those in formation of finished garment and its sleeve, collar and waist to rate of shrinking in weft and warp of the fabric designed. Pattern edges were combined by a felt needle without sewing.Different rates of shrinking created by fulling in the desired points in different periods of time, with detailed garment forms being obtained.