Sustainable Textiles: Design of New Weave Patterns Based on Texts

Abstract

Woven textiles’ design is part of sustainable design, and new ways are being sought to minimise energy, including human power and efforts, in order to efficiently develop new weave patterns and apply them directly in the weaving mill. The design of woven textiles is frequently associated with the used weave pattern and the effects of colours and textures, which are a balanced mixture of materials (yarns), weaves and colour combinations. A weave pattern design method based on text inspiration is presented in our paper. It corresponds to the definition of sustainability as its concept increases the design capabilities that will last in the future. At the same time, the method adds to the existing techniques for the design of new weaves, ensuring the field’s long-term development.

1. Introduction

The design of textiles, particularly the weave patterns’ design, lies somewhere between art and technology. Sustainability in art can be found in applying creativity to find new ways to make art that benefits the environment [1]. Increasing social awareness about public problems and issues could also be related to art’s sustainable roles [2].

There are many definitions of sustainability, depending on the application area or the research field of the definition’s author. Recent pieces of work were even dedicated to the comparison of sustainability’s definitions [3,4]. One of the first definitions, perhaps, was that of the World Commission on the Environment and Development, where “sustainability” was defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” [5]. From the business perspective, sustainability was specified as an “Organisational practice that encourages minimisation of the energy used and efficient use of the waste produced so that negative effects of the firm’s actions on the human race can be reduced” [6]. An interesting definition was given in [7], where sustainability was described as “an approach that is adapted to meet current requirements while developing capabilities that can help focus on the future”.

The design of woven textiles belongs to the sustainable design [8] as it includes:

• The application of CAD/CAM systems [9,10,11] and simulation of the visual appearance of the fabrics [12] to reduce the materials consumption and waste;
• The rational use of water, energy and chemicals in woven textiles production [13,14];
• The upscaling of woven fabrics and recycling of woven wastes [15,16].

Thus, new ways have been found to minimise energy, including human energy and efforts, to develop innovative designs quickly and apply them directly in the weaving mill.

However, the textile design has more than environmentally oriented sustainability. In the social context, the textiles should meet the needs of the consumers to use, reuse and dispose of them, together with satisfying consumers’ aesthetic demands. In the economic context, sustainable textile design should be competitive in the markets.

The design of woven textiles is frequently associated with the applied weave patterns and the design effect that is a balanced mixture of materials (yarns), weaves and colour combinations [17]. Developing a new weave pattern is a difficult task. Although the number of textile patterns appears to be limitless, only three basic patterns remain at the core of the entire diversity of woven fabrics with various applications: for clothing, interior textiles, textiles for the means of transport, textiles for protective clothing, technical textiles, and others. The plain weave, twill, and satin/sateen weaves are the elementary weaves that precondition all others [18]. It is often difficult for designers to create a new weave that is adequately related to the application, can meet the customer’s requirements, and is not protected by a patent [19]. However, sustainable textile design would require efforts in the direction of the creation of new weave patterns as well.

Our paper presents a method for designing new weave patterns based on text inspiration. The idea corresponds to the definition of sustainability, given in [7], as the method is founded on developing new capabilities for a textile design that would remain in the future. At the same time, it adds to the existing methods for designing weaves, thus assuring sustainable development in the field. The study also corresponds to the work of [20] that explains how the engineering design process must be modified to effectively address market and societal demands while assuring sustainability.

The method also has market potential: properly advertising the designed textiles could bring new customers, provoking a sense of curiosity.

The design method is presented in Section 2. The specifics of the woven diagrams as binary codes are discussed together with the concept of the method for transformation and the influence of different transformation factors. The results of different design experiments are shown in Section 3. The effect of the transformation matrix’s length, the transformation’s direction, the fabric’s view and the number of overlaps over a single thread are consecutively discussed. The simulation of the colour view of different fabrics, based on texts, is also presented.

2. The Design Method

2.1. Specifics of the Woven Textiles and the Weaves

Woven textiles are created by interlacing two perpendicular sets of threads: a warp set and a weft set. Although having more than two interweaving sets is possible, the greater part of woven fabrics for clothing, accessories and indoor environment design is made using two sets. Figure 1 presents a picture of a woven fabric, showing the direction of the warp and weft sets. In the interlacing of the warp and weft sets, only two possibilities exist:

• The warp thread remains above the weft thread. This is defined as a warp overlap.
• The weft thread lies on the warp thread. This is defined as a weft thread.

Thus, the warp and weft threads’ interweaving can be considered a binary code: 1 or 0, i.e., warp overlap or weft overlap. A weave diagram is used in the 2D representation of the weave patterns, where a full square (Figure 1) means warp overlap and an empty square means weft overlap. Figure 2 represents the weave diagram of the fabric from Figure 1, which is in warp rib weave 2/2:0000000000 The draft of the diagram with warp and weft overlaps and highlighted repeat (Figure 2a) and the fabric 3D simulation (Figure 2b).

2.2. The Concept of the Method for Transformation from Texts to Weave Patterns

Since ancient times, divinatory arts, such as numerology and cabala, have studied the mystical relationship between numbers and letters. The commonly used systems are based on the sequence of the alphabet letters, repeatedly assigning them the digits 1 to 9. As a result, the letter A corresponds to 1, B to 2, K to 2 and U to 4.

Table 1. Transformation matrix between the letters in the English alphabet and the digits from 1 to 9.

Digits	Letters
1	A	J	S
2	B	K	T
3	C	L	U
4	D	M	V
5	E	N	W
6	F	O	X
7	G	P	Y
8	H	Q	Z
9	I	R

shows the transformation matrix for the letters in the English alphabet. Such a transformation matrix can be elaborated for every language. With a transformation matrix, any word, phrase, sentence or longer text can be quickly transferred to a set of digits that range from 1 to 9.

Assume a weft repeat (R_wt) has nine weft threads corresponding to the nine digits in the transformation matrix (Table 1) and an unknown number of warp threads. Then, using the transformation from letters to digits, a warp overlap is placed over each consecutive warp yarn, beginning with the first warp thread in the repeat. Thus, every letter is placed from the first to the ninth weft thread, following the transformation matrix, and from the first to the last warp thread, as determined by the letters in the desired words. Hence, the number of digits in the matrix determines the weft repeat R_wt when the transformation is done in the direction of the warp threads. The warp repeat R_wp is directly dependent on the number of letters in the text used for the transformation. If the transformation is performed in the direction of the weft threads (discussed in Section 3.2), the number of digits in the matrix determines the warp repeat R_wp, and the weft repeat R_wt is equal to the number of letters in the text.

The name of the world-famous English writer and bard William Shakespeare is used as an example of the transformation. The name of the writer consists of 18 letters. Following the transformation matrix in Table 1, the letters are placed in the net of a weave diagram, which involves 18 warp threads and 9 weft threads (Figure 3a). The final weave diagram is obtained by replacing the letters with warp overlaps. Figure 3b shows the repeat of the created weave pattern with R_wp = 18 and R_wt = 9.

A disadvantage of the obtained weave pattern is that the sixth weft thread does not interweave with any of the warp threads, resulting in a defective fabric. A possible solution is to omit the whole weft thread (the 6th row in Figure 3a). Another possibility is to add a random warp overlap. The result of applying the first option is shown in Figure 4, where the repeat is highlighted. Now, the final repeat of the weave pattern is R_wp = 18 and R_wt = 8. Five repeats in the direction of the warp set and eight repeats in the direction of the weft set are presented to illustrate the visual appearance of a fabric made of blue warp yarns and white weft yarns.

A second example is the transformation of the old saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans”. The sentence involves 23 letters, which are transformed from letters to digits, as shown in Figure 5. It is unnecessary to draft the weave diagram to see that the third and the seventh weft threads do not interlace with the warp threads. By omitting these rows, the final weave diagram is obtained, as shown in Figure 6a. Figure 6b presents the visual appearance of the fabric, made of blue warp and white weft yarns, where the final repeat is highlighted in red. The warp repeat is R_wp = 23 (equal to the letters in the sentence), and the weft repeat is R_wt = 7. Eight repeats in the direction of the warp set and five repeats in the direction of the weft set are visualised.

2.3. The Effect of the Transformation Factors

The method of transformation from a text to a weave pattern is ambiguous: like other art methods, it allows a different result under the same initial conditions. Once the text is selected, the result can be influenced by different factors, namely:

• The length of the transformation matrix. In modern civilisations that use Arabic numerals, it is normal for the transformation matrix to contain all the digits from 1 to 9 (excluding zero). Thus, the weft repeat of the resulting pattern is 9. However, it is impossible to use that many letters in short phrases or names, which creates a problem with filling the weave diagram. The examples used in the method description showed that a whole weft thread (or threads) does not cross with the warp set. Using a transformation matrix where the letters are assigned a smaller number of digits, for example, from 1 to 7 or from 1 to 4, would lead to a substantially better result from a technological point of view.
• The direction of the transformation. The concept of the method for transformation from texts to weave patterns was presented in point 2.2 as transformation in the warp direction. However, the text can be transformed using matrices, where the number of columns is equal to the number of digits and determine the warp repeat (R_wp), while the rows are equal to the number of letters in the text and determine the weft repeat (R_wt). From a technological point of view, the transformation in the weft direction is preferable: it will keep the required harnesses to nine (without the harnesses for the selvedges). In the transformation in the warp direction, the warp repeat could increase and require the application of a Jacquard weaving machine instead of dobby looms.
• The fabric view. The explanation of the method in point 2.2 assumed that the letter is marked as a warp overlap in the weave diagram. In fact, it can be similarly considered as a weft overlap, while all other overlaps in the same warp or the weft thread are marked as warp overlaps. The result is a warp-faced fabric in which the warp yarns determine the visual effect and texture.
• The number of overlaps over a single thread. The concept of the method was presented assuming that every single letter presents one overlap over a single thread. However, more overlaps could be marked over a single thread, even a whole word. The transformation can be done in the direction of both warp and weft sets of threads. This method variation produces less “inappropriate” results in the weaving pattern (where one or more threads should be omitted as they do not cross with the other set of threads).

3. Results and Discussion

The results below show the design experiments on the different factors influencing the creation of new weave patterns based on texts.

3.1. Effect of the Transformation Matrix’s Length

Similar to Table 1, the letters of the English alphabet can be transformed into numbers, using, for example, a transformation matrix with seven instead of nine digits (

Table 2. Transformation matrix between the letters in the English alphabet and the digits from 1 to 7.

Digits	Letters
1	A	H	O	V
2	B	I	P	W
3	C	J	Q	X
4	D	K	R	Y
5	E	L	S	Z
6	F	M	T
7	G	N	U

) or with five digits (

Table 3. Transformation matrix between the letters in the English alphabet and the digits from 1 to 5.

Digits	Letters
1	A	F	K	P	U	Z
2	B	G	L	Q	V
3	C	H	M	R	W
4	D	I	N	S	X
5	E	J	O	T	Y

). The two matrices in Table 2 and Table 3 are applied to transform the name “William Shakespeare”, as shown in Figure 6.

Based on the matrix in Table 2, the transformation leads to empty rows (Figure 6a): the third and the seventh weft threads should be omitted in the final repeat as they do not cross with the warp set. Thus, the final repeat of the created weave pattern is R_wp = 18 and R_wt = 5.

The application of the smaller transformation matrix (Table 3) leads to an excellent weave pattern as all threads interweave with the opposite set of yarns. The final repeat (R_wp = 18 and R_wt = 5) does not require additional measures to obtain a high-quality woven textile.

Figure 7 compares the fabrics “William Shakespeare”, obtained using the three transformation matrices: with nine digits (Figure 7a), with seven digits (Figure 7b) and with five digits (Figure 7c). The results are different, although some similarities can be found, e.g., small figures and grain-like textures. The fabric in Figure 7b has more visible effects of broken left diagonals, which are missing in the rest of the examples.

3.2. Effect of the Direction of the Transformation

The sentence “When in Rome, do as the Romans” is used again to show the effect of the direction of the transformation, applying transformation matrices with seven digits. Figure 8a presents the results when the transformation is performed in the direction of the warp set: the third weft thread does not interweave with the warp yarns, and it will be omitted in the final weave pattern. Figure 8b shows the transformation in the direction of the weft threads: the third warp yarn does not interweave with any of the weft threads and will also be omitted.

Figure 9 illustrates the fabric view of the final weave patterns. The repeat of the pattern in Figure 9a is R_wp = 23 and R_wt = 6. The repeat of the pattern in Figure 9b is R_wp = 6 and R_wt = 23. The transformation in the weft direction (Figure 9b) is a rotation of the fabric view obtained using transformation in the warp direction (Figure 9a).

3.3. Effect of Fabric View

The famous English saying “Once in a blue moon” is transformed into a weave pattern using the 5-digits transformation matrix (Table 3) in the direction of the warp set. The result is shown in Figure 10. Figure 11a presents the fabric view when the place of each letter is transferred as a warp overlap. The repeat is R_wp = 15 (the number of the letters in the sentence) and R_wt = 5 (the number of digits in the transformation matrix). The warp threads are blue, and the weft threads are white; four repeats in the warp direction and eight repeats in the weft direction are visualised.

Figure 11b illustrates the fabric view when the place of the letter is substituted in the weave diagram by a weft overlap. The repeat is again R_wp = 15 and R_wt = 5. With the same colours of the warp and weft threads (as in Figure 11a), the fabric colour and texture are different: in fact, the fabric in Figure 11b is a negative view of the fabric in Figure 11a.

3.4. Effect of the Number of Overlaps over a Single Thread

The sentence “I will always love you”, the original name of the 1973 song by Dolly Parton, is used to demonstrate the modification of the method. The transformation matrix with nine digits (Table 1) is used to obtain the weave diagram in Figure 12a. The letters that fall into the same cell are filled in. However, for one or more letters in a cell, only one overlap is marked in the repeat. The second and the eighth weft threads do not have overlaps (do not interweave with the warp yarns) and, therefore, are excluded from the final repeat. Figure 12b illustrates the colour view of the fabric (seven repeats in the warp direction and five repeats in the weft direction). The repeat is highlighted in red (R_wp = 5 and R_wt = 7).

Figure 13a illustrates the weave diagram of the same sentence using the 7-letter transformation matrix (Table 2). The third and the sixth weft threads do not have overlaps and are omitted in the final weave. Figure 13b shows the colour view of the fabric (seven repeats in both warp and weft directions) with a highlighted repeat (R_wp = R_wt = 5).

Figure 14a demonstrates the application of the 5-digit transformation matrix (Table 3) to obtain the weave diagram from the sentence “I will always love you”. The colour view of the fabric with a highlighted repeat (R_wp = R_wt = 5) is presented in Figure 14b (seven repeats in both warp and weft directions).

The comparison between the fabric view in Figure 12b, Figure 13b and Figure 14b show the results’ variations when creatively applying the design method. The small figures of different shapes appear on the fabric surface, which leads to different fabric textures.

3.5. Quality of the New Weave Pattern

The evaluation of the new weave pattern in terms of producing a quality fabric is similar to that of any other weave. It has already been shown that the transformation from letters to digits can result in empty rows or columns (or, conversely, with overlaps on the entire rows or columns) in the weave diagram. It means some threads will not interlace with threads from the opposite set. An option is to omit these rows or columns from the final repeat. A second option is to manually add overlaps to ensure the interweave between the warp and weft threads.

Another critical issue is the long warp or weft floats in the weave diagram. In this case, the transformation can be rejected as a negative result, and a new transformation matrix from letters to digits can be applied. It is also possible to modify the weave pattern further by adding random warp or weft overlaps.

3.6. Examples of Colour Designs

Figure 15 is a simulation of the fabric “William Shakespeare”. It is a tartan design based on the weave repeat, as shown in Figure 7b. Three colours were applied to obtain the colour design in both warp and weft direction. Single yarns were used with a linear density of 20 tex with a twist of 300 m⁻¹. The warp and weft densities were set to 35 threads/cm.

The simulation of the tablecloth fabric “When in Rome, do as the Romans” is shown in Figure 16. The weave repeat is the same as in Figure 9b, with a transformation in the direction of the weft threads. Two-play yarns of 33 × 2 tex were set in the warp and weft directions with a twist of 300 m⁻¹. The warp and weft densities were set to 17 threads/cm.

Figure 17 shows a colour design of the sentence “Once in a blue moon”. The weave pattern in the weft view (Figure 11a) is used. The warp set is of one colour, while the weft set involves three colours. Single threads of 10 tex with a twist of 300 m⁻¹ were used. The warp density was set to 54 threads/cm, and the weft density was set to 32 threads/cm.

Figure 18 is the simulation of a Barclay dress fabric, where the texture is based on the sentence “I will always love you”. The weave repeat is shown in Figure 14b. Three colours were applied to obtain the colour design in both warp and weft direction. Single yarns were used with a linear density of 20 tex with a twist of 300 m⁻¹. The warp and weft densities were set to 35 threads/cm

4. Conclusions

This study presented a novel approach to designing new weave patterns for woven textiles based on texts. The approach fully corresponds to the sustainable development of the textiles in an environmental, social and economic context. The link between text and textiles is not only curious but has the potential to satisfy consumers’ aesthetic demands. From the economic point of view, the presented method provides possibilities of creating competitive market designs. Last but not least, all design experiments and simulations of the fabrics are performed using CAD/CAM systems without printing the designs on paper and weaving sample tissues, thus reducing materials consumption and waste.

The developed weave patterns, the discussed effects of different parameters and the colour designs are successful attempts that open up new market opportunities for the design and production of original, unique fabrics.

The limitations of the method are few. In fact, every type of text can be converted into a weave diagram. One of the limitations is the length of the repeat in the warp direction as small repeats can be produced using dobby weaving machines, but Jacquard looms may be required for longer texts. Another limitation is the appearance of warp or weft yarns that do not cross with the opposite system of threads and should be excluded from the final weave pattern or should be additionally manipulated. The unwanted yarns’ floating should also be broken with additional, manually inserted overlaps.

However, the possibility of making significant design changes (using different matrices of transformation, transformation in warp and weft direction, using warp or weft overlaps corresponding to the letters, as well as applying overlaps of a whole word over a single thread) leads to the creation of new, unique patterns. In this sense, the method can also be used for initial inspiration only. Based on a particular text, the weave pattern can be further “worked” using other methods (for example, mathematical transformation methods) to create new patterns and textiles that are visually attractive.