What properties do textiles have, and how do you match the right textile to the demands of an item?
The range of textile properties (absorbency, warmth, durability/strength, elasticity, crease resistance, drape, breathability, flammability and cost) and how to select a suitable textile by matching its properties to the requirements of a fashion or textile item.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Fashion and Textile Technology content on textile properties and end use, covering absorbency, warmth, durability, elasticity, crease resistance, drape and more, and how to match a textile to the requirements of an item.
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What this dot point is asking
This is the engine room of the Textile Technologies unit. The SQA wants you to know the properties textiles can have and, above all, to choose a suitable textile by matching its properties to an item's demands. Most question-paper marks here come from "explain why this property matters for that item" rather than naming the property alone.
The main textile properties
Trade-offs: you rarely get everything
No single textile is best at everything, so designers make trade-offs. Cotton is absorbent and cool but creases; polyester resists creasing but is non-absorbent; silk drapes beautifully but is delicate and costly. This is why fibres are often blended (for example polyester-cotton) to combine the best properties for the item and price.
Matching properties to an item
Try this
Q1. Name the property most important for a towel and say why. [2 marks]
- Cue. Absorbency, because the towel must soak up water from the skin.
Q2. State two properties that make a textile suitable for school trousers. [2 marks]
- Cue. Durability (hard-wearing) and crease resistance (stays smart); easy care also creditable.
Q3. Explain why a designer might blend cotton with polyester for a shirt. [2 marks]
- Cue. Cotton gives comfort and absorbency while polyester adds strength and crease resistance, so the blend keeps the best of both for an easy-care shirt.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA-style Explain4 marksA bath towel is to be made. Explain why two named textile properties are important for this item.Show worked answer →
Award up to 2 marks per property explained as cause and effect, to a maximum of 4. Absorbency is important because a towel must soak up water from the skin quickly, so a highly absorbent textile such as cotton towelling dries the user well (2). Durability is important because a towel is washed often at high temperatures and rubbed against the body, so it must be hard-wearing to last without wearing thin (2). Softness (comfort against the skin) is also creditable. Markers reward the link between the named property and the demand of a towel, not a list of unconnected words.
SQA-style Describe3 marksDescribe what is meant by the drape, breathability and crease resistance of a textile.Show worked answer →
Award 1 mark for each property correctly described, up to 3. Drape is the way a fabric hangs and falls in folds under its own weight; a fabric with good drape flows smoothly (1). Breathability is how well a fabric lets air and water vapour pass through, keeping the wearer cool and comfortable (1). Crease resistance is the ability of a fabric to resist forming creases and to recover its smoothness after folding (1). A common error is to confuse drape with stretch. Markers want three separate, accurate descriptions.
Related dot points
- Natural fibres (cotton, linen, wool and silk): their plant or animal source, their characteristic properties, and how those properties make each fibre suitable for particular fashion or textile items.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Fashion and Textile Technology content on natural fibres, covering the plant and animal sources of cotton, linen, wool and silk, their key properties, and how those properties decide which fibre suits a given item.
- Synthetic and regenerated fibres (polyester, nylon/polyamide, acrylic and viscose): how they are made, their characteristic properties, and how those properties suit particular fashion or textile items.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Fashion and Textile Technology content on synthetic and regenerated fibres, covering how polyester, nylon, acrylic and viscose are made, their key properties, and how those properties decide which fibre suits a given item.
- Methods of fabric construction (woven, knitted, felted and bonded/non-woven) and how each construction method affects the properties of the resulting fabric.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Fashion and Textile Technology content on fabric construction, covering how woven, knitted, felted and bonded (non-woven) fabrics are made and how each method changes the properties of the finished fabric.
- Finishes and treatments applied to fabrics (waterproof/water-repellent, flame-resistant, crease-resistant, stain-resistant/Teflon, antibacterial, brushing and shrink-resistant) and how a finish changes a fabric's properties to suit a particular fashion or textile item.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Fashion and Textile Technology content on fabric finishes and treatments, covering waterproof, flame-resistant, crease-resistant, stain-resistant, antibacterial and brushed finishes and how each changes a fabric's properties to suit an item.