Most historic textiles are made of organic fibers including wool,
cotton, linen, and silk. Modern textiles are made of natural and
synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester.
Antique silk from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries must be handled very carefully. The silk may be chemically unstable due to a process called “weighting.” Metallic salts were added to the silk in order to add weight and body to the fabric because the fabric was sold by weight not length. The addition of the metallic salts accelerated the degradation of weighted silk leaving it brittle and fraying.
Textiles can be made using many different technologies such as weaving, knitting, and stitching. They can be decorated using embroidery, appliqué, beading, and dying.
