ABSTRACT
Prehistoric man used animal furs to make clothes and furnishings to provide him shelter from the elements. The transition to synthetic fabrics was a gradual one involving developing the spinning and weaving crafts. The spinning of natural fibers to yarn and weaving to fabric were noted in the early civilizations in China, Egypt, and South America as far back as 3000 B.C. Fibers used for spinning came from cotton, other cellulosic fibers from plants, silk, and wool. From those early times until the nineteenth century most development came in improving yam-spinning systems and means of weaving or knitting fabrics. With the onset of the industrial revolution, yarn spinning and fabric production was mechanized. In the twentieth century many new sophisticated spinning systems were developed in concert with new methods for making fabric.
