What Makes a Material a 'Textile' ?

( This blog is to record my progress in a distance learning course in Textiles. My blogging skills on this platform are rudimentary to say the least. I will record my progress here as best as I am capable.)



The first question is to write a definition of 'textiles' as I understand it to be. 

For me 'textile' is a type of cloth, woven in some way: be it knitted, crocheted or actually woven. It consists of strands of thread interlinked to become a type of cloth.

When is a material not a textile?

I think a material is not a textile when it is not made up by fibres which are interlaced somehow eg: polythene... it is not made of interlacing fibres (eg table covers, plastic bags )

In what ways could textiles have stories or narratives attached to them? (Think about the story behind the textile and the story told by the textile.) Examples?

Textiles have a rich history. Linen, knitted materials, woven materials were  made of natural fibres through time. The growing and production of them are entwined with tales of slavery, labour, exploration, tradition and skill.
They told of social status and means to buy or make them into garments.
Scraps were used to make quilts for example: these held little patches of history. These were made from necessity originally and have progressed to being items of luxury.