Hamidullah2013-10-072013-10-073/12/2013https://escholar.umt.edu.pk/handle/123456789/775A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibers often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibers of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibers together. Textiles have an assortment of uses, the most common of which are for clothing and containers such as bags and baskets. In the household, they are used in carpeting, upholstered furnishings, window shades, towels, covering for tables, beds, and other flat surfaces, and in art. In the workplace, they are used in industrial and scientific processes such as filtering. Miscellaneous uses include flags, backpacks, tents, nets, cleaning devices such as handkerchiefs and rags, transportation devices such as balloons, kites, sails, and parachutes, in addition to strengthening in composite materials such as fiberglass and industrial geotextiles. Children can learn using textiles to make collages, sew, quilt, and toys. Textiles used for industrial purposes, and chosen for characteristics other than their appearance, are commonly referred to as technical textiles. Technical textiles include textile structures for automotive applications, medical textiles such as implants, geotextiles (reinforcement of embankments), agro textiles (textiles for crop protection), protective clothing (e.g. Against heat and radiation for fire fighter clothing, against molten metal for welders, stab protection, and bullet proof vests). Textiles can be made from many materials. These materials come from four main sources: animal (wool, silk), plant (cotton, flax, jute), mineral (asbestos, glass fiber), and synthetic (nylon, polyester, acrylic). In the past, all textiles were made from natural fibers, including plant, animal, and mineral sources. In the 20th century, these were supplemented by artificial fibers made from petroleum. The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The textile sector of Pakistan is considered to play a central role in the economy of the country. Increase in the cotton production and expansion of textile industry has been impressive in Pakistan since 1947. Cotton – bales increase from 1.1 million bales in 1947 to 10 million bales by 2000. Number of mills increased from 3 to 600 and spindles from about 177,000 to 805 million similarly looms and finishing units increased. The textile industry in Pakistan can be broadly categorized in two divisions, a large scale organized sector and a fairly small-scale sector.enMS ThesisITextile and DesignThesis