ECU lab explores the true fabrics of life
Students learn performance, safety and durability of materials in everything from clothing to carpet
- East Carolina University students gain hands-on, career-ready experience by testing and identifying fabrics, connecting classroom learning with real-world applications in fashion merchandising and interior design.
- Through microscopes and burn testing, students explore how natural and human-made materials differ in performance, safety, durability, cost and sustainability.
- The lab equips students with practical expertise to select proper fabrics for everything from clothing to carpets.
From far away, they’re the pants on your legs, the T-shirt on your shoulders or the carpet on which you walk. A closer look — a much closer look through a microscope — reveals the building blocks of the materials that are the true fabrics of our lives.
Students in East Carolina University’s interior design and fashion merchandising program examined and tested various fabrics as part of a lab in the Rivers Building. The lab is designed to illustrate the characteristics of natural and human-made materials used in everything from clothing and bedding to carpet and couches.
“It’s really fun. I really like looking into the microscope because the different materials and little fabrics show the different textures and different shapes and lines on them,” said Miu Best, a sophomore from Sasebo, Japan. “It’s fun to identify them. I think it’s really interesting to see how different fibers have different factors to them.”
Sophomores Katlyn Clark, left, and Emily Diegmann burn fabric swatches during a lab in the Rivers Building. How quickly the material catches fire and burns gives students an indication of the type of fabric and how it can be used in industry.
It Burns
In the lab, students were tasked with identifying four fabric samples through a series of tests. They separated the material swatches into small fibers and examined them through a microscope. They also took a small swatch and held it over a candle. One lit and burned quickly.
“That was the man-made polyester, and we could tell because it had a really strong odor,” Best said. “When we looked in the microscope, the line was really straight. It had the factors of what we learned that it could be man-made. And it also was melting, which was indicating it’s probably not an actual natural fiber.”
The lab highlighted the importance of choosing the right materials in products.
“We learned how different fibers in the industry are able to be used in rooms,” said Emily Diegmann, a sophomore from Harrisburg. “You don’t want a carpet made out of polyester because it’s highly flammable. You would rather have one made out of wool or cashmere that’s softer and will extinguish itself.”
Katlyn Clark, a sophomore from Hickory, partnered with Diegmann on the lab.
“It’s good knowing the basics,” she said.
Diegmann felt quite at home peering through the microscope.
“I love science and this is just a different type of science, but it’s helpful to me. I think it’s really cool,” she said.
She said the lab would be something useful when she tries to land a job as an interior designer for a custom home construction company.
“I would work one-on-one with the clients to design their interior spaces,” Diegmann said. “You do kitchen floor plans, bathrooms, how everything will flow and just the layout of everything.”
Dr. Runying Chen, associate professor in the interior design and fashion merchandising program, manipulates a piece of fabric for students during a lab in the Rivers Building.
Purpose and Preparation
Dr. Runying Chen, associate professor in the interior design and fashion merchandising program, held a package with a garment. The clothing tag marked it as 100% cashmere. The lab proved otherwise.
“It says it’s 100% cashmere. That means it is very high end and expensive. But when you do the fiber identification, it’s not cashmere at all. It’s acrylic, which is cheaper,” Chen said. “That’s why people do fiber identification. There can be a lot of people who make fake clothes. It’s a knockoff. It’s a fake product, not a real cashmere product, but people would pay a lot of money for it. We can take a very small fiber sample and prove it.”
She said the lab allows students to examine the many materials they will use throughout their careers.
“Students investigate all possible components of textile materials, from fibers and yarns to fabric construction, finishing and coloration,” she said. “Through laboratory testing and hands-on analysis, they gain a deeper understanding of how textile components affect performance characteristics such as durability, comfort, aesthetic, cost, care and maintenance, safety and regulations, and sustainability.”
Chen said the lab helps students who seek careers in product development, quality assurance, sustainability, merchandising and interior design product selection, to name a few.
“Textiles are the essential materials used in apparel, interior furnishing, special industry areas such as auto, healthcare and more,” she said. “The hands-on learning helps students connect classroom concepts with real-world application and prepare them for careers.”
The interior design and fashion merchandising program is part of the Department of Technology Systems in ECU’s College of Engineering and Technology.
Sophomore Finley Huneycutt burns a fabric swatch during the lab.
Sophomore Miu Best looks at fabric fibers through a microscope.