What is Creping Effect on Fabric?
Creping effect is a special finishing technique used to create a wrinkled, crinkled, or textured surface on fabric. It makes the fabric appear wavy or puckered, giving it a soft, airy, and elastic feel. Crepe fabric is a versatile, textured textile known for its distinctive crinkled or grainy surface. Crepe effect is achieved by using highly twisted yarns in the fabric construction. Creping is a special effect produced mostly on rayon. It is known for its elegant drape and use in suits and wedding dresses. This effect is not just about appearance—it also changes how the fabric feels and behaves, making it popular in both fashion and technical textiles.
Let’s explore how the crepe effect on fabric is achieved and the step-by-step process involved.
Mechanism of Creping:
The creping effect on fabric is created through controlled wrinkling or twisting of yarns, chemical treatments, or mechanical processes. If a highly twisted yarn made from a fiber which has high swelling properties and which also shrinks very high is subjected to swelling process, the twisted yarn gets untwisted and during the same time shrinks and loop formation takes place.
For a good creping effect, the popular construction of a fabric is a plain warp and a crepe weft.
The weft is generally built of two threads with the twist in one direction followed by two threads with the twist in the reverse direction. When the fabric is wetted untwisting of yarn takes place in opposite direction, but as either ends are fixed at the selvedges, the fabric shrinks in width producing snarling or crepe effect.
To get regular crepe effect, embossing calender is a must.
Care should be taken on pressure and temperature while embossing.
To get good and permanent crepe effect, it is necessary to use higher temperature and high pressure during embossing.
Maximum temperature: 50 ̊C
Maximum pressure: 550 PSI
Process Sequence of Creping:
The creping effect is mainly produced by manipulating the yarns and the structure of the fabric. Here’s a simple breakdown of how the creping effect is typically created on fabric:
Stenter to remove crease
↓
Emboss (If necessary)
↓
Crepe in any form
↓
Souring
↓
Bleaching
↓
Souring
↓
Dyeing
↓
Softening
↓
Hydro extracted
↓
Dry in loose form
↓
Stentering (If necessary)
↓
Calendering (If required)
Uses of Crepe Fabric:
- Garments: Lightweight elegant dresses, wedding gowns, blouses, scarves.
- Home Textiles: Upholstery, curtains, tablecloths.
- Medical and Tissue Products: Creped paper for better flexibility and absorbency.
Fig: Uses of crepe fabric in wedding gown
Conclusion
Creping effect is a blend of art and science, combining yarn preparation, fabric construction, and finishing techniques to create textiles that are both beautiful and functional. The crepe effect adds elegance and dimension to fabrics, making them ideal for dresses, scarves, and upholstery.
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
