Textile Knowledge and Entrepreneurship
Textile knowledge
Textile Knowledge and Entrepreneurship tests fibre, yarn, weave, fabric performance and basic business costing.
- Natural: cotton (absorbent, shrinks), silk (strong, delicate), wool (warm, felts).
- Synthetic: polyester (durable, low absorbency), nylon, rayon (regenerated).
- Woven: plain, twill, satin; knit: stretch; nonwoven: interfacing.
- Count, weight, shrinkage, colourfastness and drape affect fabric choice.
Entrepreneurship
- Costing: fabric + trims + labour + overhead + wastage = cost; add profit margin.
- Price = cost ÷ (1 − desired margin) or cost + markup.
- Keep measurement cards, receipts and stock records; deliver on time; market through local networks and social media.
- Quality control: check seams, grain and measurements before delivery.
Worked example
2.5 m cotton at ₹180/m = ₹450; thread, buttons and interfacing ₹80; labour ₹350; overhead ₹100; wastage ₹20. Total cost = ₹1,000. Add 20% profit = ₹1,200. If a customer supplies fabric, still charge labour, trims and overhead.
Traps
Forgetting hidden costs; pricing below cost; ignoring wastage; no written measurement record; promising unrealistic delivery; using the same price for every size. Record daily income and expenses, and keep business cash separate from household cash.