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The purpose of this study is to investigate an objective method of evaluating the tactile comfort of blankets by a method of connecting the mechanical parameters of blankets to subjective evaluation. The two methods are preliminarily investigated as follows: (1) Transformation equations for the fabric hand of suiting, KN‐101‐W for primary hand values and KN‐301‐W for THV, are applied, with the mean and standard deviation applied to these equations replaced with new values for the blanket population. (2) A new prediction equation is constructed for deriving THV directly from the mechanical parameters and thermal properties. The prediction accuracy of method (2) is a little higher than that of (1). The durability of blankets during repeated use and repeated dry cleaning determined by the initial performance of blankets is also investigated.

Textiles as clothing material must fit the human body and senses. This fitting is an important performance of the textiles besides the utility performance of textiles such as fabric strength. For many years, the performance concerning this fitness has been evaluated subjectively by hand judgement. The fabric property judged in such a way is called fabric handle. Instead of the subjective method, the objective evaluation system of fabric handle has been developed. The system is introduced firstly. In this objective method, the handle is evaluated based on the fabric mechanical and surface properties measured by the KESF instrument. The mechanical parameters of fabric measured by the instrument are useful not only for the fabric handle evaluation but also for textile and apparel engineering through the direct use of the parameters. The applications of the objective measurement of fabric handle and properties to textile and apparel engineering are introduced.

The method of the discrimination of the type and silhouette of ladies' garments was studied. Material samples of ladies' garments which had been judged good in appearance and comfort were collected. They were classified first into nine groups according to type and second each group was divided into two groups by silhouette (tight and loose fit). Basic mechanical properties of these fabric samples were determined by the KES‐measuring system. The result is as follows. Several equations for discriminating the type and silhouette of ladies' garments were derived on the basis of the basic mechanical parameters which determine the formability, elastic potential and drapability of the make‐up appearance of men's suits, these being bending, shearing property and fabric weight. These equations were able to be simplified by reducing the number of parameters to four in order to make the practical application of the equations easier.

Discusses the quality of fabrics and garment technology. Looks at the various types of material focusing particularly on the female market. Shows how new synthetic fibres have improved the feel of garments and that consumers, fashion designers and experts in finishing have all reached the same conclusion, that quality judgement is still possible, even with today's exacting standards.

The application of objective measurement of the mechanical properties of fabrics in the apparel industry began around 1975 in the Hirakata area, which is one of the centres of men's suit production in Japan. At that time the KESF system had been developed and thereafter spread rapidly. The measurement of mechanical data under low‐load level by the KESF provided useful information for the apparel engineers who needed some means of fabric measurement by which the tailoring process might be controlled. The fabric dimensional stability testing using steam press was also standardised at that time (HESC 103A method). At present, the KESF data and the stability data are essential for apparel engineers and are used widely in the Japanese apparel industry. In addition to the use of objective measurements in each factory, a centre for objective fabric inspection has been recently initiated in the Hirakata area, for the inspection and control of fabric by the objective system for tailoring process control. In addition, a co‐operative work between the apparel engineers and the university has been carried out to develop a new equation for predicting the good appearance of a suit on the basis of fabric mechanical data. Automatic tailoring such as automatic overfeed action on the basis of fabric mechanical property is also carried out under the co‐operation of the university, the apparel industry, and a sewing machine manufacturer (Juki) in Hirakata. The progress of these projects is presented.

Shingosen fabrics (new synthetic‐fibre fabrics) have been accepted by consumers because of their new handling properties and are rapidly becoming popular as material for women's dresses. Seam puckering, however, is becoming a serious problem in the sewing process for these fabrics, especially those fabrics woven with micro denier fibres. An investigation was carried out to correlate seam puckering with fabric mechanical properties and also with penetration force of sewing needles. The results are: (1) When sewing is carried out normally, the seam pucker of shingosen fabrics is well predicted by the “seam‐pucker prediction equation” which has been derived for men's suit fabrics, based on fabric weight and mechanical parameters derived by tensile, bending and shearing fabric properties. (2) The case that a sewing needle breaks woven yarns and makes holes (sewing eyes) in fabric is observed often in the sewing of high dense weave woven by micro denier fibres. In this case, the seam pucker is reduced because of less restriction of yarn movement through the holes. (3) A new prediction equation for seam pucker of shingosen fabrics is derived on the basis of sewing experiments with shingosen instead of the men's suiting equation. The prediction ability of this new equation is higher than that of men's suiting.

The objective hand measurement of the materials used for disposable diapers has been looked into, with consideration given to aspects of both dermatitis and comfort. The subjective hand of the commercially produced diapers both at the leg gatherings and at the center was assessed by mothers and female students. The mechanical and surface parameters of the diapers were measured with the KES‐FB system. The equations that connect the material properties to the subjective hand were obtained by using the stepwise block‐regression analysis method. It became clear that the hand of diapers could be predicted from the physical parameters, for which the calculated error was within the range of the standard deviation of the subjective hand value of each diaper. In a dry condition, it is expected that the hand of diapers could be satisfactorily evaluated by using only the surface and compression parameters.

The objective hand evaluation of the top sheet materials used for disposable diapers has been investigated, with consideration given to aspects of both dermatitis and comfort. The objective hand evaluation system for men's suiting has been applied to assess the hand of top sheet nonwovens. The subjective hand of the top sheet nonwovens, separated from the disposable diaper product, was assessed by female students. It became clear that the hand of the top sheet nonwovens could be predicted by the equation developed for men's suiting, for which the calculated error was within the range of the standard deviation of the subjective hand value of each product. The correlations between the hand quality of the diaper and the mechanical properties of its top sheet nonwoven were also examined. The diapers with high total hand value (THV) of their top sheet nonwovens were estimated to have good hand under both dry and wet conditions.

Recently, the Polish National Fiber Research Laboratory provided linen samples. In addition to these Polish fabric samples, we also collected linen fabric samples which were made in Japan and throughout Europe. We have investigated hand properties of various linen fabrics, and identification of the Polish linen fabrics quality from those of other linen fabrics. The fabric hand of Polish linen fabrics is unique, it possesses a hand just between wool‐like and cotton‐like fabrics. We have clarified that the Polish linen fabrics are suitable for hari‐type and tailored type silhouette designs for women’s wear, and the fabrics are well‐suited for finishing garment appearance.