The fabrics can be categorized into mainly two categories- natural fiber and man-made fiber.

Our discussion limits to the main natural fibers- wool, cotton, linen and  broadly used man-made fibers polyester and viscose.

Wool

Wool act as a protective clothing for human body. It has the same type of protein layer which human skin has, wool's unique ability to breath helps to insulate the wearer. It act as a stabilizer to body. When it goes cold, wool keeps the body warm. When climate goes to extreme hot wool provides warm to the body. Wool absorbs moisture from the atmosphere in changing temperature conditions.  

Types of wool 

Beaver cloth is a heavy woolen over coating, napped and pressed down to resemble beaver fur. This fabric is also a plush fabric that is used for hats.

 Botany/Merino wool is a fine wool made from worsted wool yarn.

 Broadcloth is an all woolen or worsted fabric with a velvety feel.

 Challis, a light weight soft wool in plain weave, has a printed or woven design or flowers.

 Cheviot, usually Scotch wool is a soft, fine wool that is heavier than serge. 

Chinchilla cloth is a heavy, spongy woolen overcoat fabric with a long nap that has been rubbed into a curly, nubby finish.

 Donegal was originally a thick and warm homespun or tweed woven by Irish peasants in Donegal, Ireland. Donegal now describes the wool tweed that has colorful thick slubs woven into the fabric.

 Felt fabric is a compact sheet of entangled, not woven wool, fur, sometimes cotton fibers. The felt is produced by processing a mat of fibers with moisture, heat, and     pressure.

 Flannel wool is a soft, lightweight fabric with a nap on one or both sides.

 Gabardine is a tightly woven wool twill with a high sheen. This fabric is excellent for tailoring and wears well.

 Glen checks are usually seen in menswear and originated in Scotland. It is characterized by a variety of small, even check designs.

 Harris tweed is a hand woven fabric from Scotland with a soft feel.

 Heather Mixture describes tweeds and homespun’s that have colors of heather and sand of the Scottish heather fields.

 Herringbone wool is woven in a twill that is reversed at regular spacing, creating a saw tooth line.

 Homespun is a loose, strong, durable woolen woven either by hand or machine with a coarse feel.

 Houndstooth check has a four pointed star check in a broken twill weave.

 Jersey is a knit fabric that is usually knit in fine wool but can also be found in silk, and man-made fibers.

 Laine is French for "wool".

 Linsey-woolsey is a coarse fabric first made in Lindsey, England, of wool combined with flax or cotton.

 Loden fabric is a thick, soft, waterproof, windproof, wool used in outerwear that has a characteristic green color.

 Mackinaw fabric is a heavy double fabric in striking colored patterns.

 Melton, a heavy, tick, short napped fabric without a finish press or gloss.

 Merino wool is soft and luxurious, resembling cashmere. This term is also used to describe the finest wool’s.

 Oatmeal Cloth is a durable, soft wool with a pebbled face.

 Panama Cloth, a plain woven worsted wool, sometimes resembling  the texture of Panama hat.

 Petersham, a very thick, waterproof woolen coating, usually dark blue, is used for men’s trousers or heavy coats.

 Pilot Cloth is a coarse, heavy, stout twilled woolen that is heavily napped and navy blue. Used by seamen.

 Poodle Cloth is made with a boucle yarn and resembles the Poodle dog.

 Rabbit Hair is used in woven wool’s as a substitute for vicuna to give a soft effect in the fabric.

 Sharkskin is woven with warp and filling yarns of alternating white with black, brown or blue.

 Tartan is a twilled plaid design, originally Scottish.

 Tweed is a rough textured wool, originally homespun and slightly felted. This fabric is sturdy with a mottled color.

 Virgin Wool is wool that has never been processed into fabric.

Cool, soft, comfortable material and mostly preferred for regular use, above mentioned merits cotton has a disadvantage of getting wrinkle very easily. Later researchers found blend of cotton with polyester in limited proportion rectifies the disadvantage of wrinkle. Cotton has high absorbent character in water it retains 26 times of its own weight and  is stronger when wet. Cotton can stand high temperatures and takes dyes easily. Chlorine bleach can be used to restore white garments to clear white but this bleach may yellow chemically finished cotton or remove color in dyed cotton. Boiling and sterilizing temperature can also be used on cotton with out disintegration. Cotton can also be ironed at relative high temperatures.

 Mercerized cotton is treated to permanently straighten the cotton fibers, that become a rod like fiber and smooth in texture. It shows a uniform in appearance and with high luster.

 Glossary of Cotton Fabrics and Weaves

Diaper Cloth is a twill, dobby or plain-woven absorbent cotton.

Dimity is sheer, thin, white or printed fabric with lengthwise cords, stripes or checks.

Drill is a strong-twilled cotton fabric, used in men’s and women’s slacks.

Duck is a heavy, durable tightly woven fabric. Heavy weight drill is used in awnings, tents, etc. Lighter duck is used in summer clothing.

Flannel cotton is plain or twill weave with a slight nap on one or both sides.

Flannelette is a soft cotton fabric with a nap on one side.

Gauze is a sheer, lightly woven fabric similar to cheesecloth. Is also made in silk.

Gingham is a lightweight, washable, stout fabric that is woven in checks, plaids or stripes.

Lawn is a plain weave, soft, very light, combed cotton fabric with a crisp finish.

Muslin is a sheer to coarse plain woven cotton fabric. Muslin comes in "natural" color or is dyed.

Organdy is a very thin, transparent cotton with a crisp finish. 

Outing flannel is a soft, twill or plain weave fabric napped on both sides. Used for baby clothes, diapers, and sleepwear.

 Oxford is shirting fabric with a lustrous, soft finish. It is characterized with narrow stripes and can be woven in plain or basket weave. Also a term used for wool fabric that has black and white fibers. 

Percale is a light weight, closely woven, sturdy fabric that can be found printed in dark colors.

 Pima Cotton, from Egyptian cotton, is an excellent quality cotton fabric.

 Polished Cotton is either a satin weave cotton or a plain weave cotton that is finished chemically to appear shiny.

 Poplin is a plain weave fabric with a cross-wise rib.

Sailcloth is a very strong, heavy canvas or duck made in plain weave.

 Sateen is a satin weave cotton fabric.

 Seersucker is a lightweight cotton fabric crinkled into lengthwise stripes. 

Swiss is a sheer, very fine cotton that can be plain or decorated with dots or other designs.

 Terry Cloth is a looped pile fabric that is either woven or knitted. Very absorbent and used for towels, etc. French terry cloth is looped on one side and sheared pile on the other.

 Velveteen is an all cotton pile fabric with short pile resembling velvet.

 Whipcord is a strong fabric with a diagonal round cords that can also be produced in wool.

Elegant, beautiful, durable refined luxury fabric. Linen is the strongest of vegetable fibers and has two to three times strength than cotton.

Linen is from Flax, a best fiber taken from the stalk of the plant. The luster is from the natural wax content , Creamy white to light tan, this fiber can be easily dyed and the color does not fade when washed .Linen does not wrinkle easily but but also presses easily. Linen like cotton can be boiled with out damaging the fiber. It is of high absorbent texture and a good conductor of heat but fabric is cool in garment. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back.

Glossary of Linen Fabrics and Weaves

Butcher’s Linen was originally a heavy, sturdy linen fabric used for French butchers’ aprons. This type of heavy fabric was also used for interfacing.

Damask, a jacquard weave, is a reversible rich weave, patterned in satin or plain weave.

Venise is a very fine damask table linen consisting of large floral patterns  

POLYESTER is a strong fiber that is resistant to crease and thus keeps it shape. Polyester melts at medium to high temperatures. Although many people dislike polyester, perhaps do to the double knit fad of the 1950, polyester remains a versatile and important man-made fabric. Blends of polyester give cotton a permanent press property and extend the wear of these blended garments.

Polyester is manufactured in many weights including fiber-fill used in pillows and upholstery. Threads spun from polyester fibers are strong, wear exceptionally well, and are used extensively in home sewing and manufactured sewing.

 Viscose is a manufactured fiber composed of regenerated cellulose. The cellulose for its production is obtained principally from cotton and wood pulp. The fiber has a serrated round shape with a smooth surface. Viscose is also known as ‘artificial cotton’ as it resembles cotton in most of its properties.
Favourable properties:
VISCOSE HAS ADEQUATE STRENGTH Viscose rayon is a medium-weight fiber with fair to good strength and abrasion resistance.
VISCOSE IS HYDROPHILIC It is a good absorbent of moisture (11% moisture
regain). Hence it is comfortable to wear as it can easily absorb perspiration.
The fiber is washable under proper care conditions and is dry-cleanable.
There are no static and pilling problems.
Unfavourable properties:
VISCOSE WEAKENS ON WETTING Viscose Rayon loses 30-50% of its strength when wet, thus requiring great caution in laundering. Now a days, modified rayon is available that loses less strength when wet. It regains strength when dry.
VISCOSE SHRINKS It also shrinks appreciably from washing. It has very poor elasticity and resiliency.
End uses
The end uses for viscose rayon include a wide range of products in the apparel, home furnishings and industrial areas.

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