How cotton fabric is woven

Woven cloth is two sets of threads crossing at right angles, and the loom has to repeat that millions of times.

stations: 6
things upstream: 5
raw sources: 3
steps from the ground: 2

The short version

Cotton fabric is made on a loom that crosses two sets of yarn at right angles. The lengthwise warp yarns are sized with starch so they survive the abuse, strung on the loom, and raised and lowered in a pattern. A weft yarn is shot through the gap each time, and a comb-like reed packs it in tight.

Stiffen the warp with starch

The lengthwise yarns are coated in a starch mixture so that they run smoothly and do not fray while the loom works them.

Goes in
Cotton yarn Corn starch Water
Thread the loom

Each warp yarn is wound onto a big beam and drawn through the eye of a heddle on a frame. Which frame it runs through decides the pattern of the weave.
Open the shed

Frames lift some warp yarns and lower others to make a clear gap, called the shed. The pattern of lifting and lowering picks plain, twill or satin weave, the three basic weaves.
Shoot the weft across

A weft yarn is sent through the shed. Older looms threw a shuttle, and modern shuttleless looms use grippers called rapiers or a blast of air to carry the yarn across.

Goes in
Cotton yarn
Beat it tight

A comb-like reed swings forward to push each new weft yarn against the edge of the finished cloth, called the fell. The cloth advances onto a roll, and the cycle repeats.
Bleach, dye and finish

The loom-state cloth can be bleached, dyed, printed and given finishing treatments or coatings.

Goes in
Water