Ancient Indian dyers used turmeric for yellow colors, madder from plants other than Rubia tinctorum, and indigo. At least 10,000 years ago women were able to identify the materials that were strong and long enough to spin. Four materials served the world's major textile needs until the 20th century. Fiber preparation and yarn making were never-ending tasks until the 19th century. It was in the late 19th century that increased knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of fibers led to application of scientific methods.
Construction is dependent upon material and equipment and often determines design and finish.
The loom, one of mankind's simplest and most useful tools, has not changed in basic structure since its prehistoric invention. Chemistry attracted a lot of attention in the textile industry because of the production of new compounds and the realization that fibers could be considered the result of chemical activity. With the development of electronics and computers, new physical and engineering concepts were employed in textile research and development. Man-made fibers provided new textile materials and led to the applications of new processes to traditional fibers, providing faster processing methods and introducing a wide variety of techniques. Flax retting is a chemical, microbial or enzymic process which releases the bast fibers from the stem matrix so they can be suitable for mechanical processing before spinning into linen yarn.