Fabric terminology

Prashant Suri
Kanpur, India

1. FABRIC TERMINOLOGY

2. WARP the direction along the length of fabric

3. W arp and weft The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is drawn through and inserted over-and-under the warp

4. WEAVE Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth

5. LOOM A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function is the same

6. HEDDLE A heddle is an integral part of a loom . Each thread in the warp passes through a heddle, [1] which is used to separate the warp threads for the passage of the weft .

7. COUNT Thread count . Thread count or threads per inch (TPI) is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of fabric . It is measured by counting the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric or one square centimeter, including both the length (warp) and width (weft) threads.

8. PLY Ply is how many yarns are twisted together to make a single thread. Fabrics can either be two- ply or single ply . Two- ply means that two yarns are twisted together to make a single thread that is then woven into the fabric

9. BIAS The bias of a piece of woven fabric is at 45 degrees to its warp and weft threads. ... When cut on the bias , woven fabric is more elastic as well as more fluid in movement, compared to the on-grain direction.

10. PINKED EDGE Pinking shears are designed to cut cloth or paper with a zigzag edge , to lessen fraying. ... Woven fabric cloth usually frays at the edges , unless techniques are used to counter it, such as the use of pinking shears or hemming.

11. HEMMING A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded narrowly and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric .

12. SELVAGE EDGE A selvage is the tightly woven edge of a fabric . It prevents the side edges of the fabric from raveling or fraying.

13. RAVELING If something such as a rope or wire ravels , or if you ravel it, it becomes tangled or twisted together.

14. GREIGE Greige is an unfinished woven or knitted fabric that hasn't been bleached or dyed. It can be used for upholstery, window treatments, clothes and more. Condition of polyester fabric upon completion of the production process before being heat shrunk

15. TEXTILES A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibers. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, hemp, or other materials to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, felting, or braiding

16. FELT Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood pulp-based rayon.

17. TERRYCLOTH Terrycloth, terry cloth, terry cotton, terry towelling, terry, terry towel or simply towelling is a fabric with loops that can absorb large amounts of water. It can be manufactured by weaving or knitting.

18. MUSLIN Muslin, plain-woven cotton fabric made in various weights. The better qualities of muslin are fine and smooth in texture and are woven from evenly spun warps and wefts, or fillings. They are given a soft finish, bleached or piece-dyed, and are sometimes patterned in the loom or printed.

19. CREPE Crêpe, also spelt crepe or crape (from the Fr. crepe , is a silk , wool , or synthetic fiber fabric with a distinctively crisp, crimped appearance. The term crape typically refers to a form of the fabric associated specifically with mourning

20. CHIFFON Chiffon is a lightweight plain-woven fabric with mesh like weave that gives it transparent appearance. ... It is primarily made from cotton, silk or synthetic fibers like nylon, rayon and polyester.

21. GEORGETTE It is a light-weight, crinkled and sheer fabric, displaying an overall bouncy look. A strong absorbent, Georgette is easy to dye and has dull-rough texture. Georgette is woven in highly twisted yarns of S & Z, in both warp and weft. Is woven in two forms: Pure and Faux. Pure Georgette is woven out of Silk yarns, while the Faux Georgette is woven from Rayon and Polyester.

22. VELVET Velvet is woven on a special loom that weaves two thicknesses of the material at the same time. The two pieces are then cut apart to create the pile effect, and the two lengths of fabric are wound on separate take-up rolls.

23. TAPESTRY Tapestry is a form of textile art , traditionally woven by hand on a loom . Tapestry is weft -faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike cloth weaving where both the warp and the weft threads may be visible.

24. DENIM Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck.

25. FLANNEL Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber.

26. RAYON Rayon is a manufactured fiber made from regenerated cellulose fiber. The many types and grades of rayon can imitate the feel and texture of natural fibers such as silk, wool, cotton, and linen.

27. POLYESTER Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate

28. SILK Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity.

29. COTTON Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will increase the dispersal of the seeds.

30. WOOL Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other animals, including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, from hide and fur clothing from bison, angora from rabbits,

31. LINEN Linen /ˈlɪnɪn/ is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is laborious to manufacture, but the fiber is very strong, absorbent and dries faster than cotton. Garments made of linen are valued for their exceptional coolness and freshness in hot and humid weather.

32. HEMP As a fabric , hemp provides all the warmth and softness of a natural textile but with a superior durability seldom found in other materials. Hemp is extremely versatile and can be used for countless products such as apparel, accessories, shoes, furniture, and home furnishings.

33. VOILE Voile is a soft, sheer fabric, usually made of 100% cotton or cotton blended with linen or polyester. The term is French for veil. Because of its light weight, the fabric is mostly used in soft furnishing. In tropical climates, voile is used for window treatments and mosquito nets.

34. BATISTE Batiste is a fine cloth made from cotton, wool, polyester, or a blend, and the softest of the lightweight opaque fabrics

35. GAUZE Gauze is a thin, translucent fabric with a loose open weave . In technical terms "gauze" is a weave structure in which the weft yarns are arranged in pairs and are crossed before and after each warp yarn keeping the weft firmly in place. [1] This weave structure is used to add stability to fabric, which is important when using fine yarns loosely spaced.

36. WEAVING Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling.

37. KNITTING Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile or fabric, often used in many types of garments. Knitting creates multiple loops of yarn, called stitches, in a line or tube. Knitting has multiple active stitches on the needle at one time

38. CROCHETING Crochet is a process of creating fabric by interlocking loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other materials using a crochet hook. The name is derived from the French term crochet, meaning 'small hook'

39. KNOTTING A knot is an intentional complication in cordage which may be useful or decorative. Practical knots may be classified as hitches, bends, splices, or knots. A hitch fastens a rope to another object; a bend unites two rope ends; a splice is a multi-strand bend or loop.

40. BRAIDING Braiding , in textiles , machine or hand method of interlacing three or more yarns or bias-cut cloth strips in such a way that they cross one another and are laid together in diagonal formation, forming a narrow strip of flat or tubular fabric .

41. CARPET / RUG A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but, since the 20th century, synthetic fibers such as polypropylene , nylon or polyester are often used, as these fibers are less expensive than wool.

42. SATIN Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back, one of three fundamental types of textile weaves along with plain weave and twill . The satin weave is characterized by four or more fill or weft yarns floating over a warp yarn, four warp yarns floating over a single weft yarn.

43. TWILL Twill is a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs (in contrast with a satin and plain weave). This is done by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads then under two or more warp threads and so on, with a "step," or offset, between rows to create the characteristic diagonal pattern. [1] Because of this structure, twill generally drapes well.

44. WICKING Wicking fabrics are modern technical fabrics which draw moisture away from the body. They are made of high-tech polyester, which, unlike cotton, absorbs very little water. Cotton will absorb 7% of its weight in water, polyester only 0.4%.

45. TICKING Ticking is a cotton or linen textile that is tightly woven for durability and to prevent down feathers from poking through the fabric, [1] and used to cover mattresses and bed pillows . [

46. THANKS Prashant Suri