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Textile Directory

Textile Directory

Basic Terms: Fabric: A planar substance constructed from solutions, , , fabrics or any combination of these. : Any substance, natural or manufactured, with a high length-to- width ratio and suitable characteristics for being processed into fabric. Finish: Any process used to convert greige (gray) goods (unfinished fabric) into finished fabric. : An assemblage of fibers twisted or laid together so as to form a continuous strand that can be made into a textile fabric. Textile: A term generally applied to fibers, yarns, fabrics or products made of fibers, yarns or fabrics.

Three kinds of fabrics: Longitudinal threads form the “warp” of a fabric. These are stretched between on the . As the lengthwise , the warp has little or no stretch. Threads that run from to selvage create the “weft” or “woof.” Weft also is called “fill.” These crossgrain threads have more stretch than the lengthwise warp threads. Weft threads are woven through warp threads using a . Shuttles on today’s high-speed rapier move faster than the eye can see. True bias intersects the lengthwise grain and crossgrain at a 45º angle.

Knit fabric The vertical column of stitches is called a wale. The horizontal row of stitches is called a course.

SKBlair – May 2003 2 Advanced : In a weft knit, such as hand-, a single yarn is looped repeatedly to create horizontal rows, or courses, with each row built on the previous row. A warp knit is made with multiple parallel yarns that are simultaneously looped vertically to form the fabric. Both can be made either on a circular machine to produce a tube of fabric or on a flatbed .

Weft knits: Warp knits:

Four basic stitches create all knits: A plain or knit , a purl or reverse-knit, a missed (creates a flat of yarn on the wrong side) and a tuck (creates an open space).

SKBlair – May 2003 3 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Two-way stretch gives significantly along the width of the fabric and a little along the length. Four-way stretch gives significantly along both the width and length of the fabric. Knits, unlike woven, do not fray, particularly on the crossgrain. The amount of stretch varies greatly depending on the knit. To assess the stretch, test the crossgrain. Take a single layer between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. Hold the fabric in the same way in the right hand about 4 inches away. Lay the fabric on a ruler with the left hand at zero. Pull the fabric along the ruler with the right hand. Stop just at the point that you have to exert any effort. Match the stretch to the chart below. Use this when selecting or planning a .

Other fabrications From solutions: Film is a solution of typically oil-based chemicals melted and extruded or cast onto a hot drum. They can be plain or reinforced with a woven or knit to make them more durable.

SKBlair – May 2003 4 Advanced Sewing: Textiles They are waterproof, resistant to soil, have low drapeability and can be finished to look like other materials. This group includes vinyl and urethane. They are used to imitate . Foam incorporates air into an elastic-like substance to create a bulky, spongy material. Common foams include rubber and polyurethane – used as pillow forms and to back plastic tablecloths.

From fibers: Also called non-wovens, this is the fastest growing area of the . Fiberweb creates a bonded textile by mechanically entangling the fibers or fusing them with resins or heat or chemicals. They can be laid dry, wet, spun or melt blown. Fiberwebs include Pellon ® and needlepunch and some lacy sweaterknits. Batting (made from new fiber), wadding (made from waste fiber) and fiberfill (specially made MF fibers) are also in this category. They are used for , snowsuits and padding to add loft and resilience. Another fiberweb: Fusible web such as Steam-a- ® and Stitch Witchery ®. True is a mat or web of or part wool fibers held together by interlocking the scales of the wood fiber. Primitive people were the first to make felt by washing wool fleece, spreading it out while still wet and beating it until it had matted and shrunk into a fabriclike form. Felt has no grain nor does it fray. But it is too stiff for fitted clothes. is made by extruding a polymer into a film or network of ligaments or strands. Net is used for many things from packaging fruit to bridal veils.

From yarns: are narrow fabrics where the yarns are interlaced lengthwise and diagonally. They are pliable and used for trims, shoelaces and tubular coverings. is an openwork fabric of complex patterns or figures made by hand or machines. It is woven with interlaced yarns or knitted with interlooped yarns intermeshed with yarns twisted around each other.

Multiplex fabrics combine several structures with one being a recognized textile. Examples include coated w/p/b (waterproof/breathable) fabrics for active and outerwear. Poromeric fabrics have a film that make them w/p/b and windproof such as -Tex ®. Suedelike fabrics are needle- punch made from microdenier fibers combined with a resin coating and nonfibrous polyurethane. An example: Ultrasuede ®. Ultraleather® is 100 percent polyurethane with a knit back of 70/30 /. Flocked- fabrics use short fibers attached to the surface of a fabric by an adhesive. You’ll see these in blankets, bedspreads and some apparel. Tufted-pile punches extra yarns into fabric to make such things as chenille, candlewick bedspreads and hooked rugs.

Animal products include leather and fur.

SKBlair – May 2003 5 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Two kinds of fibers used in all fabrics: Natural fibers • -- a fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant. The most widely used natural-fiber cloth in today. The fiber, once ginned to remove seeds and other impurities, consists of nearly pure cellulose, a natural polymer. Each fiber is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the cotton boll is opened, the fibers dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for into a fine yarn. • Flax – from the Linum genus native to the middle East. To turn flax into , the stalks must be threshed, retted, broken, scotched, hackled, carded and spun. • -- one of the oldest known natural fibers. Most silk originates in China, India and Southeast Asia. Domestic mulberry silkworm pupae spin it. Commercial growers kill the pupae before they emerge as adult moths. That way, the cocoon can be unraveled as one long continuous unbroken . Peace silk allows the moth to eat a hole in the cocoon to emerge. The hole makes it impossible to unreel the cocoon. So the fiber must be spun. The result is a more matte finish with a rougher look. Peace silk is also called wild silk. • Wool – from the hair of sheep, goats or llamas. Has scales that overlap like shingles on a roof. It is crimped; wool fibers can have more than 20 bends per inch. Visit the Pendleton factory in Washougal to see wool turned into blankets. http://www.pendleton-usa.com

Manufactured (MF) fibers • Acetate -- Or ethanoate. A salt or ester of acetic acid. Use: . • Acrylic -- Made from a polymer: Polyacrylonitrile. Lightweight, soft, and warm. well and colorfast. Resilient, retains shape, and resists shrinkage and wrinkles. Looks similar to cashmere, wool or cotton. Made from short fibers so static and pilling are problems. Use: Sweaterknits. • Nylon -- Generic name for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides. Produced in 1935 at DuPont. First major use: Nylon stockings after WWII. Use: . • -- Polymers that contain an ester group in their main chain. Most widely used MF fiber in the world. Use: Lining, blend w/ natural. • Rayon – Or viscose. Natural cellulose soluble in organic solvents. Called artificial silk, was first MF fiber. Began commercial production in 1885. Use: Lining, casual skirts, pants, tops. • – Or elastane. Invented in 1959 at DuPont. Known for exceptional stretch. Strong and durable. Use: Activewear, blends.

SKBlair – May 2003 6 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Fiber properties determine the fabric’s properties. They include:

Physical structure Length - Staple fibers are measured in inches and range in length. All natural fibers are available only in staple form except silk. - Filaments are long, continuous strands of indefinite length and measured in yards. Filaments may be smooth to produce silk-like fabrics. Or they may be crimped to create more cotton or wool-like fabrics.

Size - Large fibers are crisp, rough, stiff and have more body. Think of . - Fine fibers are soft and pliable. These drape more easily. Natural fibers are not uniform. Fine fibers are better quality. Fineness is measured in micrometers. Cotton 16-20 Flax 12-16 Wool 10-50 Silk 11-12 Manufactured fiber diameter is controlled by the size of spinneret holes, by stretching or drawing during or after spinning or by controlling the rate of extrusion. Fineness is measured in denier. This is the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of fiber or yarn. Small numbers describe fine fibers; large numbers describe large or coarse fibers.

You choose textiles based on: Aesthetics Luster – The way a fabric’s surface reflects light. Drape – The way a fabric falls over a form like a body or table. Texture – The way the surface looks or feels. Hand – The way the fabric feels to the touch. Is it warm or cool? Bulky or thin? Slick or soft?

Durability Abrasion resistance – The ability to withstand rubbing. Very important in active and outerwear. Flexibility – The ability to bend repeatedly without breaking, such as at the elbows or knees. Very important to natural and manufactured . Tenacity – The ability to withstand pulling, as measure in grams per denier required to break the fiber. Very important in stretch fabrics.

SKBlair – May 2003 7 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Comfort. Is it absorbent (e.g., wickaway)? Does it retain heat (e.g., )? Density (e.g., polar fleece rather than wool)? And appearance-retention: Does I retain its original appearance during wear and care? Is it resilient (i.e., return to its original shape after bending or twisting)? Does it have dimensional stability (i.e., does it retain its original size or does it stretch out)? Does is shrink with washing and drying?

Fabric weight: One of the three main factors (along with quality and price) in choosing a fabric. Weight is expressed in grams per square meter (g/m2) or ounces per square yard (oz/sq yd).

Weight Range Typical Uses Sheer (0- ½ oz/sq yd) Lingerie, bridal, evening, millinery, hosiery, sheer curtains Light (1½ -4½ oz/sq yd) , blouses, dresses, linings, “top weight) Medium (4½ -9 oz/sq yd) Slacks, skirts, suits (Cool Wool or Tropical ), sports (shirting), drapes, slipcovers, bed and table , some terry towels Medium Heavy (9-18 oz/sq yd) Bull denim (overalls), , best terry towels, some suits, overcoats, drapes, bedspreads Heavy (18 oz/sq yd) Winter coats, upholstery

SKBlair – May 2003 8 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Finish is anything done to fiber, yarn or fabric either before or after fabrication to change the appearance (what is seen), the hand (what is felt) or (what the fabric does). It is done by converters – people paid to finish a fabric for themselves or a mill. can be complex, but a typical process follows: Fiber processing → yarn processing → yarn preparation → fabrication → bleaching → dying → finishing → reworking. Finishes can be permanent, durable, temporary or renewable. Fiber processing: Applies mostly to natural items and all the steps need to take the raw material to fiber. MF fibers, like polyester, are ready to go. Yarn processing aligns, blends and twists the fibers into yarns. Yarn preparation means slashing to coat warp yarns and make more efficient and the yarn less hairy. This is a mix of a gum or starch and lubricant. Weft yarns aren’t treated. The sizing is removed after weaving. Fabrication: The fabric is made then prepared for the next steps. Sizing is removed after weaving. Cleaning removes grime from weaving, degums silk and scours wool. Singeing burns any fiber ends projecting from the cloth surface. Bleaching or whitening removes impurities and irregularities in color. It readies the fabric to receive a . Bleaching uses peroxide, hydrogen peroxide or optical brighteners. Mercerization, discovered in 1853 by John Mercer, adds an alkali (caustic soda a.k.a. sodium hydroxide) on a fabric. This shrank his cotton, making it stronger, more lustrous and absorbent. Cotton thread and fabric now is mercerized under tension. Dilute sulfuric acid neutralizes the caustic soda. The fiber then is scoured and rinsed. Some companies use dilute ammonia, rather than caustic soda, as a less polluting way to treat cotton and rayon. Fabric then is dyed and dried. Tentering stretches to straighten while drying. A loop dryer doesn’t stretch softer fabrics and knits while drying. Heat setting protects durable press or soil release finishes while drying. The last step: Calendaring the damp fabric with rollers to create a smooth, flat ironed finish to the fabric. Inspectors rework the fabric over an inverted frame, in good light, to and fix flaws.

SKBlair – May 2003 9 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fabric Files Create your own textile reference book! Visit PFI_Supply @ www.pfisewing.com to get swatches for your fabric file

SKBlair – May 2003 10 Advanced Sewing: Textiles (, Lawn)

Fiber Content: Usually made of cotton or blends but fine batiste, cambric and lawn are still made of flax. Best quality in cotton is long staple. There are also wool batiste and silk batiste though these are rare.

Construction: Fine yarns, best quality cotton will be combed, may be mercerized. Usually balanced . Finish is usually soft, may be more crisp, may have a slight luster.

Use: Top weight. May be sheer. Used for blouses, shirts, dresses, underwear, nightwear, handkerchiefs, curtains. All are grouped as fine handkerchief fabric.

Name: Batiste is recorded as being the name of a Medieval linen weaver in the town of Cambrai, France. That’s the origin of the name cambric. Another French linen center, Laon, gives its name to lawn.

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SKBlair – May 2003 11 Advanced Sewing: Textiles (braided, plaited), , Ric-Rac (Rick- Rack),

Fiber Content: Any fibers. Stiff braids: coarse monofilaments of MF fiber (often nylon or polypropylene) replace the original wiry fibers from animals, such as horsehair from manes and tails.

Construction: A single set of yarns is interlaced or plaited parallel to each other, lying diagonal to the fabric edges. May be a circular fabric. Braids are never wide and so provide narrow fabrics with finished edges. They have some stretch or give, like woven cloth on the bias.

Use: Sheer, stiff braids are used to hold out and make hats. Braids are used for bindings and for . Shoelaces, flat or round, are often braided as are lamp and candlewicks.

Name: Millinery and braid are still called horsehair braid although today they are made of clear MF monofilament fiber. Soutache is French term for braid. Ric-rac always is a zigzag shape. Passementerie refers to elaborate trimmings or edgings of gold or silver , , colored silk or beads; from the French, passements.

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SKBlair – May 2003 12 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fiber Content: Cotton (best quality will use long staple fibers) or blends, often with polyester. There is a similar fabric made of silk: silk broadcloth.

Construction: Yarn is fine. Best quality in cotton will be 2- or 3-ply combed and mercerized. Weft may be twist-on-twist to enhance the rib. yarn almost the same thickness, but there are nearly twice as many warp as weft in a close plain weave. Thread count from 150 for good quality to 230 for superb, best custom shirts). Fabric is gassed to give a smooth finish. Broadcloth has a durable press finish when used for tailored articles such as dress shirts.

Use: Top weight. The classic dress fabric, also used for pajamas, dresses. Similar to but finer than .

Name: Once applied to any fabric wider than “narrow” 27 inches wide.

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SKBlair – May 2003 13 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fiber Content: Silk or MF filament. Often with metallic. Occasionally made of cotton.

Construction: A jacquard weave with an elaborate or intricate pattern giving a raised effect as if embroidered. Not reversible because there are long floating yarns on the back of the fabric.

Use: Bottom weight for jackets, formal wear and accessories. Heavier used for drapes and upholstery.

Name: Latin brocare, meaning to figure.

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SKBlair – May 2003 14 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Calico

Fiber Content: Cotton and cotton blends with polyester.

Construction: Carded-only yards, balanced plain weave. Printed with small designs, usually bright colors. Printing of classic designs with small repeats is usually done by rollers, one for each color. The print paste in each color is held in areas etched or engraved into the roller. The general name for this type of printing is intaglio.

Use: Top weight. Use for shirts, dresses, curtains, quilts and accessories.

Name: From the town of Calicut on the southwestern coast of India in State. Fabric first block printed with calico in those days being a general term for this type of cotton fabric.

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SKBlair – May 2003 15 Advanced Sewing: Textiles , Awning, Duck, Sailcloth, Tarpaulin

Fiber Content: Originally flax or . Now usually made of cotton or blends except for sails (the first use) where MF fibers, especially UV- resistant nylon are used.

Construction: Carded only yarns, close plain weave. Fairly well balanced for greatest strength but may also be ribbed. Sportswear canvas is often a 2x1 basket variation of plain weave to give porosity and wrinkle resistance.

Use: Bottom weight or heavier for sportswear, workwear, outdoor furniture.

Name: Canvas from the Latin cannabis for hemp. Duck from the Dutch doek meaning linen canvas. Tarpaulin because is was traditionally treated with tar or oil + Latin pallium, meaning cloth.

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SKBlair – May 2003 16 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fiber Content: Cashmere goat hair with silk. Now wool, MF fiber especially acrylic, polyester or rayon, cotton or blends.

Construction: Spun yarn, carded. Balanced plain weave, not close. Has a soft finish with a slight , especially with cotton or rayon challis. Usually have a small flower print often on a dark ground. Best quality has traditionally been discharge printed to give a solid dark ground but today challis is usually silkscreen or roller printed.

Use: Top weight. Light, open, drapes well. Use for women’s and children’s nightwear, dressing gown, blouses, dresses, shirts, scarves, loose skirts if lined.

Name: Challis is derived from Anglo-Indian shalee, meaning soft.

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SKBlair – May 2003 17 Advanced Sewing: Textiles , Crepe

Fiber Content: Silk, MF fiber often polyester. Also wool georgette.

Construction: Filament (unless of wool), fine, very high twist. Balanced plain weave, highest-twist crepe yarns used in both warp and weft. In georgette, the direction of twist is alternated every one or two yarns (from an “S” to a “Z”), giving a very pebbly, crêpe hand developed in wet finishing.

Use: Both fabrics are sheer. Chiffon is very soft, light and fragile. Georgette has a little more substance with a cloudier look. Both are dull and very drapable. Use for lingerie, nightwear, blouses, dresses, evening and bridal wear.

Name: French chiffon meaning a rag, a scrap. Georgette is said to be named for a French milliner, Mme. Georgette de la Plante who used this fabric a great deal.

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SKBlair – May 2003 18 Advanced Sewing: Textiles , Polished Cotton

Fiber Content: Cotton and cotton blends.

Construction: Yarns usually carded only. Firm balanced plain weave. Usually printed. Design often a fairly large floral. Chintz often has a glossy surface from glazing or calendaring. Some glazed fabric today is called chintz even when it is a solid color. Polished cotton may be printed or not. There is no surface glaze applied. The lustrous surface comes from calendaring.

Use: Usually bottom weight. Used mainly for drapes, slipcovers, accessories some apparel such as summer jackets.

Name: Hindi chint, plural chintes = varied in color. Also from Sanskrit citra, meaning spotted. Source of the word cheetah.

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SKBlair – May 2003 19 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Fiber Content: Cotton and blends. Best quality is long staple cotton. Occasionally other fiber such as bamboo and silk.

Construction: Yarn for best quality is combed and mercerized. Most are carded only. Weave uses one set of warp and weft for the ground or back, usually in a plain weave called tabby back. The best have a weave ground called twill back, jean back or Genoa back. Extra weft yarns are interlaced to form vertical rows of crosswise floats. By the 17th century France the floats were cut and brushed up to form the vertical pile wales now characteristic of corduroy. Classified by number of vertical rows of cut pile (wales) per inch: Corduroy Name Wales per inch Featherwale 18-21 Pinwale 16-18 Midwale 14 Thickset 11 Widewale 2-9 Use: Bottom weight to heavy. Feather and pinwale approach top weight fabric. Used for a variety of men’s women’s and children’s wear including dresses, pants, suits, jackets, sportswear, playclothes, workwear, coats.

Name: French corde du roi meaning King’s cord. Corduroy was used in the 17th and 18th centuries to give a heard-wearing fabric for livery and menservant’s uniforms in the royal households.

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SKBlair – May 2003 20 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Crepe de Chine

Fiber Content: Silk or MF filament. Today often nylon or polyester.

Construction: Filament yarn. Plain weave. The warp yarn is low twist, finer and many more than the weft. Weft is the highest twist, often alternating directions (S and Z). Crepes develop pebbliness in wet finishing. All may be solid color or printed.

Use: Usually top weight. Used for blouses, dresses, lingerie, scarves.

Name: French meaning crepe of China.

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SKBlair – May 2003 21 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fiber Content: Silk or MF filament type. But much damask today is spun type: table linen made of flax, cotton, rayon and blends.

Construction: Silky version uses filament yarns, low twist as a rule. Better- quality spun yarns are smooth and fine. Cotton is combed. Firm weave is jacquard with large, sweeping designs set off from the ground by the luster of weave floats. In any damask there are more weft than warp. Fabric is reversible with areas lustrous on one side being duller on the other. When two colors are used, these reverse from front to back.

Use: Usually bottom weight as the weave must be firm for good quality. Use for dressy wear, scarves, table linens, drapes, bedspreads, jackets.

Name: The city of Damascus, Syria, close to the Middle East end of the ancient overland trade route from the Far East, became associated with this one of many famous silk textiles carried to the outside world from China. From the 15th century in northern European countries, linen damask was made to simulate silk fabrics. So damask is more associated now with table linens. The French is damas or damasse.

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SKBlair – May 2003 22 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Denim, Dungaree, Jean

Fiber Content: Cotton, blends often with polyester or spandex, also with lyocell for a less rigid fabric.

Construction: Carded only. Denim has warp yarns dyed indigo blue, weft yarns undyed. Jean or dungaree is very similar but may be solid. Warp- face twill weave. Often 2/1 sometimes 3/1 for very tough denim. Traditionally left-hand twill but may also be right hand. Since more warp is on the face, that side is darker. Worn denim shows lighter as more of the weft yarns are exposed. Heavy, all-cotton denim is stiff. Well-used fabric is softer and conforms more closely to the body. 100% cotton bull denim may be up to 18 oz per sq yd for greatest strength. Blends of cotton with polyester can be somewhat lighter weight but still very tough.

Use: Bottom weight, medium to heavy. Casual, play, sports and work clothing. About one fourth of U.S. cotton crop is used to make denim.

Name: Denim is a contraction of the French de Nîmes (Nîmes serge), a twill sail fabric used by sailors of Nîmes, France for pants. Jean is from Genoa in northern Italy. Hindi dungri means a cotton twill fabric that might have both warp and weft dyed blue.

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SKBlair – May 2003 23 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Doubleknit

Fiber Content: Any fiber or yarn type. Any weight from top weight to heavy.

Construction: Weft knit, made on a circular rib machine, with two sets of needles. This allows separate yarn feeds to loop on either set. Literally, two fabrics knitted together. Can have very firm character with yarns distributed evenly on both sides. A design is clearer on the face while the back may show a “birdseye” look. Can be corded, honeycomb, layered, blistered, puffed or pocketed look where each yarn feed knits mostly on one side or the other.

Use: Doubleknits have the comfort, stretch and wrinkle resistance of all knits, especially weft knits, but are much more stable than single knits. They ravel, curl, sag , stretch and shrink less readily. Suitable for more tailored garments such as slacks, skirts, suits and sportswear.

Name: Textured doubleknits of filament polyester yarn have been called crimpknit. Ponte di Roma doubleknit is so called because the way the loops look suggests a Roman bridge.

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SKBlair – May 2003 24 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Eyelet (Broderie Anglaise, Madeira Work)

Fiber Content: Cotton, flax, blends.

Construction: Ground is often a light or sheer, fine, balanced plain weave fabric like batiste or . Can be cotton broadcloth, poplin, , linen or pique. The fabr4ic is embroidered, either all over or in a border, with small holes or areas within the pattern cut or punched out. Eyelet may be any color. Broderie anglaise (Madeira work) is white embroidery on white ground.

Use: Top weight for hot-weather lingerie, nightwear, blouses, dresses, trim, curtains, table linens.

Name: Eyelet got its name from the reinforced holes or eyes for lacing. with hand embroider is still done on the Portuguese island of Madeira. It was begun as an industry in 1856 by the daughter of an English wine importer. She taught the women and girls English methods, thus the name (in French) broderie anglaise and the name Madeira work.

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SKBlair – May 2003 25 Advanced Sewing: Textiles ( or billiard cloth) Fiber Content: Wool or wool blends. If entirely cotton it should be called cotton flannel or Flannelette.

Construction: If yarn is carded only ( spun), fabric will usually be plain woven. If yarn is combed (worsted – finer, more twist), fiber will usually be woven in 2/2 right-hand twill. The worsted flannel will be finer and firmer, will take a crease or hold its shape better and will wear longer. Light but definite nap on face of flannel. Baize has nap on both sides. When heavily felted, it is dyed green. Originally it was brownish red. Carding brushes raw or washed fibers to prepare them as textiles. Combing uses combs to prepare fiber for spinning. The combs used have long metal teeth. One comb holds the fiber while the other is moved through, slowly transferring the fiber to the moving comb. Combing the fibers removes the short fibers and arranges the fiber in a flat bundle, with all the fibers going the same direction. In general, combing is done with fibers that are longer, and carding with fibers of a shorter length. In worsted wool, all the fibers run parallel to each other and in the same direction.

Use: Bottom weight for slacks, skirts, suits, coats. Also made in top weight for sleepwear, shirts, sportswear; this is commonly called shirting flannel. ™ is a twill weave made of 55/45 lamb’s wool/cotton).

Name: Welsh gwlan, meaning wool or gwlanan, fabric of wool. Old French baie means brownish red.

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SKBlair – May 2003 26 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fiber Content: Wool or blend with MF fiber, cotton or, rarely, silk.

Construction: Usually fine, combed (worsted if spun on wool system), warp 2-play in high quality. Warp-face twill weave, usually 2/1, right hand for wool family fabric. Sometimes cotton gabardine will be left hand. The twill line may be regular or steep. Diagonal wale line is clearly visible on the face only.

Use: Bottom weight for slacks, skirts, suits, uniforms, dresses, sportswear, coats, hats, rainwear.

Name: Medieval Spanish gabardina, meaning protection from the elements.

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SKBlair – May 2003 27 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Interlock

Fiber Content: Cotton and blends. Can be all MF fiber, usually polyester or nylon if filament fiber is used or acrylic when it is staple.

Construction: Fine yarn, spun (cotton) for interlock. Doubleknit on a circular rib machine that forms wales on one side directly behind the wales on the other. Result is a fine 1X1 rib on both sides.

Use: Top weight. Moderate crosswise stretch. Interlock is the more stable T-shirt fabric. Also used for polo shirts, sportswear, sleepwear, leisurewear, : skirts, dresses, light slacks, coats. Good stability and does not curl at the edges as does. Watch out for runs!

Name: From the way the knit loops interlock.

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SKBlair – May 2003 28 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Jersey

Fiber Content: Wool. Any natural or MF fiber. Blends.

Construction: Spun or filament, fine or heavy. Single weft knit, plain stitch. The face shows vertical line (wales) while the back shows rows (courses) of crosswise line. Both sides can be used at the face side. Made flat or circular and gives a lighter fabric that other weft knits. Has more stretch crosswise than lengthwise so it fits the body closely. However, it curls at the edges, sags, shrinks and runs or ravels the most readily of the knits. If made with a purl stitch, will have courses on both sides.

Use: Top weight o heavy. Used for many kinds of apparel from underwear to evening dresses because of its body-fitting character. Leggings and tights.

Name: From the Channel Isle of Jersey fishermen’s knit .

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SKBlair – May 2003 29 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Linen

Fiber Content: Flax. Any natural or MF fiber. Blends.

Construction: Flax –To turn flax into linen, the stalks must be threshed, retted, broken, scotched, hackled, carded and spun.

Use: Sheer to bulky. Used for loose-fitting apparel from dresses, tops, skirts, jackets.

Name: From the Linum genus native to the middle East.

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Linen 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.

The word linen is of West Germanic origin and cognate to the Latin name for the flax plant, linum, and the earlier Greek. This word history has given rise to a number of other terms in English, most notably line, from the use of a linen (flax) thread to determine a straight line. Many products are made of linen: aprons, bags, towels (swimming, bath, beach, body and wash towels), napkins, bed linens, tablecloths, runners, chair covers, and men’s and women’s wear.

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The collective term “linens” is still often used generically to describe a class of woven or knitted bed, bath, table and kitchen textiles traditionally made of flax-based linen but today made from a variety of fibers. The term “linens “refers to lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises, waist-shirts, lingerie (a cognate with linen), and detachable shirt collars and cuffs, all of which were historically made almost exclusively out of linen. The inner layer of fine composite cloth garments (as for example dress jackets) was traditionally made of linen, hence the word lining.

Textiles in a linen weave texture, even when made of cotton, hemp, or other non-flax fibers, are also loosely referred to as “linen”. Such fabrics frequently have their own specific names: for example fine cotton yarn in a linen-style weave may be called madapolam.

Linen textiles appear to be some of the oldest in the world: their history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns, and various types of fabrics dating to about 8000 BC have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. Dyed flax fibers found in a prehistoric cave in Georgia suggest the use of woven linen fabrics from wild flax may date back even earlier to 36,000 BC.

Linen was sometimes used as a form of currency in ancient Egypt. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand-spun yarns, were very fine for their day, but are coarse compared to modern linen. In 1923, the German city Bielefeld issued banknotes printed on linen. Today, linen is usually an expensive textile produced in relatively small quantities. It has a long staple (individual fiber length) relative to cotton and other natural fibers.

-- Wikipedia, June 2019

SKBlair – May 2003 31 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Organdy, (Mousseline de Soie)

Fiber Content: Organdy: Best quality is cotton. May be blends, e.g., with polyester. Organza: Silk, more often MF, e.g., nylon or polyester.

Construction: High-quality organdy is made of fine, combed yarns, which may be high twist. Lower-quality yarns are carded only. Balanced plain weave, very thin fabric that is definitely sheer after finishing. Crisp finish. In the best-quality organdy, crispness if given by an acid treatment. Lower qualities may have starch, resin or other stiffening added. Organza uses fine filament yarn, balanced plain weave, sheer. Traditionally, high-twist plied silk yarn (organzine) was used for organza. Crisp.

Use: Sheer, top weight used for blouses, dresses (girls’ party dresses), evening and bridal wear, trim, millinery.

Name: French organdi, meaning book . Organzine is warp yarn in the silk trade, 2-ply high twist for strength. French mousseline de soie, meaning silk muslin.

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SKBlair – May 2003 32 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Poplin

Fiber Content: Originally made of silk or silk and wool. Today made of cotton or blends, usually with polyester.

Construction: May be carded only or combed. There are more warp yarns than weft and the weft is usually heavier. Quite firm (close) plain weave with crosswise ribs fine but easily visible when the weft yarns are thicker than the warp. Sister fabric to broadcloth.

Use: Sturdy fabric, top or bottom weight, used for shirts, dresses, pajamas. Also for raincoats, slacks, sportswear.

Name: French papeline meaning papal, “of the Pope,” since the fabric was originally made in Avignon, in southeast France. This town was papal property from the 14th century until the French Revolution. It was the residence of popes instead of Rome from 1309 to 1377. The fabric then was all silk. In Ireland a worsted wool weft was introduced.

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SKBlair – May 2003 33 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Rib Knit

Fiber Content: Any natural or MF fiber. Blends.

Construction: Single weft knit in which all the loops of some wales are drawn off to the back of the fabric while all those of other wales are drawn off to the face across each course, giving raised wales on both sides. Rib knits are described by the number of wales drawn off to the face and by the number drawn to the back. The finest is a 1x1 rib. More likely a 2x2 rib or alternating between the two. May be tubular or flat.

Use: Because of its construction, rib knit has excellent crosswise stretch and recovery and is used for bands that should fit closely to the body. Sleeve or socks cuffs, waistbands, shaped collars. Because of the raised edges, a rib knit will be thicker than a plan stitch knit of the same yarn so gives better insulation in sweaters.

Name: A narrow ridge like the rib of an animal.

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SKBlair – May 2003 34 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Satin

Fiber Content: Silk or MF filament if fabric is called simply satin. Also cotton satin.

Construction: Warp-face satin weave, usually 5 shaft (4/1; four warp yarns float over weft, interlace with one). Less often 8 shaft (7/1; float of seven). Since most of the warp lies on the face and smooth filament yarns can be packed in closely, satin can be the smoothest, fullest, most lustrous woven fabric, very flexible for its weight. Satin finish is a smooth, lustrous finish to give the appearance of satin. Made by calendaring with or without a glaze. Can be flannel backed, crepe backed, lightweight as .

Use: Top or bottom weight. If not closely woven, will have a cheap, sleazy look and hand. Used for linings, lingerie, sleepwear, loungewear, blouses, dresses, evening and bridal, suites, coats, trim.

Name: From Zaytoun (Tzu-tin, Zai-tun), a port in southeastern China.

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SKBlair – May 2003 35 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Shantung, , Tussah, Muggah, Silk Burlap

Fiber Content: Wild silk. Imitated in MF fibers or cotton. Tussah (general term for wild silk), muggah and silk burlap are variations that are rougher than shantung.

Construction: Uneven slubby yard. Much is spun from waste silk. Slubs in shantung are more noticeable in the weft. Pongee hay have slubs in both warp and weft. The tussah group usually does. Usually plain weave.

Use: Top or bottom weight, except tussah. It is almost always bottom weight. Blouses, dresses, slacks, suits, drapes, wall coverings.

Name: Shantung is a province in northern China. Chinese pen chi, meaning woven at home, became pongee. Tussah from Sanskrit tasara, meaning a shuttle. Muggah from ancient Sanskrit muga, meaning amber brown for the color the silk cocoon of the muga moth raised in the Assam region of northeastern India.

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SKBlair – May 2003 36 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fiber Content: Silk or MF filament except for slub weft in antique taffeta.

Construction: Only filament yarn is used in a close, plain weave (except for antique taffeta). Warp and weft are almost the same size but there are many more warp than weft. This results in a firm, smooth fabric with a crosswise rib that is usually very fine. The changeable or iridescent fabric that results from using different colored yarns in warp and weft is called or shot taffeta with two colors in the weft and a third in the warp.

Use: Firm crisp fabric that rustles when moved. When made of silk, this rustle is called scroop and results from an acid treatment. A heavily heat- calendered taffeta gives ciré with a shiny surface and yarns flattened to close up most of the spaced between. A strong rib is called faille. A woodgrain pattern is called moiré or watered silk made by pressing together two layers of cross-rib fabric that are not exactly aligned.

Name: Persian tafta, a lustrous silk.

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SKBlair – May 2003 37 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Tricot

Fiber Content: Originally silk but rarely today. More likely nylon or polyester. May include some spandex

Construction: Almost always filament yarn, dictated by the type of needle used on the tricot machine. This is where a yarn end is fed to each needle from the lengthwise direction. Guide bars move the yarns from side to side, to loop now on one needle, now on another, forming crosswise lines of a zigzag pattern on the technical back of tricot while the technical face shows lengthwise wales that look like plain stitch. Tricot is a very stable fabric, even in a sheer. Loops do not unravel or run. There is some stretch crosswise but little give lengthwise. Tricot may be calendered to give a smooth finish called satinized.

Use: Sheer to heavy. Use for lingerie, nightwear, bridal and evening wear, loungewear, lining, dresses.

Name: French tricoter meaning to knit. In English, tricot refers to a product of a specific warp knitting machine.

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SKBlair – May 2003 38 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Twill Fiber Content: Best quality still wool or blends. Active sportswear often polyester. General sportswear uses cotton or even rayon.

Construction: Worsted combed if made of wool. Better quality of any fiber will be combed. Woven with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. This is made by passing the weft threads over two warp threads then under one warp thread (2/1 means the loom is shifted so the weft goes two up then one down) with a step or offset between rows that creates the diagonal pattern or wale. Thus the fabric has a front and back side. The front or face has the most pronounced wales. A regular twill has a wale line angle of 45° to the selvage. A steep twill has a 63° angle. The steep twill line is formed when more warp is packed in, making a more durable fabric. A twill with ribs on both sides is called a .

Use: Bottom weight or heavier for sportswear, pants, coats, suits, riding pants, work wear.

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SKBlair – May 2003 39 Advanced Sewing: Textiles

Fiber Content: Silk or blend of silk and rayon. If made of cotton, should be called cotton velvet. It is more dense than .

Construction: One set of warp and weft yarns weave the back (plain or twill), an extra set of warp forms the pile. A ground of twill weave can hold the pile tufts better. It is called twill, jean or Genoa-back. Most velvet today has an allover cut pile surface given by cutting apart a . For surface variations, the overwire method is used: The pile warp is held up. Then the pile may be cut or uncut and of varying heights in different rows. Velvet may be crushed, embossed, sculptured or given a crush- resistant finish. It can be burned-out or devoured (devoré) with acid.

Use: Bottom weight. Some lighter or heavier. Dresses, suits, coats, shoes, hats, trim, upholstery.

Name: Latin velus meaning hair.

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SKBlair – May 2003 40 Advanced Sewing: Textiles Fabrics According to End-Use Categories

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SKBlair – May 2003 47 Advanced Sewing: Textiles