Bolt: Customarily accepted length of fabric, which varies according to the type of cloth. Alternative name for piece.
Comfort fit: Describes a fabric or garment containing a small proportion of elastomeric fibre, usually elastane, which ensures that the garment keeps its shape.
Cut: Length of fabric in the grey state, usually in the range of 45-90 meters, depending on the type and weight of fabric.
Counting glass: Small magnifying glass mounted on a stand, the base of which is accurately marked with units of measurement (inches or centimeters) around a central aperture. This enables the accurate counting of the ends and picks per unit length in a woven fabric and of the wales and courses in a knitted fabric. See piece glass, linen prover.
Fent: Short length of fabric cut from a longer length such as a piece. It may or may not be of imperfect material.
Geotextiles: Any permeable textile material used as an integral part of civil engineering structures of earth, rock and other constructional materials, for the purposes of filtration, drainage, separation, reinforcement or stabilization.
Ground: Background part of the design in a fabric. Also, the structure that forms the main body of the cloth.
Industrial textiles: Textile materials and products intended for end users other than clothing, household, furnishing and floor covering. See technical textiles.
Narrow fabric: Any fabric that does not exceed 45 cms in width (in UK). In the USA and Europe the accepted upper width in 30 cms. Ribbons, tapes, braids and narrow laces are included in this category.
Off-grain: General term used to describe faulty fabric in which the warp and weft, although straight, are not at right angles to each other.
One-way fabric: Fabric that appears different when viewed from the top and the bottom, i.e. along the grain. A number of factors can make a fabric one-way, e.g. pattern, nap, pile. When a one-way fabric is cut for making-up it must be used with all the pieces lying in the same direction.
Piece: Customarily accepted length of fabric, which varies according to the type of cloth.
Piece glass: See counting glass.
Pile yarns: Those yarns in a fabric which form the pile.
Run-of-the-mill fabric: Fabric brought from the mill with an agreed allowance for faults.
Scrim: General term, irrespective of structure, for a lightweight base cloth.
Standard fabric: Known, commonly found fabric where the specifications, e.g. fibre(s), yarn type and count, fabric construction, finish, weight are generally accepted, e.g. poplin. Voile, organza, foulard. Often standard fabrics are interpreted by manufacturers using different specifications but retaining the visual characteristics of the original.
Stretch fabric: Fabric showing greater than usual extensibility and recovery.
Technical textiles: Textile material and products manufactured primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than their aesthetic or decorative characteristics.
Ticking: General term applied to fabric used for mattress covers, pillows, etc.
Traditional name: Generally accepted name for a classic or standard fabric type, e.g. denim, chambray, cavalry twill.
Uncut pile: Surface on a fabric consisting of loops or yarn.
Wadding: Lofty sheet of fibres used for padding, stuffing or packing.
Alternate gating: The alternate alignment of one set of needles with another set of needles in a machine where the two sets of needles are arranged to knit rib fabric. Also known as rib gating.
Bearded needle: Type of machine knitting needle, where the open hook can be closed by an action known as pressing.
Compound needle: Type of machine knitting needle, with two operating parts which enables the hook of the needle to be open or closed.
Courses: The rows of loops in a warp or weft knitted fabric that run across the width of the fabric.
Double-ended needle: Needle for machine knitting with a latch (or a beard) at each end. Used on purl knitting machines.
Effect side: The side of the fabric which will be used as the face of the cloth. This may or may not be the same as the technical face of the fabric. Sometimes the technical back is the surface that shows in the final product.
Fashion/fully fashioned: Describes weft knitted fabrics or garments that are partly or wholly shaped by widening or narrowing the width of the fabric being knitted. This is done by loop transference and increasing or decreasing the number of needles actually knitting.
Float loop: Length of yarn not received by a needle and connecting two loops of the same course those are not in adjacent wales. Also known as missed loop.
Float stitch: Stitch where the yarn is not received by a needle and floats across connecting two loops on the same course that are not in adjacent wales. Also known as missed stitch.
Guide bar: Bar running the full width of a warp knitting machine onto which are mounted the yarn guides. The patterning device on the machine controls the movement of the guide bar, and this the movement of the yarns from needle to needle.
Held loop: Loop which, having been pulled through the loop of the previous course, is retained by the needle during the knitting of one or more additional courses.
Inlaid yarn: A yarn in a knitted fabric which has not been knitted, but is held in place in the fabric by the knitted loops. Fabrics produced with laid-in or inlay yarns may be weft knitted or warp knitted.
Inlay: Technique of incorporating an inlaid yarn into a knitted structure.
Intarsia: Weft knit technique where different colors are used within plain, rib or purl structures on the same course. Each area of color is knitted from a separate yarn which is contained in that area and does not float on the back of the fabric.
Interlock gating: The opposite alignment of one set of needles with another set of needles in a machine where the two sets of needles are arranged to knit interlock fabric. Also known as opposite gating.
Knit-de-knit: Process of knitting a fabric, treating it to produce a particular effect, an unraveling the fabric. See knit-de-knit yarn, space dyeing.
Knock-over: The action of casting off the old loop over the head of the needle.
Laid-in yarn: A yarn in a knitted fabric which has not been knitted, but is held in place in the fabric by the knitted loops. Fabrics produced with laid-in or inlay yarns may be warp knitted or weft knitted.
Latch needle: Type of machine knitting needle, where a small hook at the top of the needle can be closed by a pivoting latch.
Needle bar: Assembly of needles in a warp knitting machine.
Needle bed: Assembly of needles in a weft knitting machine.
Opposite gating: The opposite alignment of one set of needles with another set of needles in a machine where the two sets of needles are arranged to knit interlock fabric. Also known as interlock gating.
Overlap: The yarn that goes over the hook of the needle. The overlaps show on the face of the knitted fabric made on one set of needles.
Purl: Weft knitted fabric where the loops on the every wale at each needle on some courses are intermeshed to the front of the fabric, and on the remaining courses the loops on every wale are intermeshed to the back of the fabric. A similar appearance shows on the face and back of the fabric.
Raschel machine: Warp knitting machine with great versatility because both filament and spun yarns may be used, an up to fifty guide bars give enormous scope for patterning.
Rib gating: The alternate alignment of one set of needles with another set of needles in a machine where the two sets of needles are arranged to knit rib fabric. Also known as alternate gating.
Shogging: Sideways or lateral movement of the guide bar parallel to the needle bar of a warp knitting machine. Produces overlaps on the technical front of the fabric and under laps on the technical back.
Spirality: Distortion in a weft knitted fabric where the wales an/ or the courses do not follow a true vertical and true horizontal direction respectively. Wale spirality is caused by twist-lively yarn one either a circular knitting machine or a flat knitting machine. Course spirality is caused by multiple feeds on a circular knitting machine.
Straight-bar machine: Weft knitting machine with bearded needles fixed in a moveable straight bar or bars, used to produce fashioned or fully-fashioned goods.
Technical back: The side of the knitted fabric that shows the underlaps.
Technical Face: The side of the knitted fabric that shows the overlaps.
Tricot machine: Warp knitting machine used to make fine lightweight fabric from filament yarns, using no more than four warp beams and guide bars.
Tuck loop: A length of yarn received by a needle or not pulled through the loop of the previous course.
Underlap: The yarn that joins the loops together. The underlaps show on the back of a knitted fabric made on one set of needles.
Wales: The columns of loops in a warp or weft knitted fabric that run along the length of the fabric.
Welt: Secure edge of a knitted fabric or garment, made during or after the knitting process.
Yarn guide: Element on a machine which controls and guides the yarn, e.g. in warp knitting each yarn passes through a yarn guide.
Accordion fabric: Weft knitted fabric, with a figured design in tow or more colors, that is produced on one set of needles by knitting and missing, and where long floats on the back of the fabric are avoided by introducing tuck stitches.
Argyll: Pattern originating in Scotland, showing blocks of solid color, often geometric. Produced by intarsia knitting, much used for sweaters and socks.
Atlas: Warp knitted fabric characterized by having one or more sets of yarns traversing in a diagonal manner, one wale per course for a number of courses, returning in the same manner to the original wale. See also single atlas and double atlas.
Barathea: Fabric with pebbled appearance, usually a twilled hopsack or broken-rib weave, made of silk, worsted wool or manmade fibres. Used for a variety of clothing products, including men’s suitings.
Batiste: Fine, soft, plain weave fabric traditionally made from linen, now often made with other fibres, especially cotton.
Blister fabric: Weft knitted, rib-based showing a three-dimensional puckered figure in relief on a flat ground. Also known as relief fabric and cloque fabric.
Bourrelet: Non-jacquard double jersey weft knit structure made on an interlock basis showing horizontal ridges on the effect side.
Brocade: Plain weave fabric, generally of linen or cotton, which is stiffened during finishing with fillers and starches. Uses include interlinings and bookbinding fabrics.
Buckskin: Woven fabric made from fine Merino wool, with a dress-face finish. The appearance and handle resemble doeskin but the fabric is heavier.
Calico: General term for plain cotton fabrics heavier that muslin. These are usually left unbleached, are made in a variety of weights, and are often used for making toiles.
Cardigan-full: Variation of 1 and 1 rib, where every stitch in the wales on both sides of the fabric consists of a held loop and a tuck loop. Also known as polka rib.
Cardigan-half: Variation of 1 and 1 rib, where every stitch in the wales on one side of the fabric consists of a knitted loop and every stitch in the wales on the opposite side of the fabric consists of a tuck loop and a held loop. Also known as royal rib.
Cavalry Twill: Firm woven fabric with a steep twill showing double twill lines, traditionally used for riding breaches and jodphurs.
Challis: Lightweight, plain weave, worsted-spun fabric, generally of wool, with a soft handle and good drape. It is often printed.
Cheviot tweed: Tweed made from Cheviot wool, or wools of similar quality.
Chintz: Closely woven, lustrous, plain weave cotton fabric, printed or plain, that has been friction calendered or glazed. Much used for curtaining and upholstery.
Cire: Smooth woven or knitted fabric that is impregnated with a synthetic wax and passed through a friction calendar. Gives a waxy or wet-look effect. Can also be achieved with heat alone on thermoplastic fibre fabrics.
Clip-spot fabric: Extra-wrap or extra-weft fabric where the yarn floating between the small spots of pattern is clipped or sheared off after weaving by a scissor-like device.
Cloque:
(1) Particular type of woven double cloth where the two sets of warp and weft yarns have very different shrinkage potentials, allowing the production in finishing of figured blister effects.
(2) Weft knitted, rib-based double jersey fabric, showing a three-dimensional puckered figure in relief on a flat ground. Also known as blister fabric and relief fabric.
Crepe de chin: Lightweight, plain weave crepe fabric, made with highly twisted continuous filament yarn in the weft, alternating one S and one Z twist, and with normally twisted continuous filament yarns in the warp. The crepe effect is relatively unpronounced.
Crepon: Crepe fabric showing a pronounced fluted or crinkled effect in the warp direction.
Cretonne: Printed fabric, usually a cotton furnishing, which is heavier than chintz.
Crushed velvet: Pile fabric where the pile is laid in different directions in finishing, giving the fabric varied lustre.
Delaine: Lightweight, printed, all wool pain weave fabric.
Doeskin: Woven fabric with excellent handle, lustre and drape, usually made from fine Merino wool, with a dress-face finish, where the fabric is milled, raised and closely cropped.
Dogstooth check: Color-and weave effct produced by combining a 2/2 twill with a 4 and 4 order of coloring in warp and weft. Very small versions of this effect are known as houndstooth check.
Donegal tweed: Woolen-spun woven fabric characterized by randomly distributed clumps of brightly colored fibres in the yarns. A true Donegal tweed is made in County Donegal in Ireland.
Double atlas: Warp knitted fabric with two sets of yarns making identical single atlas movements but in opposite directions.
Double jersey: General term used to describe weft knitted fabric made on two sets of needles. Includes both rib-based and interlock-based structures.
Eight-lock: Non-jacquard, double jersey weft knitted fabric made on an interlock basis and showing a similar appearance on the face and back of the fabric.
Faconne: Figured jacquard woven fabric with a pattern of small, scattered motifs. Generally a single color.
Flannel: Light to medium weight wool fabric, often grey, or plain or twill weave with a soft handle. It may be slightly milled and raised.
Flat-jacquard: Patterned flat rib-based weft knitted fabric showing a figure in differing color an/or texture on the face of the fabric.
Foulard: Lightweight 2/2 twill fabric, originally of silk, and often printed. Much used for scarves due to its firm, non-slip characteristics.
Full cardigan: See cardigan-full.
Gaberdine: Steep twill fabric, originally made from worsed wool, where the ends are set much more closely than the picks. Much used for raincoat due to its firm structure and water-repellent properties.
Grosgain: Plain weave fabric with a pronounced rib in the weft direction, formed by using a relatively fine, continuous filament, closely-set warp and a much coarser weft, producing a characteristic ribbed effect.
Half cardigan: See cardigan-half.
Half-Milano rib: Weft knitted rib-based double jersey structure.
Harris Tweed: Woolen-spun tweed fabric, traditionally woven on narrow looms on the island of Harris in Scotmand. Characterized by subtle colors and a relatively harsh handle.
Interlock jersey: Weft knitted fabric made with an interlock structure.
Jersey: General term used for any knitted fabric.
Lame: A general name for fabrics where metallic threads are a conspicuous feature.
Lawn: Fine, plain weave fabric, traditionally of cotton or linen.
Locknit: Warp knitted tricot fabric, made with two sets of warp yarns. Used extensively for lingerie.
Marquisette: Square-hole, warp knitted net.
Melton: Heavyweight fabric, all wool, or with a cotton warp and a woolen weft, usually made in 2/2 twill. The fabric is heavily milled, raised and cropped.
Milanese: Warp knitted fabric containing twice as many yarns as there are wales in the fabric. Any particular yarn transverses the full width of the fabric diagonally and, on reaching the selvedge, transverses the fabric in the opposite direction.
Milano rib: Weft knitted rib-based double jersey structure.
Moire: Fabric which shows a moiré or wavy watermark pattern. This is produced in finishing by calendaring, usually on a fabric showing a rib or cord effect in the weft direction. The moiré effect can be achieved either by embossing with a roller engraved with a moiré pattern, or by feeding two layers of fabric face to face through the calendar. The effect may be permanent or temporary depending up on the fibre(s) and chemicals used.
Moquette: Firm, woven warp-pile fabric where the pile yarns are lifted over wires, which may or may not have knives. Withdrawal of the wires with gives a cut or an uncut pile. Used for upholstery, particularly on public transport vehicles.
Moss Crepe: Fabric with a characteristic spongy handle made with a moss crepe weave and S and Z twist moss crepe yarns. Moss crepe yarns are made by doubling a normal twist yarn with a high twist yarn. Moss crepe weaves have a relatively large repeat in both warp and weft directions.
Mousseline: General term for very fine, semi-opaque fabrics, finer than muslins, made of silk, wool or cotton.
Mull: A soft, plain weave cotton fabric with a relatively open texture, and a soft finish.
Nun’s veiling: Lightweight, clear finished, plain weave fabric, usually made of worsted-spun wool, silk or cotton yarn, and usually dyed black.
Onde: Describes a fabric showing a wavy effect produced either by calendaring or weaving with a special reed. The term is from the French word for waved.
Ondule: Fabric with a wavy effect in the warp direction, produced by weaving with a special reed.
Panne velvet: Pile fabric where the pile is laid in one direction during finishing to give a very high lustre.
Plaid: See tartan. Also name for the shawl or wrap of Highland costume, usually a tartan.
Plisse: Describes fabrics with a puckered or crinkled effect. From the French word for pleated.
Plush: Woven pile fabric with a longer and less dense pile than velvet. Warp and weft knitted plush fabric knitted plush fabrics are also produced, with cut or uncut pile, depending on the fabric.
Polka rib: Variation of 1 and 1 rib, where every stitch consists of a held loop and a tuck loop. Also known as full cardigan.
Ponte-Roma: Weft knitted, non-jacquard, interlock-based double jersey structure. Alternative name for punto di Roma.
Prince of Wales check: Color and weave effect much used in men’s suiting’s. Many variations, particular in scale, are commonly found. Coloring is often grey/white/black, with fine red lines as over checks.
Punto di Roma: Weft knitted, non-jacquard, interlock-based double jersey structure. Alternative name for ponte-Roma.
Purl: Weft knitted structure where both face and reverse loops are used on some or all of the wales, e.g. 1 and 1 purl consists of alternate courses of face loops and reverse loops, showing the same pattern on both sides of the fabric.
Raschel fabric: Warp knitted made on a raschel warp knitting machine. Fabric can range from fine laces and nets to thick outerwear fabrics.
Repp: Plain weave fabric a pronounced weftways rib effect, obtained by using a relatively fine warp and a heavier count weft.
Reverse locknit: Warp knitted tricot fabric, made with two sets of warp yarns.
Royal rib: Variation of 1 and 1 rib, where the wales on one side of the fabric consist wholly of knitted loops, and the wales on the opposite side of the fabric consist of tuck loops and held loops. Also know as half fardigan.
Sailcloth: Originally a tightly woven linen or cotton canvas used for the manufacturing of ship and yacht sails. Now more commonly made from polyamide, polyester and aramid fibres.
Serge: Twill fabric, traditionally made wool, usually piece-dyed. Often used for uniforms.
Shantung: Plain weave dress fabric showing random yarn irregularities, due originally to the unevenness of the tussah silk filaments. Now often made using different fibres.
Sharkskin: Firm, slightly stiff, two-bar tricot warp knitted fabric.
Shingosen: New generally of sophisticated, technically complex Japanese fabric with superior aesthetics and handle. Generally made from polyester, combining fibres of different shrinkage rates, cross sections and diameters.
Single atlas: Warp knitted fabric characterized by having one set of yarns traversing in a diagonal manner, one wale per course for a number of courses, returning in the same manner to the original wale.
Single jersey: Weft knitted fabric produced on one set of needles, where all the loops in the fabric mesh in the same direction. Fabric made in this way may also be called plain.
Single pique: Non-jacquard, double jersey weft knitted fabric made on an interlock basis, using a selection of knitted and tuck loops.
Texipique: Weft knitted interlock-based double jersey structure.
Thornproof tweed: Closely woven tweed fabric with highly twisted yarns and a firm, hard handle. Resistant to damage from thorns, and therefore used for clothing for rural activities.
Tricot fabric: Fine warp knitted fabric made on a tricot warp knitting machine using continuous filament yarns.
Tussore: Fabric woven from tussah silk.
Tweed: Originally a course, medium to heavy in weight, rough-surfaced, woven wool fabric. Now a term applied many fabrics, of varying constructions and fibre content, showing a characteristic rough, textured surface.
Velour:
(1) A heavy pile fabric with the pile laid in one direction.
(2) A napped-surface woven fabric or felt where the surface fibres are laid in one direction to give a smooth appearance.
(3) A warp or weft knitted cut pile fabric.
Velour (jersey): Cut pile weft or warp knitted fabric.
Whipcord: Steep twill fabric, commonly made from cotton or worsted-spun wool, where the closely set warp yarn from a cord-like effect.
Woven carpeting: Pile fabric incorporating a firm substrate or base, making it suitable for use as a floor covering.
Adhesive bonded nonwoven: Textile material composed of a web or batt of fibres, bonded together by the application of adhesive. The method of application of the adhesive and the density of the fibre web determine the character of the end product. Also known as bonded fibre fabric.
Barbed Needle: Needle with downwardly pointing indentations designed to entangle fibres within a batt or web when the needle is moved up and down.
Bonded fibre fabric: Textile material composed of a web or batt of fibres, bonded together by the application of adhesive. The method of application of the adhesive and the density of the fibre web determine the character of the end product. Also known as adhesive bonded nonwoven.
Candlewick: Tufted fabric, generally made from cotton, often used for bedspreads.
Microporous polymer laminate: Continuous membrane with extremely small pores or holes, which are big enough to allow the passage of water vapor, but are too small to allow water droplets to penetrate.
Needlebonded fabric: Alternative name for needlepunched fabric.
Needled fabric: Alternative name for needlepunched fabric.
Needlefelted fabric: Alternative name for needlepunched fabric.
Needleloom: Machine on which needlepunched fabrics are made.
Needlepunched fabric: Nonwoven mechanically bonded fabric made by using barbed needles which are continuously punched into the fibre web and withdrawn. This causes the fibres to become entangled. Needlepunched fabrics are also known as needlebonded fabrics, needlefelted fabrics and needled fabrics.
Smallware: Collective name in the textile trade for braids ribbons and tapes.
Solvent bonded nonwoven: Nonwoven fabric where the bonding is achieved by using a solvent which softens the fibre surfaces in the web or batt and thus causes bonding.
Spunlaced fabric: Mechanically bonded nonwoven fabric made by entangling the staple fibres in the batt which high pressure water jets. Also known as hydroentangled fabric.
Stitch-bonded fabric: Multi-component fabric where one component is a series of interloped warp knit stitches running the length of the fabric. The other components can be fibres, or yarns, or a combination of both, or pre-formed fabric.
Thermally bonded nonwoven: Nonwoven fabric where the thermoplastic nature of some or all of the fibres in the web or batt is utilized. The application of heat causes the fibre surfaces to soften and stick together permanentaly. Sometimes a heat sensitive powder is dispersed within the fibre web to cause bonding,
Web: Single or multiple sheets of fibres. Also known as batt.
