Descriptionary

Irish tweed a tweed made in Ireland, characterized by a white warp with colored filling threads.

jacquard any fabric with a woven or knitted design.

khaki a fabric having an earth or olive green color, as in military uniforms.

knit, double a fabric made in two layers.

knit, jacquard any design knit into a fabric.

lace, aloe a lace made from aloe plant fibers.

lace, antique a heavy, coarse, open form of darned lace, used in curtains. Also called spider work.

lace, binch a lace of handmade motifs attached to a net ground.

lace, bourdon scroll-patterned lace with heavy thread outline.

lace, Chantilly a popular bridal lace characterized by delicate scrolls, branches, and flowers.

lace, Irish crochet and needlepoint type laces made in Ireland.

lace, Venise needlepoint lace in a floral pattern edged with small, decorative loops.

lame fabric made from metallic yarns, used in eve­ning dresses.

lawn a sheer, lightweight, plain-weave fabric.

leather the cleaned hide of an animal.

linen one of the oldest fabrics, made from flax.

lisle two-ply cotton or wool yarn used for socks.

Lycra trademark name for spandex fiber.

mackinaw a thick, heavy, coarse fabric, named after blankets made by the Mackinaw Indians, now found in plaid or checked hunting jackets.

macrame a method of knotting and weaving to pro­duce a coarse lacework.

madras a fine-textured cotton cloth from Madras, India, usually having a checked, striped, or plaid pat­tern whose dyes eventually bleed into one another after several washings.

marl a yarn made from different colored yarns.

matelasse fabric having a quilted or blistered appear­ance, produced with the use of puckered material.

matte having a dull, flat finish.

merino a fine, dense wool derived from the merino sheep.

metallic fibers human-made metal or metal-covered fibers.

middy twill

a durable twill-weave fabric.

mohair the long, shiny hair of the Angora goat.

monk's cloth a heavy, coarse fabric that is loosely woven, used in draperies and in some clothing.

motif a design that is usually repeated in a pattern on a fabric.

muslin a plain weave fabric made of cotton and human-made fibers in various weights; used in sheets and in making prototypes of garments to save cutting expensive material.

naked wool sheer, lightweight woolen fabric.

nap a hairy, fuzzy, or soft surface, produced by brushing with wire bristles.

napping the brushing process that produces nap on a fabric.

needlepoint decorative needlework or embroidery on open fabric.

nun's veiling a plain-weave, light-weight, sheer fab­ric used by nuns for veils.

oilskin waterproof raincoat fabric.

organdy a sheer, lightweight fabric used in curtains, blouses, and evening wear.

Orlon trademark name for DuPont acrylic fiber.

ottoman wool, silk, or human-made fabric having wide, horizontal ribs, used in evening wear.

Oxford gray a very dark gray used in men's suits and slacks.

paisley swirling, conelike design woven or printed on fabric. A soft wool fabric having this design.

Panama a lightweight wool worsted used in sum­mer suits.

patchwork combining bits or patches of different materials to create a large piece, as a quilt.

pebble refers to fabric having a bumpy or grainy surface.

percale a blend of combed and carded cotton and human-made fibers, used in sheets; softer and smoother than muslin.

picot an edging consisting of a series of small, deco­rative loops.

pile a nappy fabric surface composed of cut or uncut loops of yarn.

pique a fabric having woven, raised geometrical patterns.

plaid, argyle a plaid pattern of diamonds.

pleat a permanently set fold of fabric.

pleats, accordion very narrow, straight pleats.

pleats, box a double pleat made by two facing folds.

pleats, knife

narrow, straight pleats running in one direction.

pleats, sunburst pleats that radiate out to the edge of a skirt.

plisse a fabric that has been permanently puckered by a chemical or heat process.

plush thick deep pile.

pointillism printing dots on a fabric to give the illu­sion of a solid color from a distance.

polyester a strong, wrinkle-resistant, human-made fiber.

poodle cloth looped fabric used in coats.

poplin shiny, durable imitation silk with a fine, hor­izontal rib, used for dresses.

printing the application of a colored pattern or design onto a fabric.

rayon the first human-made fiber, originally known as artificial silk, used in some women's apparel.

rib a cord or ridge running vertically or horizon­tally.

sailcloth see canvas.

sateen a strong, shiny satin weave fabric made of cotton.