Fabric Dictionary - Definitions of Fabric Related Terms

Fabric Dictionary Definitions of Fabric Related Terms




Acetate	Manmade fiber composed of acetylated cellulose

Acrylic	Manmade fiber derived from petrochemical by-products


Bolt	An entire length of fabric, rolled full width on a tube

Border	A border is a gimp, but wider. This trim is sometimes woven in plain patterns, such as stripes or chevrons.

Boucle	A novelty yarn that is looped and crimped to produce a pebbly surface

Brush Fringe	A brush fringe is a cut fringe that has a flat skirt made of thin yarns. The heading can vary from plain to a most elaborate gimp.

Bullion Fringe	Bullion Fringe is made of plain or crepe cords, rather than yarns. The heading can be plain or decorative.


C.O.M.	Customer's Own Material

Cashmere	A fine fiber obtained from the undercoat of the Himalayan Cashmere goat

Chenille	Derived from the French word for "caterpillar". A special yarn with pile protruding on all sides, produced by first weaving a fabric, usually with cotton or linen warp and silk, wool, rayon or cotton weft; the warps are taped in groups of four and the wefts are beaten in very closely; after weaving, the fabric is cut lengthwise between each of these groups of warp yarns, each cutting producing a continuous chenille which is then twisted.

Chiffon	Plain weave, soft, sheer fabric – often silk or rayon yarns

Chintz	A cotton fabric, with or without a printed pattern, with a glaze created by applying resin and calendaring

Collage	A term used to describe the style of a product where more than two different fabrics are being used.

Cord	Cords consist of plied yarns (plies) that have been twisted together. When used for a seam a tape is sewn onto the edge of the cord. Cords are frequently used in place of fabric welting.

Corduroy	A cut-pile fabric, usually cotton, in which the ribbed pile is produced with a supplementary weft yarn

Cotton	A natural cellulosic seed-hair fiber, obtained from the seed pod of the cotton plant. First known in India about 3000 B.C.

Crewel	A hand embroidery technique from Kashmir in which fine, loosely twisted two-ply yarn is chain stitched on cotton cloth. Imperfections, color variations, irregularities, natural black specks, dye marks and dirt spots are characteristics that label it as genuine. These fabrics are hand woven by natives in India and the beauty of the cloth is in its natural, homespun appearance.

Crushed fabrics	Fabrics which are treated with heat, moisture and pressure in finishing to distort pile formation

Cut pile	A fabric in which the pile is cut rather than looped, creating a velvet effect.

Cut yardage	A fabric or trimming ordered to a specific measurement, as opposed to purchasing by the piece (a whole bolt)


Damask	Originally a rich silk fabric with woven floral designs made in China and introduced into Europe through Damascus, from which it derived its name. Typically, damasks are woven with a single beam (warp) with one or two weft colors. The fancy damasks reveal the smooth warp satin in the background with the low luster reverse sating in the motif. In two color damasks the colors reverse on either side. Single damask is made with a five-harness satin weave; the true or double or reverse damask, is woven with an eight-harness satin weave and has a firm hand

Denim	Yarn-dyed cotton cloth woven in a warp-faced twill, usually with a dyed warp and a natural weft

Density	A standard measurement of thickness in fabric weight. Yarn size, amount of warp ends and weft picks determine the density

Doupione	An irregular, slub silk reeled from double cocoons or silk worms which have spun their cocoons side by side causing an interlock, making it necessary to reel them together. Antique taffetas and sheers are woven with doupioni weft yarn, as are many damasks

Duck	A broad term for a wide range of plain weave fabrics, duck is usually made of cotton, although sometimes linen is used. The terms canvas and duck are often interchangeable, but "canvas" often is used to refer to the heavier constructions. The term "duck" had its origins before the mid 19th Century when all canvas for sails were imported. The light flax sail fabrics imported mostly from England and Scotland bore the trademark stencil of a raven while the weights bore the trademark picturing a duck. The word "duck" became associated with a heavy fabric and was applied to cotton canvas when it was first manufactured in the U.S.


Embossing	A calendaring process which produces a raised design or pattern in relief. The design is pressed into fabric or leather by passing it through hot engraved rollers; velvet or plush is embossed by shearing the pile to different levels or by pressing parts flat.


Felt	A fabric made from fibers not taken to yarn form but instead intermeshed by heat, moisture and agitation or a fabric made by shrinking and agitating woven or knit cloth to obtain superior density, resilience and strength.

Fiberglass	A manmade mineral fiber extruded in continuous filaments.

Filament	A continuous strand of silk or manmade fiber.

Filling (Weft)	An element carried horizontally through the open shed of the vertical warp in a woven fabric.

Flame resistant fabric	A fabric whose fiber content or topical finish makes it difficult to ignite and slow to burn.

Flame retardant fabric	A manmade fabric whose fiber content is officially acceptable for most fire code requirements.

Flange	Using fabric, a decorative finish sewn into a seam. To avoid the dog-ear affect a pellon may be inserted to stabilize the flange.

Flannel	A woolen fabric whose surface is slightly napped in finish.

Flax	The plant from the stem of which bast fiber is extracted by retting to produce linen. An erroneous term for linen fiber, particularly in blends.

Float	The portion of a warp or weft yarn that rides over two or more opposing yarns to form a sleek face, as in satin or is grouped to form a pattern on the face, as in brocade.


Gimp	Gimps are flat, narrow, woven textiles made in many styles. One or both edges of a gimp can be plain or cut or have scalloped loops.

Gingham	A yarn-dyed, combed or carded cotton fabric woven into a series of simple patterns in two or more colors, such as checks, stripes or plaids.


Hand	Literally, the feel of the goods in the hand; a qualitative term used to describe the tactile properties of a fabric.

Harlequin	A large check turned 45 degrees to form a diamond in two or more contrasting colors; suggested by the loudly checked costume of a harlequin.

Heat transfer printing	A method that transfers designs from rolls of paper to polyester or other thermo-plastic fibers. Designs are preprinted with disperse dyes on paper, and under high temperature are transferred onto fabric when both are passed through a heat transfer printing machine. Disperse dyes are the only ones that can sublimate and therefore are the only ones that can be used. An adaptation of the decalcomania method.

Herringbone	A twill weave that reverses direction across the fabric to form a chevron.

Honeycomb	A pique' weave in a hexagonal shape. They are often referred to as a waffle weave.

Hound's tooth	A pointed check effect produced by a two up, two down broken twill with four ends and four picks in a repeat.


Interlining	A layer of fabric between the outer, decorative fabric and the lining.

Iridescent	A color effect created by weaving warp ends of one color and a weft of another color. The taffeta weave creates the best iridescent effects.


Jacquard	A system of weaving which, because of a pattern-making mechanism of great versatility, permits the production of woven designs of considerable size. The Jacquard loom, derivation of the old draw boy hand loom, was credited to Joseph Marie Jacquard in France in the early 19th Century. On the Jacquard loom, because the threads are handled individually, anywhere from 100 to 15,000 threads may have independent weave action, allowing for complicated curvilinear designs.

Jute	A bast fiber obtained from the round pod jute or the long pod jute of the family Tiliaceae. Grown extensively in Pakistan and India, mainly in the Bengal district of Pakistan.


Kick Pleats	A separate piece of fabric placed in the corners of a bed skirt. This feature hides the bed frame legs.

Knife Edge	A seam without a decorative finish.


Lace	An openwork fabric produced by a network of threads, twisted together and sometimes knotted, to form patterns. It is made by hand, with needles, with hooks or by machinery.

Linen	Strong, lustrous yarn made from flax fiber.

Lis'er'e	The design is created by coloured warp threads brought up on the face of the fabric, leaving loose yarns on the back woven vertically, which gives it a vertical stripe effect. Lis'er'es are Victorian in appearance and have embroidered style patterns.

Loom state	Goods as they come off the loom before converting or finishing. Also called gray or griege.

Loop & Brush Fringe	A combination of a loop and cut brush fringe style within the same trimming.

Loop Fringe	Similar to a brush fringe except that the yarns at the base of the skirt are looped, not cut. The bottom edge of a loop fringe can be straight or scalloped.


Macrame	Needlework employing a variety of knots that create an open weave fancy netting.

Matelasse	The French word "Matelasser" means to quilt, to pad. This fabric is woven similar to a brocatelle, having two warps, which in weaving, achieves a puckered or quilted effect.

Mercerizing	A process that gives luster and strength to yarn or cloth.

Meter	A universally accepted measurement based in hundreds. It is equivalent to 39.37". This measurement is used in the majority of the world.

Mitered	A border or a flange that is matched in the corners with a diagonal seam.

Mohair	A long, white, lustrous hair obtained from the Angora goat. Mohair plush is a fabric with a cut pile of mohair yarns. It is lustrous and extremely strong and will hold a permanent embossing.

Moiré	A French word which means watered. A finishing process which produces a wavy or rippling pattern on the fabric. Each fabric moiré’s differently.

Muslin	A plain weave strong cotton cloth.


Natural fibers	A general term for fibers derived from natural substances such as cellulose, proteins and minerals.

Nylon	A generic term for the synthetic polyamide fibers.


Olefin	A manmade fiber composed of at least 85% by weight of ethylene, propylene or other olefin units.

Organza	A thin, transparent silk, rayon or nylon fabric made in a plain weave and given a stiff, wiry finish.


Pellon	A non-woven fabric that is used as an interfacing to shape, support and/or stabilize areas of a product.

Percale	A fine, plain-woven cloth of closely set combed and carded long staple cotton.

Piece dyeing	A process of dyeing fabric in the piece (bolt).

Pigment	An insoluble powdered coloring agent carried in a liquid binder and printed or padded onto the surface of a cloth.

Pile	Raised loops, cut interlacings of double cloths or tufts (cut loops) and other erect yarns or fibers deliberately produced on cloth, which form all or part of the surface of the fabric.

Pill	A fuzzy ball caused by the rolling up of abraded surface fibers.

Pique'	Fabric has an embossed appearance created by weaving ribbed, waffle or honeycomb patterns.

Ply	The number of yarns twisted together to make a composite yarn.

Polyester	A generic term for a manufactured fiber in which the fiber forming substance is a long chain synthetic polymer composed of a complex ester.


Raffia	A leaf stalk fiber obtained from the raffia palm in Raffia, Madagascar.

Railroaded	The pattern runs horizontally rather than up the roll.

Rayon	Generic term for a manmade fiber derived from regenerated cellulose.

Repeat	A term used to describe how often the pattern repeats on a fabric.

Resin	A synthetic substance used in corrective finishes to add body, reduce creasing, control shrinkage, produce luster in glazing, repel water or supply permanent press.

Rope	Ropes are cords with a diameter of at least one inch.

Ruched	Fabric can be ruched (gathered) to achieve a more elegant effect. Mostly used in welts or in the face of decorative pillows.

Ruffle	A gathered fabric. Bed skirts are often ruffled. Pillows can also have a ruffled finish instead of a plain flange. The fullness of a ruffle is regulated by how much fabric is used.


Satin	This weave is usually made with 5, 8 or 10 shafts that have the warp yarn floating again. The weave produces a fabric with a characteristic smooth surface and high luster. Weft or filler satins are usually referred to as sateen

Selvage	The edge on either side of a woven or flat-knitted fabric, often of different threads and/or weave, so finished to prevent raveling.

Shantung	A lightweight silk cloth woven in a plain weave with doupioni yarn.

Sheer	A very thin, transparent or semi opaque fabric.

Silk	A natural protein fiber produced from the cocoon of wild or cultivated silkworms.

Skirt Drop	The measurement from the box spring to the floor.

Super King	A term used for Eastern Accents extra large king duvet. The Super King Duvet is recommended for a king bed with a pillow-top mattress.

Super Queen	A term used for Eastern Accents extra large queen duvet. The Super Queen Duvet is recommended for a queen bed with a pillow-top mattress.


Tartan	Multicolored plaids originally made for Scottish clan kilts.

Tassel	Tassels come in all sizes, shapes and forms. A hanging ornament consisting of a head and a skirt of cut yarn, looped yarns or bullion fringe.

Tassel Trim	A plain or decorative gimp with attached tassels.

Ticking	A general term for a strong, durable, closely woven fabric in plain, twill or satin weave, which is used for covering box springs, mattresses and pillows.

Toile	A French word for cloth or fabric, linen, sailcloth, canvas. The linen or cotton cloth was made famous when a new technique of engraved plate printing was popularized in Jouy, France in the 18th Century. The finished printed cloth was referred to as Toile de Jouy. Today it usually describes a one color, fine line printed design that resembles a pen and ink technique. Toiles are printed by various methods, but the most beautiful are still created by engraved plates or rollers.

Tussah	A brownish silk yarn or fabric made from wild silk cocoons of a brownish color. These worms feed on leaves from various plants and trees such as oak, cherry, and wild mulberry

Tweed	A homespun effect created by multi or monochromatic colored yarns woven on plain looms. The fabric is usually wool or worsted and often has a rough texture.

Twill	This is a weave that creates a diagonal effect by having the warp float on top of a few weft yarns or vice versa. Generally three threads up and one down. Antique Twill is woven as a twill with a doupioni yarn, having slubs intermittently dispersed across the fabric.


Velour	A fabric with a pile or napped surface resembling velvet.

Velvet	There are two types of velvets. The hand woven velvet and the automatically woven velvet. The machine made velvet is a double-faced fabric. It weaves two fabrics, face to face, joined by the weft yarns. These yarns are then cut automatically which forms the pile on both faces.

Velveteen	A fabric with a single weft, similar to velvet but generally much softer and used for apparel.


Warp	Yarns place on a warp beam and entered into a loom.

Weft	Often referred to as "filling", it is the yarn that traverses the warp yarns (horizontally) during the weaving operation.

Welt	A piping covered with fabric. Eastern Accents offers three sizes of piping; small .25", medium .5" and large (jumbo) 1.5". The finished welt size depends on the fabric used. Welts are sawn into the seam of a product.

Wool	Fibers that grow on the sheep fleece. There are varieties of wool such as Alpaca, Angora, Botany, Cashmere, Merino and Shetland.

Yard	A 36-inch measure in America. The American yard is 1/100,000 of an inch longer than the English yard.

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Fabric DictionaryDefinitions of Fabric Related Terms

Fabric Dictionary
Definitions of Fabric Related Terms