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BAMBOO: New! Made from the cellulose of the woody bamboo grass. Only gown in Asia and presently only one company in China is producing it. There are two varieties of this new fabric: Bamboo linen, extracted from the jointed stems of grass called culms. The other and most common is: Bamboo viscose. A substitue for beech as the source of raw cellulose in visose and rayon. Claims have been made that it is antibacterial and antifungal resistant, but this has not been proved yet. Bamboo fabrics do possess goo moisture tramsmission which helps reduce body odor. These fabric are more expensive but are more durable, wear better, drape better and are more comfortable. Designers are in love with it.
BROCADE: A heavy, luxurious fabric with raised designs that resemble embroidery with accents of metallic threads or liquid gold/silver lame'. The figures in the intricate patterns of brocade are woven more loosely than damask. Today we string their looms with cotton warp yarns and use rayon, polyester, or any blend of synthetic filling yarns. Even though the designs are beautiful they are not suitable for upholstery as they snag an abrade easily, not to mention very difficult to clean. Many fabrics that we now make are brocades, woven tighter and do serve beautifully for upholstery. The blend of the newer and many mix fiber lends itself to stronger and better fabric
CHARMEUSE: A silk satin weave with one dull side and one shiny side. A lot like Crepe de Chine, but more difficult to work with because of it's silky slippery satin side. Very luxurious in linings too.
CHENILLE: A tufted fabric in wood, cotton, or rayon and synthetics. Cotton and synthetic blends are the stronger and most desired. Tufts of pile are either in a pattern or a straight line. Chenille is a more informal fabric, but with today's new ways of blending these fibers they are becoming a strong contender for your normal upholstery. Appeal is not only the look and softness, but the durability and versatility
CHIFFON: A very sheer plain weave fabric. Chiffone can be crinkled, cross woven, flecked with a satin weave or have metallic theards woven in it. Very light weight and very difficult to cut correctly. Pattern pieces should be cut one piece at a time.
CHINTZ: Chintz originated in India. Flowered prints with a glossy finish made the cotton were perfect year round and from dresses to furniture. The finish was achieved by making a satin weave. Today it is achieved with a chemical treatment in the same manner as polished cotton. The British are credited with its popularity and use. Great fabric for upholstery and the finish will withstand washing or dry cleaning.
COTTON: A fibrous material that forms clumps around the mallow family of tropical plants. Cotton fibers breathe and absorbs liquid easily as the cotton strands are hollow. They are not straight fiber and are made straight in order weaver them in a process called memorization. Cotton blends will with other natural fibers or syn ethics.
CREPE: A fabric that can be woven with many different types of fibers and creates a crinkled or rough and or dull surface. Crepe is a dignified classy fabric that imparts it's own beauty, cleans easily, does not wrinkle easily and has great we arability.
CREPE de CHINE: A plain silk woven with twisted threads for the crepe texture. Light weight is used for blouses. Heavier Crepe de Chine, often called heavier crepe, is used for gowns, draperies, and seperates.
DAMASK; Named for the city of Damascus, a Hugh fabric trade center in the Th century. It was originally make of silk woven in China. Today you will find it in: cotton, rayon, and blends. It's distinguishing marks are: large flowers, stylized leaves and woven in a single color or two. The design pop out because of the background has a highly satin weave while the figures are flat. Makes for a reversible fabric too. Great for upholstery, sheds dirt, and retain it appearance even after laundering.
DENIM: A twill woven fabric. Blue warp thread and white filling threads makes this fabric strong, durable, and easy of care
DUPIONI SILK: Name come an Italian word meaning double. Original spelling is: Doupioni.The silk filament come from a cocoon that are interlocked or so cramped together that they have to be spun together. It make a strong fabric with irregular stubs. It's dyed strong colors, and be easily woven with iridescent or two toned threads to create a warp or weft thread. It's courser, tougher than most other silks, Makes great wall hanging with stubs threads texture only in one direction.
GAZAAR: A satin faced organza which is heavier and more buoyant than regular organza
GEORGETTE: A semi-sheer fabric that has a pebble texture. Woven with twixte crepe silk yarns. A little heavier than chiffon, and has a drapier effect. It is easier to sew and cut.
GINGHAM: Authentic gingham is made with yard dyed threads on a loom rather than the printing process of a checkerboard design. Generally gingham is informal and suitable for a homespun look
HABOTAI: A light weight silk fabric, plain weave use mostly in linings. China silk, silk batiste, and habotai are all the same thing, just with different names. Don't be fooled thinking you have something different.
IKAT: Is a technique of tie dying yard before it's woven into cloth or fabric
JACQUARD: Name for the founder Joseph Marie Jacquard who invented this process between 1801 and 1804. He designed a series of punched cards, controlled by a mechanism above the loom. Each row has it's own series of card and each new needs a new one to create the design. Damasks, brocades, tapestries and other fabric has used this process. Today computers have replaced the punch cards
JUTE: A rough glossy fiber from East Indian plant family that gets woven or twisted into burlap fabric or twine
LINEN: Made from the fibers of the flax plant. It is the oldest know fabric. Weaved in a plain weave. Fabric cool, strong, crisp with a natural luster. Alone linen wrinkles easily, but when combine with other fibers and many of the new mixed fibers it resist wrinkles. Blends are the sought after linen now.
MATELASSE': Matelasse/ derives it's name from the French term meaning "quilted". Made from the Jacquard loom. Warp and weft threads combine in intricate forms to create slightly raised patterns usually in one color. They resemble quilting and are very expensive fabric often use n decorator fabrics.
MUSLIN: A plain cotton fabric that varies in weight from very light to heavy. Inexpensive with a multitude of uses
NOIL: Often called raw silk, but it simply the left over short strands of a processed silk. It has a nubby texture, no sheen, and made from the waste of the silk coccon thats woven in a plain weave.
POLYESTER: A synthetic fiber made up of long strands. Qualities: crease resistance, color retention, strong and durable. Blends are more desirable because polyester alone does not allow for breathing, unlike natural fibers. Blended polyester made some of the most beautiful fabrics and designer gowns/textiles. Once blended with one or more other fibers the textile takes on a whole new look while maintaining the qualities of polyester
RAYON: A cellulose product of wood pulp and other vegetable matter. Fiber are very smooth and drape beautifully. Mills generally combine one or more other fibers to increase it's durability and usually will add more luster to the fabric.
SAILCLOTH: A heavy cotton canvas
SATEEN: A cotton yard woven into a satin weave. Smooth & soft. Very durable, low luster and great all around decorative fabric The name is often mistaken as satin, but the two are very different.
SATIN: Fibers are usually rayon, cotton, polyester or silk. This woven fabric is where warp threads (see definitions) lay over several weft threads ( see definitions) in a repeated motion before the weft threads are pushed to the back of the fabric/cloth. The top top/right side is shiny and smooth and the bottom/wrong side is dull and a little rough. The plus side is the weaving process that makes this fabric creates a beautiful sheen. The negative side is that the weaving process also makes the fabric susceptible to pulled and abrasions noticeable. Care of the satin fabric really depends on what fibers made it. Blends are the most popular now because they are stinger and easier to care for. Silks on the other hand are more delicate and greater care is needed.
SATIN BACK CREPE: The heaviest drapery silk. Can be used on it's matte or satin side. Expensive designer gowns often use this fabric and cut it on the bias.
SILK: Continuous fine fibers woven from the silk worm that would of created it's cocoon. The fibers are light yet posses high tensile strength and medium elasticity. Ultraviolet light, heavy use/wear, and moisture are it's worst enemy. Any of these enemy do pose a serious threat to your silk garments. It would be better to choose a or a silk faux fabric. Silk fauxs are more reasonably priced in today's markets. They have the same physical appearance and do not have the limitations of pure silk
TAFFETA: Believed to originate in Persia, which was a fine silk fabric. Made by cross ribs which give it a crispness to this weave and a medium sheen. It is smooth on both sides. Taffeta today is made of course from silk, but also now from rayon, and synthetics According to the fabrics used many taffeta's today can be hand washed. Many prints are now made made in taffetas. Taffeta is mostly used in formal wear.
TAPESTRY: A heavy handwoven fabric which is usually pictorial in design or scenes. I tis woven or applied to a ground fabric. Machine made tapestry use several filling threads to create a single warp. Machine made are not reversible, as hand wovens are. Generally tapestry is dry clean only
THAI SILK: Doupioni silk that is woven with different colors both in the warp and weft.
TUSSAH SILK: Doupioni silk that is woven with undyed spun silk fibers from the wild Tussah moth coccon.
TICKING: A very strong, tight woven cotton fabric with more warp threads than filling ones. This prevent feathers from popping through the fabrics. Used mostly for bedding. Plain, stripes and flower ticking is available.
TOILE: A plain woven fabric, usually cotton, printed with monochromatic vignettes of rural life, pastoral, genre, historical events, and mythological.
TULLE: Silk tulle is more difficult to find, but the newer blends brings much beauty to the newer tulles. Synthetic tulle is not as strong as silk tulle but much more afforadable. Tulle is the base for many fine designer and coutour laces.
VELVET: A very simple method of making fabric. Warp and filler threads are woven together like a hook rug, making raised loops. After it's finished the loops are cut leaving a velour finish. Velvet is made up of cottons, syn ethic fibers, linen, silk and blends. The problem with velvet it that it is directional. It produces variation of tones when viewed at different angles Fabric must be laid out all in the same direction or you will have variation of tones that will not appear to match making distinct lines at seams too. Marking the wrong side of the fabric with safety pins of tailors chalk is the safest way to mark velvet.
There is a nap to the fabric after cutting the loops. Running you had in one direction will be smooth while going in the other direction you will feel resistance crushing the nap. This also will appear to change the color of the fabric.
Velvet does not wear will, just like silk. Moisture is a big enemy of velvet, as is crushing. Velvet gives off a beautiful luster. Cotton velvet is more suitable for upholstery because of it's durability ( weight, heavier and luster), but for heavier use furniture it should be avoided. Professional cleaning delivers good results
VISCOSE: A rayon textile that has been treated with chemicals and a special spinning process. Decorator fabrics with viscose rayon yards are durable and nice luster
WOOL: Made for the fibers of animal coasts, mostly sheep. It is spun and woven in many combinations. Known for it's beauty, breath, wear, warmth. Wool is often blended with other fibers to add strength and prevent wrinkles. Wool blends are excellent in suitings. Dry cleaning prevents shrinking
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