| Applique
- Embellishment on a garment where decoration is
made by cutting pieces of one material and applying
them to the surface of another. |
| Argyle
- A popular design for knitted fabrics (both hand
and machine knit) most often used on sweaters and
socks.Usually, two or three colors appear in this
diamond-shaped plaid pattern named for the tartan
of a clan in the county of Argyll, western Scotland. |
| Barathea
- A soft fabric of silk and cotton, silk and wool,
or all wool woven with fine two-ply yarns. |
Bird's
Eye Check
- A fabric woven with a pattern of small diamonds,
each having a dot in the center.
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Example |
| Binding
- A strip of fabric sewn over or attached along
an edge, to secure or protect. |
Canvas
- A strong, durable, closely woven cotton fabric
popular for raincoats, handbags and boots. Originally
made of unbleached hemp of flax used for sails,
tents, etc.
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Example
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| Carefree
- Any time you see the name Carefree, expect an
easy-care, machine-washable fabric. You'll find
wrinkle-resistant 100% linens, washable wools, wrinkle-free
cottons and microfibers. |
| Chambray
[shamBRAY] - A class of yarn-dyed,
plain-weave fabrics with a colored warp and white
filling. Made of cotton or synthetic fibers, chambray
is often light blue. It was originally woven in
Cambrai, France, for farmers. |
| Charmeuse
- Tradename of silk and silk-like fabrics that are
characterized by a shiny, soft satin-like appearance. |
| Chenille
[sheh-NEEL]
- Soft, fuzzy yarns stand out around a velvety cord
on this fabric, whose name comes from the French
word for "caterpillar." Used for bedspreads,
rugs, bathrobes, and more recently, loose-fitting
sweaters. |
| Corduroy
- Medium to heavyweight cotton pile fabric with
wales, usually cut vertically. This strong, durable
fabric, originally used by the household staff of
French kings, was called corde du roi or "cord
of the king." |
Combed
Cotton
- Cotton fabric with a silk-like hand. Considered
superior to basic carded cotton.
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Example
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| Crepe
- Used to describe all kinds of fabrics--wool, cotton,
silk, rayon, synthetics and blends—that have
a crinkly, crimped or grained surface. From the
French word creper, which means "to crimp or
frizz." |
| Crepe
de Chine [krepp deh SHEEN] - A fine,
lightweight crepe usually made of silk. |
| Crochet
- Loose, open knit made by looping thread with a
hooked needle. Used for light, summer sweaters. |
| Dobby
- Type of woven fabric that contains simple geometric
forms or motifs, where the design on the fabric
is created in the weaving process. |
| Drop
Needle - A type of knit cut and
sew fabric where some of the needles are "dropped
out" during stitching to produce an openwork
pattern in the fabric. |
| Dryel®
- A new product from Procter & Gamble that allows
you to keep your Liz Claiborne "dry clean only"
clothes looking their best in between trips to the
dry cleaner - right at home, right in your dryer.
Dryel® has earned the Good Housekeeping Seal
and has met the high performance standards of the
Woolmark Company. For more information, visit the
Dryel® website at www.dryel.com. |
| Duchess
Satin - A heavy, lustrous, rich-looking
satin weave fabric usually used for wedding and
fancy dresses. |
| Embroidery
- Fancy needlework or trimming consisting of colored
yarn, embroidery floss, soft cotton, silk or metallic
thread. Although hand embroidery is still a widely
practiced craft, most commercially produced embroidered
clothes are made by machine. |
| Engineered
Print - Also called a placed print
because it is integrated into a specific area of
the design. Border prints are often engineered into
place. |
| Facing
- A piece of fabric sewn to the inside of a garment
for lining purposes or to add structure to the garment. |
| Faille
[file] - A dressy, flat-ribbed fabric
with a light luster that drapes and tailors well.
The ribs are flatter and less pronounced than in
grosgrain. Traditionally used for women's dresses,
suits and coats. |
| Faille
Crepe - A dressy, double-faced fabric
made with high-twist poly crepe yarns. |
| Feedstripe
- Knit fabric where a stripe pattern is produced
by the way colored yarns are fed into the knitting
machine. Often used for cut-and-sew knits like t-shirts
and other casual knit garments. |
| Flannel
- A warm, soft fabric made in tightly woven twill
or plain weave and finished with a light napping.
Derived from the Welsh word gwlanen, which means
wool. |
| Foulard
[fooLARD] - A lightweight, lustrous
twill fabric, usually with a small, repeating printed
design. Originally imported from India, it is popular
for neckties and scarves. |
| French
Terry - A circular knit fabric with
a looped pile back and smooth face. |
Gabardine
- Durable, tightly woven fabric made in a twill
weave with distinct diagonal ribs and given a clean
finish. Made of cotton, wool or rayon, gabardine
wears extremely well. Commonly used for sportswear,
suits, uniforms and raincoats.
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Example |
| Georgette
- A sheer, lightweight plain-weave fabric with a
fine crepe surface. Sometimes silk, sometimes synthetic.
Also called crepe georgette or georgette crepe. |
| Gingham
- Yarn-dyed, checked or plaid fabric made of pure
or blended cotton. Checked ginghams use two colors,
plaid ginghams several. The name comes from the
Malay word ging gang, meaning striped. |
| Glen
Plaid - A woven design that pairs
small checks with larger ones of similar colors.
Named for Glen Urquhart, a valley in Inverness-shire,
Scotland. |
| Hopsack
- A loosly woven coarse fabric of cotton or wool
used in clothing. The fabric was originally used
for bags by hop growers. |
| Intarsia
- A flat knit fabric with solid-colored, geometric
patterns. The sides of the fabric are identical.
Derived from the Italian for "inlay." |
| Interlock
- A type of cut and sew knit fabric that is characterized
by the interconnecting of the knit stitches. |
| Jacquard
[ja-CARD] - Elaborate woven or knitted
pattern made on a Jacquard loom. Invented by Joseph
Marie Jacquard in France in 1801, the loom uses
a punch card much like a player piano does. Some
jacquard fabrics have specific names (e.g., brocade,
damask and tapestry). |
Jersey
- A generic term for a plain knit fabric without
a distinct rib. Originally made of wool, jersey
fabric was first manufactured on the island of Jersey,
off the coast of England.
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Example |
| Linen
- Fibers of the flax plant, woven into fabrics that
are cooler, stronger and more absorbent than cotton. |
| Lycra®
- A DuPont trademark for its spandex fiber. Any
time you see this fiber listed on a label, expect
comfort, movement and shape retention that won't
wash away. |
| Marled
Yarn - Two single yarns of different
colors twisted together. You see this mottled effect
most often in sweaters. |
| Matte
Jersey - A dull, flat knit fabric
made of fine crepe yarns. |
| Melange
Wool - A fancy yarn spun from fibers
that have been printed in many shades, tones and
hues. |
| Mercerized
- A process to a cotton yarn or fabric which increases
its luster, shine and affinity for color dye. |
| Merino
Wool - This high-quality wool yarn
made from the fleece of merino sheep is fine, strong
and elastic, and takes dye well. |
Microfiber
- Generic term for any synthetic fiber finer than
silk. Fabrics made with microfibers are soft, lightweight,
breathable and durable.
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Example |
| Modal
- A generic category of manufactured fibers that
have a greater ability to retain their shape when
wet as well as a high breaking strength. |
| Picot
- A small embroidered loop forming an ornamental
edging on a ribbon or lace. |
Pima
- A high quality cotton known for its softness and
durability.
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Example |
| Pinpoint
Oxford - Lightweight, soft, cotton-like
fabric with a small 2x1 basket (rib) weave repeats.
High quality. Very smooth surface; used for shirts. |
Piqué
[peeKAY] - A knitted cotton fabric
with a waffle, or diamond-shaped, pattern. French
piqué knits became an international favorite
when René Lacoste, a 1920's French tennis
champion, designed the polo shirt.
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Example |
| Placket
- The piece of cloth that reinforces a split or
opening in a garment; that usually also serves as
the closure (i.e. the button placket for an oxford
shirt or the zipper placket on a pair of pants). |
| Pointelle
- Very feminine, delicate-looking rib knit fabric
made with a pattern of openings. |
| Ponte
- A non-jacquard double knit fabric made on an interlock
basis resulting in a fabric that is generally firm
and very stable. |
| Poplin
- A durable, plain-weave fabric similar to broadcloth
but with a heavier rib and heavier weight. Made
of silk, cotton, synthetic fibers, wool or blends. |
Raglan
- A sleeve where one piece of fabric extends all
the way to the neckline, with slanted seams from
the armhole to the neck (no shoulder seam). Traditional
two-color baseball shirts are a perfect example
of raglan sleeves.
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Example
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| Ripstop
- A fabric woven with a double thread at regular
intervals so that small tears do not spread. |
| Ruching
- Ruching is a detail created by taking fabric and
sewing in lines of elastic to the back in neat rows
so the fabric puckers creating a stretchy gathered
look. |
| Sateen
- A semi-lustrous surface distinguishes this smooth,
durable fabric in a satin weave. Sateen is usually
made of cotton. |
| Schiffli
- A type of embroidery characterized by vine-like
floral pattern on sheer/mesh-like fabrics, named
after the type of machine it is produced on (Schiffli
machine). |
| Seersucker
- A popular warm-weather cotton fabric with permanent
woven crinkled stripes. Launders well and generally
does not need to be ironed. |
| Shantung
- Medium weight, plain weave, silk-like fabric with
pronounced slub filling yarns (slub means yarns
are uneven or nubby). Used for dresses. |
| Sharkskin
- A smooth crisp fabric with a dull finish made
usually of rayon in basket weave. |
| Shirring
- The gathering of fabric to create soft, feminine
folds in the garment. |
| Soutache
- Narrow, rounded braid in herringbone-weave used
for trim. |
| Stovepipe
- A type of slim-cut straight legged pants that
are characterized by the absence of any sort of
front seam or crease. |
| Tactel®
- A soft yet durable nylon fiber trademarked by
DuPont. It is extremely easy to wash, allows the
skin to breathe and readily regains its shape, making
it ideal for active sportswear. |
| Tencel®
- A trademark of Tencel Ltd for their brand of lyocell,
a high-performance fiber used to make soft, beautifully
draping fabrics. Tencel, made from wood pulp that
is harvested from replenished tree farms, is environmentally
sensitive and is washable. |
| Terry
- A woven fabric, usually cotton, with loop pile
on one or both sides. |
| Tipping
- Embellishment of a garment by adding some type
of trim to the edges (cuffs/pockets/plackets/hems)
of a garment for decoration. |
| Tissue
Linen - A thin, sheer, lightweight
linen used for blouses. |
| Toile
- Light/medium weight, plain weave, fine, cotton-type
fabric, usually with one colored printed scenic
design. Used mostly for home furnishings, clothing,
etc. |
Twill
- A fabric that shows a distinct diagonal wale on
the face (e.g., denim, gabardine, tricotine).
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Example |
| Variegated
- Having streaks, marks, or patches of different
colors; distinguished or characterized by a variety
of different colors. |
| Velour
- Soft plush fabric with a close, dense pile. Originates
from the French word for "velvet." |
| Velvet
- A short, closely woven cut pile fabric with a
rich, soft texture. Originally silk, velvet is now
made of cotton or blends, as well. |
| Velveteen
- Cotton fabric made with a cut pile technique,
which creates depth and richness in the cloth. |
| Viscose
- A manufactured fiber made of regenerated cellulose.
It is soft, absorbent and drapes well. |
| Voile
[vwahl] - A lightweight, sheer fabric
with a crisp, wiry hand. Originally cotton, voile
is now also made in silk, rayon or acetate. |
