Textiles

Linen

A plant fibre less soft and absorbent than cotton but more resistant to mildew, made of flax.

Modacrylic

A synthetic fibre developed by the Union Carbide in 1949. It is resistant to acids and alkalis. Because it is flame-resistant, it is good for draperies and casement cloth production.

Basic Dye

It is the oldest among all artificial dyes. These dyes are of little value in cotton, linen and regenerated rayon unless used with mordant.

Applique

A technique in which shaped pieces of fabric are attached to a background fabric to form a design or picture.

Shagreen

This kind of leather is known as stingray skin. Used in furniture production since the 1920s.

Fiber

Basic element of textile, a fine hair-like strand that forms the basis of the yarn.

Damask

A firm, glossy, Jacquard patterned fabric similar to brocade but flatter and reversible. It was first brought to the Western world by Marco Polo from Damascus in the 13th Century.

Ramie

A minor natural fiber from a woody-leafed plant grown mostly in China.

Plain Double Weave

A type of Plain Weave when two or more weft threads are interlaced into the same number of warp threads.

Burn-out Printing

Acids are used in this type of printing. One of the fibers used In the fabric is burned, leaving a lacy or shear and heavy design. Eyelets can also be made through this process.

Brocatelle

A tightly woven Jacquard fabric with a warp effect in the figure, which is raised to give a puffed appearance.

Saran

This synthetic fiber is used for outdoor furniture upholstery and screening. When it is woven wiht other materials, it can be used in curtains, drapery fabrics, and wall coverings. It is unaffected by sunlight, easy to care, wrinkle resistant, and abrasion resistant.

Calendering

A fabric finishing process which makesthe fabric smooth and glossy. This is done by pushing the fabric between heavy heated steel roller at a pressure of up to 2000 pounds per square inch.

Fabric

any material that is made by weaving, knitting, braiding, knotting, laminating, felting, or chemical bonding.

Cotton

It is the most widely used plant fiber. It burns at a slow rate and is one of the most versatile and durable fabrics.

Tussah

Fabric woven from wild, uncultivated silk worms. It is naturally tan in color, cannot be bleached and has rougher texture than cultivated silk.

Carding

A refinement process which removes impurities from cotton fibers to make it more high end.

Bonded Leather

Also known as reconstituted leather. It is composed 90% and 100% leather fibers stuck together with latex binders to create a look and feel similar to that of leather but only a fraction of the cost.

Calico

The oldest cotton staples in the market. A plain, closely woven, inexpensive cloth with an all-over print, usually of small floral pattern which is discharged or resist-printed onto a white or contrasting background color.

Pashmina

A fine wool from the undercoat of Himalayan Mountain Goats

Frise

A kind of pile weave that uses the same process as in velvet pile, except that the lifted yarn remains uncut. It may be combined with the velvet pile to form a corduroy effect.

Gauze

A lace-like weave similar to Leno, the difference is the warp threads maintain the same position in relation to the weft. A sheer and complex weave.

Sizing

Another term for starching. The cloth is filled with starch to increase strength, smoothness, stiffness, or weight of the fabric.

Antiseptic finish

A special finish designed to make fabric bacteria resistant through chemical treatment.

Pigment

A kind of colorant that is held on to the surface of a fabric by a binding agent. These are insoluble color particles.

Winch, Reel or Beck

A type of piece dying wherein the fabric is continuously immersed without strain.

Flocked Design

This applied design is often referred to as having a watered appearance. This is made possible through the use of a special machine which produces this effect. It is made to be designed under the conditions of heat pressure and moisture.

Corduroy

A cut pile cloth with narrow to wide wales that run in the warp direction of the goods. An extra set of filling yarns make the pile, and the back is a plain twill weave. This is the warmest cotton fabric.

Slip-resistant Finish

The finish that is given to loosely constructed fabric or fabric with low thread count. It prevent the warp yarns from slipping along the filling yarns.

Rib Weave

The weft yarn is heavier than the warp yarn with the result of a diagonal texture becoming more apparent.

Knitting

A method of fabric formation wherein blunt rods or needles are used to form a single continuous yarn into a series of interlocking loops.

Rayon

It is the first synthetic fiber. Also known as the "poor man's silk."

Organzine

The finest cultured silk yarn and is made from the longest filaments.

Filament fibers

A long and continuous fiber usually measured in meters or yards.

Pile weave

A kind of weave that refers to fabrics woven in a way that creates loops that stand out from the surface of the fabric. The fabric is woven in three fibers: warp, weft, and an extra set of either warp or weft fibers.