(K-O), (D-J), Textiles (A-C), Materials of Decoration Reviewer- Textiles and Fabrics, (P-S)

Khaki

A heavy cotton twill fabric of an earthy color

Lace

An openwork textile produced by needle, pin, or bobbin by the process of sewing, knitting, knotting, or crochetting. Real lace is a handmade product but in the late 18th century, machines were inveted to imitate the hand productions. Probably first made in Greece. The manufacturing of this textile received a great impetus in Renaissance Italy, and particulary in Venice.

Lampas

A patterned textile compound weave having two warps and two or more fillers. The distinguishing feature is that the pattern is always a twill or plain weave, or both or maybe in two or more colors. Philippe de la Salle made it famous, and it was much woven in the 18th and 19th centuries, so that the pattern is usually classical in inspiration. It is similar to a two-colored damask.

Marquisette

A sheer cloth having the appearance of gauze and woven in leno weave. The cotton, silk, rayon, nylon, glass or wool thread is usually hard-twisted to give it greater serviceability. An excellent glass curtain material.

Matelasse

Fabric with two sets of warps and wefts. It's embossed pattern gives the effect of quilting. Imitations are stitched or embossed.

Mercerized materials

Materials that have a lustrous surface by subjecting the material to a chemical process. The cloth is treated in a cold caustic alkali bath while held in a state of tension. By this treatment the yarn is changed from a flat, ribbonlike shape to a rounded form, making the cloth more lustrous, more durable, and more susceptible to dye. Called after its originator, John Mercer, an english calico printer

Metal Cloth

A fabric the surface of which has a metallic appearance. It is made by weaving cotton warp threads with tinsel filling yarns. The latter are made by winding strips for metallic substance around a cotton yarn. Creases cannot be removed from this material. Useful for trimmings

Mohair

A yarn and cloth made from the fleece of the Angora goat. The fiber is wiry and strong, making the most durable of all textiles. It is now woven in combination with cotton and linen into many types of plain, twill, and pile fabrics. Widely used for upholstery.

Moire

A finish on silk or cotton cloth which gives watermarked appearance. Woven as a rep, the marks are produced by engraved rollers, heat, and pressure applied to the cloth after it has beem folded between selvages. The crushing of the ribs produces a symmetrical pattern along the fold. The pattern is not permanent, as cleaning and pressing tend to remove it. When made of synthetic fibers it hollds the marks better than when made of silk.

Monk's cloth

A heavy cotton fabric of coarse weave . Groups of warp and weft threads are interlaced in a plain of basket weave. Used for hangings and upholstery in informal rooms. Also called as "friar's cloth"

Moquette

An uncut pile fabric similar to frise. It is woven on jacquard loom and has small, set patterns of different colors. When use for upholstery , it is made of mohair, wool, or heavy cotton. A coarse type is used for floor coverings.

Muslin

A plain-woven, white cotton fabric, bleached or unbleached. Used for sheeting and other household purposes. Originally woven in the city of Mosul

Needlepoint

An old fashiones cross-stitch done on net, heavy canvas, or coarse linen. The threads are wool. The effect achieved is that of coarse tapestry.

Net

Open weave fabric

Maline

Type of net with a diamond mesh

Mosquito net

A type of net that's coarses than others, of cotton.

Novelty Net

A net made in a variety of effects.

Ninon

Often called triple voile. Sheer rayon used for glass curtains, made in various weaves.

Nottingham

A machine-made lace curtain material.

Novelty weave

General name for a variety of modern fabrics, having unusual textural effects produced by using warp and filler of different size, color, or fibers, nubby yarns, or the introduction of tinsel, metallic threads, or even cellophane. Rayon and cotton are especially adaptable

Nylon

Generic term for a proteinlike chemical which may be formed into bristles, fibers, sheets, etc. Has extreme toughness, elasticity, and strength. Its fibers are used in almost all types of textiles where silk and rayon have been used in the past.

Oilcloth

A fabric having cotton base that has been coated with a preparation of linseed oil and pigments. Its finish may be smooth, shiny, dull or pebbled. Used for table and shelf coverings and other household purposes.

Oiled silk

A think silk that is waterproofed by a process of soaking the silk in boiled linseed oil and drying it. It was formerly used only for surgical purposes, but is now used as a drapery fabric, particularly for kitchen and bathroom curtains.

Organdy

A lightweight, crisp fabric of muslin construction woven of very fine cotton threads. It may be white, piece-dyed, or printed, and is used for trimmings and glass curtains.

Moquette

Uncut velvet with large Jacquard pattern

Damask

A kind of jacquard weave; also a fabric with woven pattern similar to brocade, but flatter. Reversible figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton or synthetic fibres. Woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin weave and the ground in weft-faced or sateen weave.

Denim

A kind of heavy cloth, of a twill weave. Usually a small woven pattern is introduced, or warp and filler may be in contrasting colored threads. Originally called toile de Nimes. Used for upholstery and draperies.

Dotted Swiss

A sheer cotton fabric that is embellished with small dots.

Duck

A closely woven fabric, sometimes called awning stripe or awning duck, of plain or ribbed weave. The stripe may be woven in, or painted or printed on one side only. Often give finishes against fire, water, and mildew. Similar to canvas.

Embroidery

The art of decorating a fabric with thread and needle. Its origin is a source of conjecture, but the form known today was developed in Italy during the 16th century.

Faille

A kind of fabric with a slightly heavier weft than warp, producing a flat ribbed effect. It is often all silk and lusterless. Used for trimmings and draperies.

Felt

A material that is made by matting together and interlocking, under heat and pressure, woolen fibers, mohair, cowhair or mixed fibers

Fiberglass

Trade name for fabric or fine filaments of glass woven as a textile fiber. It has great strength, yet is soft and pliable, and resist heat, chemicals and soil. Used for curtains.

Filler

Threads which run crosswise of fabric from selvage to selvage

Flannel

Wool or cotton twilled fabric of coarse soft yarns, napped. The ends of the fibers are loosened by revolving cylinders covered with bristles. It is not a pile fabric. Used for interlinings.

Fringe

Trimming for draperies, and upholstery. Threads on cords are grouped together in various ways and left at one end

Frise

A pile fabric with uncut loops. The better quality is made with two sets of fillers to provide greater durability. Patterns are produced by cutting some of the loops, by using yarns of different colors, or by printing the surface. Comes from the french word that means "curled"

Gabardine

Hard-finished twill fabric, with a steep diagonal effect to the twill, which is firm and durable. The term is from Spanish for "protection against the elements".

Gauze

Thin, transparent fabrics made of a netlike or plain weave, or combination of the two. Originated in Gaza, Palestine. Can be made of silk, cotton, linen, wool, synthetic fibers, or combination of the above. Often used for glass curtains.

Gingham

A lightweight, yarn-dyed cotton material, usually woven in checks or stripes. Useful for trimmings, draperies, and bedspread.

Grenadine

A leno weave fabric like marquisette, but finer in texture. It is either plain, or woven with dots or figures, and is made of silk and cotton, silk and wool or all cotton.

Grosgrain

Ribbed or rep silk produced by weaving heavier filler threads so that they are covered with close, fine warps. Used for ribbons and draperies.

Gros-point

A coarse tapestry effect produced by using cross-stitching on net, canvas, or coarse linen. The embroidery threads are usually woolen and there are approximately twelve stitches to the lineal inch.

Guimpe

Originally a woven silk braid assorted designs. A binding material use on the outer edges of upholstered furniture to cover fabric joins or upholstery tacks, or as an enrichment. Is also used as a trim on draperies, bedspreads, etc.

Haircloth

A stiff, wiry fabric made with horse hair, mohair, or human hair filling and woven plain, striped, or with small patterns. It is very durable, but is usually woven in narrow widths. It was popular for uphosltery in Mid-19th Century England and America and is also used today for interlining and stiffening.

Homespun

Originally a fabric loomed by hand at home, but now the name of a loose, rough fabric with a tweedy look which is obtained by using unevenly spun fibers. It may be made of cotton, rayon, or wool. It is used for curtains and upholstery.

India Print

A printed cotton fabric with a Persian or Indian pattern handblocked in bright colors on a white or natural ground. It is used for draperies, bed throws, wall hanging, etc.

Indian Head

"Permanent" finish cotton, smooth and lightweight. Colors are vat-dyed and guaranteed fast. Shrinkage is reduced to a minimum. The trade name is so familiar that it is becoming known as special fabric.

Indienne

French interpretation of Indian printed cottons which were being imported into France in the late 17th century and during the 18th century. French designers produced them to supply the demand for this type of fabric at a lower cost than that of the imported originals.

Jardiniere velvet

A silk velvet of several depths of uncut loops set against a damask or silk background. It is usually a multicolored pattern resembling a flower arrangement against a light satin background. The velvet was originally produced in Genoa.

Jaspé

A streaked or mottled effect in a fabric produced by uneven dyeing of the warp threads. The name is derived from its resemblance to jasper.

Filet Net

Square mesh, used as a base for embroidery.

Filet

embroidered on a net

Hammered Satin

Type of satin, bengaline and faille woven with satin face ribs, giving a lustrous, broken surface. May have a moiré finish.

Embossed

Type of velvet that is patterned and imprinted by rollers.

Faconne

Same as brocaded velvet

Applique

A pattern that is cut out and sewed or pasted on the surface of another material

Armure

A kind of cloth with a rep background. The pattern usually consists of small, isolated, conventional motifs arranged to form an all-over design.

Artificial Leather

A substitute for leather which is made by coating a cotton fabric with a nitrocellulose preparation. This surface is then stamped to simulate the surface of real leather.

Batik

Javanese process of resist dyeing on cotton, using wax in a design, then dyeing cloth, after which was is removed. Method is practiced by modern designers on silk and is imitated in machine printing.

Block Print

Fabric printed by hand, using carved wooden blocks. Can be distinguished from modern printing with metal rollers or screens by the mark of the joining of the pattern printed by different blocks.

Bobbinet

A type of net. Open weave fabric. Machine-made net with hexagonal meshes.

Boucle

Plain or twill weave in wool, rayon, cotton, silk or linen. Distinctive by its small regularly spaced loops and flat irregular surfaces produced by the use of specially twisted yarn. A yarn with a looped or curly ply.

Braid

A strip composed of intertwining several strands of silk, cotton, or other materials. Used as binding or trimming.

Broadcloth

Twill, plain or rib weave, of wool and spun rayon, and cotton and rayon or silk. The cotton or spun rayon fabric has fine crosswise ribs.

Brocade

A kind of weave;also, a finished silk cloth which, although made on a loom, resembles embroidery. The background may be of one color or may have warp stripe, and its weave may be taffeta, twill, satin, or damasks. Rich fabric woven with a raised pattern, typically with gold or silver thread.

Brocatelle

A heavy silk fabric resembling a damask, except the pattern appears to be embossed. The pattern (usually large and definite) is a satin weave against a twill background. Made with two sets of warps and two sets of fillers, it is not reversible, as the linen backing produces by one set of filler threads shows plainly. Its uses are similar to those of brocade

Broché

A silk fabric similar to brocade. The small floral designs, which are quite separate from the background pattern, are made with swivel shuttles to resemble embroidery. The filler threads not in use are carried only accross the width of the small design and not accross the entire back as brocade.

Buckram

A strong jute cloth of plain weave, finished with glue sizing. It is used as stiffening for valances, for interlining draperies, etc.

Burlap

Plain weave of cotton, jute or hemp. Heavy, coarse, and loosely woven, in a variety of weights, and used for sacks, the backs of floor coverings, inside upholstery, etc.

Calico

A term formerly used for a plain woven printed cotton cloth, similar to percale. Was first made in Calicut, India

Cambric

Plain weave linen or cotton. One of the finest and densest kind of cloth, is a lightweight plain weave cloth, originally from French commune of Cambrai. Woven in greige, then bleached, piece dyed and often glazed or calendered. Used for linens, shorts, handkerchiefs, ruffs, lace and needlework.

Canvas

A heavy cotton cloth in plain weave. It may be bleached or unbleached, starched, dyed or printed. Used for awnings, couch covers, and whenever a coarse, heavy material is required.

Casement Cloth

A lightweight cloth originally made of woool and silk in plain weave. Now made of cotton, linen, mohair, silk, wool, rayon or combination of any two. Although usually in neutral in tone, this material may be had in colors and is popular for draw curtains

Cashmere

A soft wool textile made from Indian goat hair.

Chenille

A type of woven yarn which has a pile protruding all around at right angles to the body thread. The yarn may be of silk, wool, mercerized cotton, or rayon and is used for various types of fabrics.

Chiffon

A discriptive term which is used to indicate the light weight and soft finish of a fabric; also a sheer, gauzelike silk fabric.

China Silk

Sheer plain weave fabric which is nearly transparent and is dyed in various colors.

Chintz

A fine cotton cloth usually having printed design. Originated in India. Modern types of this cloth is usually calendered or glazed which makes it more resistant to dirt. Widely used for draperies, slipcovers, lamp shades, and upholstery.

Corduroy

A cotton or rayon cut pile fabric with ridges or cords in the pile which run lengthwise . Extensively used for upholstery, especially in modern treatments.

Crash

This is a term that includes a group of cotton, jute and linen fabrics having coarse, uneven yarns and rough texture. Used for draperies and upholstery, often handblocked or printed.

Cretonne

A heavy cotton cloth with printed pattern similar to chintz, though the designs are usually larger and less detailed. The background may be plain or rep weave. Usually unglazed

Crewel Embroidery

A kind of embroidery with a pattern of varicolored wools worked on unbleached cotton or linen. The spreading design covers only a part of the background, and usually includes a winding stem with various floral forms. Extensively used during English Jacobean period for upholstery and draperies. The designs were mostly inspired by "tree-of-life" motif.

Crepe

A discriptive term applied to a large group of materials that have a crinkled or puckered surface, which may be produced by highly twisting the yarn in weaving or by a chemical process. The materials are mad of cotton, wool, silk, or combination of fibers, woven in any basic weave.

Cable Net

Coarse mesh

Chantilly

Elaborate bobbin-made patterns in which the ornament and fabric are indentical.

Antique Satin

Type of Satin, Dull, uneven texture, heavy, and rich looking.

Charmeuse

Type of satin, organzine warp and spun silk weft

Brocaded

Type of velvet, Pattern made by removing part of the pile by heat and chemicals.

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.