or underwear in which the seams have been connected by hand knitting.
=Full-fashioned.=--A term used to designate hosiery knitted in a
flat web, which is shaped by the machine so as to fit the foot, leg,
or body. The webs, or sections, are sewn together to form hosiery,
underwear, etc.
=Fustian.=--This name is given to designate low grades of cotton
fabrics woven with a pile weave, such as Cotton Velvets, Velveteens,
Corduroys, Moleskins, Cordings, etc. Fustian is also applied to such
fabrics when they are made in a combination of cotton and flax or
other vegetable fibre. It is more used as a generic term designating
a class of fabrics than to designate one particular kind of fabric.
One class of Fustians has a raised "nap" on one or both sides, and
includes Cantoons or Diagonals, which have a pronounced weft twill on
the face side and are used for riding breeches.
=Galatea.=--A cotton fabric having coloured stripes; the weave is
usually a three-shaft, but sometimes a four-shaft, warp twill weave.
The stripes may be either simply coloured, whilst retaining the
twill weave, or they may be plain woven as well as coloured. This
material is often used for washing uniforms for nurses and hospital
attendants. The weave of Galatea is similar to that of Jean, Nankeen,
or Regatta Twill.
=Gauge.=--Applied to the number of meshes or wales to the inch in
underwear or hosiery. For example, a 16-gauge fabric will have 16
wales or ribs to the inch.
=Gauze Weave.=--In gauze weaving all the warp threads are not
parallel to each other, but are made to intertwist more or less
amongst themselves. This style of weaving produces light, open
fabrics allowing the introduction of many lace-like combinations. The
warp is double, one set being the usual or ground warp and the other
the "douping," or warp that intertwines itself on the ground warp.
Gauze weaving produces fabrics which are peculiar for their openness,
lightness, and strength. When gauze is combined with plain weaving it
is styled "Leno."
=Gingham.=--Gingham is an all-cotton fabric, always woven with a
plain weave--a yarn-dyed cotton cloth in stripes or checks. It is
woven in various grades, having from 50 to 76 ends per inch in the
reed and of 1/26's to 1/40's cotton yarn in both warp and weft.
It is a washing fabric made in both checks and plaid patterns,
into which a great variety of colour combinations are introduced.
Ginghams are made with from two colour warp and filling to eight
colour in warp and six in filling. During the finishing process the
loom-state fabric is sewed end on piece to piece until a continuous
length of cloth of several hundred yards is obtained (this is done
to facilitate handling). It is damped by a sprinkler to make it more
readily take up the starch size with which it is liberally treated.
One variety of Gingham known as Madras Gingham is distinctly a
Shirting fabric. Ginghams, when having a highly variegated colouring,
are described as Checks.
=Glacé.=--Originally applied to a fabric having a glossy, lustrous
surface. Now often applied to "shot" silks, that is, plain weaves
wherein the warp and filling are of different colours.
=Granité.=--A weave in which the yarns are so twisted as to create a
pebbled surface.
=Grenadine.=--A somewhat elastic term used to describe an openwork,
diaphanous material of silk, wool, or cotton.
=Grey, in the Grey, or Grey Cloth.=--These terms are used to
designate fabrics that are in the loom state and that have been woven
from yarn that was neither bleached nor dyed. A Grey Shirting would
no longer be called a Grey Shirting after it had been bleached. In
the woollen industry the term "grey" is applied to the web in its
loom state previous to its being put through the various necessary
processes to make it into a finished cloth.
=Grey Drills.=--Grey Cotton Drills are all-cotton medium and heavy
weight single cloths woven from unbleached yarns as a three-shaft
twill (two warp and one weft) which have not been bleached, dyed, or
printed from the time they left the loom. Varying in weight according
to quality, they are, however, generally put up in pieces measuring
31 inches in width by 40 yards in length. They are more fully
described under Drills.
The Pepperell Drill is a Grey Drill of superior quality made from
high-class yarns and exceedingly well woven.
=Grey Jeans.=--This name is given to an all-cotton fabric woven as a
three-shaft twill having either (_a_) each weft thread passing over
one and under two warp threads, or (_b_) each weft thread passing
over two and under one warp thread, the warp and weft intersections
traversing one thread and one pick further from their respective
positions each time a pick of weft is inserted.
When woven as a warp-faced twill fabric from strong yarns, the cloth
is often called a Drill, and is used for suitings, boot linings,
corseting, etc; when woven from lighter yarns as a medium-weight
weft-faced twill fabric, the cloth is largely used for linings. In
width it varies from 28 and under to 31 or more inches and in length
from 30 to 40 yards per piece. A "Grey" Jean is a Jean in the loom
state, _i.e._, which has not been bleached by being treated with
bleaching powders, etc.
=Grey Sheeting.=--There are two distinct varieties of Grey Sheeting.
The first kind is used for bed sheeting and is a stout cotton cloth
woven from coarse yarns, usually in a four-shaft two-and-two twill
weave, and having a width of as much as 120 inches. The weave of
this material being a twill weave having an equal number of warp
and weft threads to the inch, the twill lines or diagonal produced
will be at an angle of 45 degrees to a line drawn across the width
of the material. This diagonal effect is produced by the warp and
weft intersections traversing one thread and one pick further from
their respective positions each time a pick or weft is inserted.
This kind of Sheeting is known as Bolton Sheeting, which is a grey
material, _i.e._, unbleached. In length the piece may measure up to
80 yards. The second kind of Sheeting is Waste Sheeting, made from
waste and condenser wefts, _i.e._, wefts made from certain waste
cotton which accumulates during the process of spinning yarn. This
waste is treated by special machinery, which prepares it and spins
it into a full, level, and soft yarn, which is used for weft in the
weaving of Sheetings. Waste Sheetings are woven like Bolton Sheeting,
with the exception of the lower qualities, which are often plain or
calico woven. The lower grades of Grey Sheeting are often simply grey
Calico cloths of about 36 inches in width and resembling very closely
Grey Shirtings, the only difference being that they are slightly
heavier in the yarn than the ordinary Grey Shirting. Grey Sheeting is
generally made up into pieces of from 40 to 80 yards in length and
varying in weight according to count of yarn used.
=Grey Shirting.=--A Grey Shirting is an unbleached cotton cloth
woven with a plain weave and having the warp and weft approximately
equal in number of threads and counts; the fabric has a plain, even
surface, which, when the threads are evenly spaced, is said to be
well "covered." Grey Shirting, a staple import into the Eastern
markets, is made up in pieces measuring from 36 to 40 yards in
length, a width of from 36 to 45 inches, and weighing from 7 to 11
pounds and over per piece, according to the count of the yarn and
the amount of size used. This class of fabric has the warp threads
heavily sized. The exact difference between Grey Shirtings and
certain grades of Grey Sheetings is at times non-apparent. Again, a
Grey Shirting may be termed a Calico, which in the trade has become a
general term used to designate practically any cotton cloth coarser
than Muslin.
=Grey T-Cloths.=--All-cotton plain-woven unbleached fabric of low
quality and heavily sized yarns nearly always put up in 24-yard
lengths. The name is said to be derived from the mark @T@ of the
original exporters.
=Grosgrain.=--A silk fabric having a small ribbed effect from
selvedge to selvedge. When the rib runs lengthways the fabric is
known as a Millerayes.
=Habit Cloth (Woollen).=--An all-wool cloth similar to Medium, Broad,
and Russian Cloth. Average width, 54 to 74 inches. In the better
grades it is a high-priced fabric generally used for riding habits.
Met with in dark shades of green or else in black.
=Habutai.=--A plain-weave silk, of smooth and even texture,
originally made in Japan on hand looms.
=Hair-cord Muslin.=--A plain-weave fabric having stripes or checks
formed by coarse threads, which stand out in a clearly defined manner.
=Hand Looms and Power Looms.=--The difference between these two
kinds of looms lies in the fact that in the former (hand loom) the
weaving is the result of the loom being worked and controlled by hand
and foot, whereas in the power loom, whether belt driven or driven
by electric motor, the power transmitted to the loom works all the
essential parts, which are:--
1. Warp beam.
2. Heddles.
3. Shuttle.
4. Reed or beater-in.
5. Cloth roll.
When a power loom has been suitably tuned up, _i.e._, timed so that
the various movements necessary for the forming of the "shed" and the
passing of the shuttle and the beating-in occur in the right sequence
and at a correct interval of time, the weaver (who, in the case of
power looms, is oftener called the overlooker) only has to attend to
the broken warp threads or replenishing of the weft shuttle. With a
hand loom the weaver controls the heddles which form the shed, throws
the shuttle carrying the weft thread through the shed, and as fast as
each filling thread is interlaced with the warp beats it in close to
the previous one by means of a reed which is pulled by hand towards,
and recedes from, the cloth after each passage of the shuttle. This
is done to make the cloth firm. The movement of the reed in the
hand-power loom (or, more correctly, in the hand and foot power loom)
being controlled by the weaver and not mechanically, accounts for
irregularity in firmness of weave not found in fabrics woven on a
power loom.
=Handle.=--This term is used either as a "wool term" in connexion
with wool or as a general textile term in connexion with fabrics.
As a wool term it refers or designates all the attributes which
determine quality, _i.e._, softness, fineness, length, and
elasticity--noticeable when wool is judged by the feel. Easier to
define than to acquire, "handle" also enters into the judging of
woven fabrics. It is then used to denote the hardness, harshness,
softness, smoothness, etc., which similarly are factors of quality
and which are often best appreciated by the sense of touch.
=Harvard Shirting.=--This style of Shirting is generally recognised
by its broken twill effect, which may be combined with plain
stripes, small diamond patterns, etc., woven from dyed yarns. The
salient feature of Harvard Shirtings is the above effect in different
colours. The ground weave is generally a two-and-two twill.
=Henrietta.=--A soft, lustrous, twilled fabric of wool; similar to a
Cashmere, but finer and lighter.
=Herring-bone.=--A binding often used in facing the neck and front
opening of undershirts. Also applied to the stitching which is made
to cover the edge of the split sole in hosiery. Used in connexion
with textiles, it is applied to striped effects produced by
alternating a left-hand and a right-hand twill-weave stripe.
=Hessian.=--A strong, coarse, plain-woven packing or wrapping cloth
made from jute or hemp yarns. A standard make of this material weighs
10½ ounces to the yard, is 40 inches wide, and averages 13 shots per
inch.
=Hog, Or Hoggett Wool=, is another name for lambs' wool; it is
the product of the first clipping of the young sheep and can be
distinguished by the fact that its ends are pointed, whereas
subsequent clippings yield wether wool with blunt and thickened ends.
=Honeycomb.=--This designates a style of weave and not an actual
fabric. Marked ridges and hollows, which cause the surface of
the fabric to resemble that of a honeycomb, are the salient
characteristics of this style of weave. The term is also applied
to leno weaves when consecutive crossing ends cross in opposite
directions.
=Huckaback.=--This name designates a class of weave mainly used in
the weaving of towels or Towelling, which combines a small design
with a plain ground. The short floats of warp and weft and the plain
ground of these weaves give a rough surface combined with a firm
structure. The small design entering into this class of weave varies,
but is always a geometrical design and not floral.
=Imitation Rabbit Skin.=--Generally an all-cotton pile-weave fabric
having a long pile, which has not the same amount of lustre as
either a silk or mohair pile, being duller in appearance. This kind
of fabric may be distinguished from a silk or mohair pile material
by the fact that its pile will crush more readily than either. Its
pile will not spring back into place readily, more especially when
the pile is long. Generally 48 to 50 inches wide and 60 yards long,
it is shipped on frames, on which it is fastened by a series of
hooks. These hooks hold the material by the selvedges, which are made
specially strong. Two 60-yard frames are generally packed in one box
or case.
=Ingrain.=--A term for knitted goods applied to raw material or yarn
dyed before knitting.
=Irishes.=--This generic name is applied to linen fabrics, which are
a speciality of Ireland. Irishes have been imitated in cotton, and
when such a fabric is met with it should be designated as a Cotton
Irish. The term Irishes would cover such fabrics as Irish Cambric,
Irish Duck, and Irish Linen.
=Irish Cambric.=--This fabric, like all true Cambrics, is an
all-linen fabric, plain woven, without a selvedge. It has been
imitated in cotton, and the name is now currently used to designate
an all-cotton plain-woven fabric finer than lawn, in which the warp
yarn is often of a different thickness from that used for the filling
and is finished with a smooth glazed surface.
=Italian Cloth.=--A plain cloth generally made of standard materials,
_i.e._, fine Botany weft and a cotton warp. Italian cloth is usually
a weft-faced fabric. Like all fabrics woven with a weft-faced
satin weave, the weft or filling threads are practically all on
the surface of the cloth, producing an even, close, smooth surface
capable of reflecting light to the best advantage. Italian cloth is
generally cross-dyed, that is to say, woven from a black warp and
grey weft, afterwards dyed in the piece. It may be woven either as
an all-cotton, a cotton and worsted, a cotton and wool, or a cotton
and mohair fabric. Its chief characteristic is its smooth, glossy,
silky appearance obtained by various processes of finishing given to
the cloth after it is woven. All finishes have the same tendency and
purpose, which is to improve the appearance and enhance the value
of the cloth. Whilst Italian Cloth may be either plain, figured,
embossed, printed, etc., or a combination of these varieties, the
name is applied to a "plain dyed cotton fabric."
=Italian Cloth, Figured, Cotton Warp and Wool Weft.=--This fabric,
in addition to the characteristics of the plain Italian Cloth woven
from cotton warp and wool weft, has had its surface ornamented
by the introduction of figures or floral or geometrical designs
produced either by combination of weave or by means of certain extra
threads known as "figuring threads." These figures may be produced
by means of either extra warp or extra weft threads. In this class
of material, where the weft is wool, the extra figuring thread is
generally a weft thread. The figuring thread, after having served
the purpose of ornamenting the face of the cloth, is allowed to lie
loosely or "float" underneath the ground cloth structure. Where the
figuring is produced by combination of weave no such floating threads
appear.
=Italian Cloth, Plain, Cotton Warp and Wool Weft.=--Under the heading
"Italian Cloth" it will be seen that such a fabric is essentially a
weft-faced satin-weave material having practically the whole of the
weft or filling threads on the surface. When it is woven from a wool
weft and a cotton warp the material shows the face of the cloth as a
wool face, the main bulk of the cotton warp showing on the back of
the fabric. When woven with cotton warp and wool weft, Italian Cloth
still retains the characteristic smooth surface of all weft-faced
satin-weave fabrics. Very simple tests by burning will show the
nature of both warp and weft, and this class of fabric illustrates
clearly, by contrast between the two sets of threads, the nature
of weft-faced satin or kindred weave fabrics. Such Italians are
generally cross-dyed, _i.e._, woven with dyed warp and grey weft, and
then piece-dyed.
=Jaconet.=--There are two varieties of Jaconets, both of which,
however, are all-cotton fabrics. One is a hard-finished fabric
similar in weight to Victoria Lawn, having a smooth, lustrous,
Cambric finish. The other is a soft-finished material which can
hardly be distinguished from a heavy soft-finished Nainsook. Jaconet
is a plain-woven fabric which has been variously described as a
"thin, soft Muslin," or as a "plain-woven cotton fabric lightly
constructed, composed of light yarns." Bleached, dyed, or printed in
the grey piece length, similar to Mulls, Nainsooks, Cambrics, etc. It
is also spelt Jaconettes.
=Jacquards= is a loose term applied to elaborate designed fabrics
produced by means of a machine called a Jacquard, the distinctive
feature of which is an apparatus for automatically selecting warp
threads and moving them independently of each other. Jacquards are
the produce of what is termed figure weaving, in which complicated
figures are woven into the fabric.
=Jaeger.=--This name is used to designate the products of a certain
manufacturer whose material is described as being an "all-wool"
material. Generally applied to underwear and fabrics into whose
composition camel wool is said to enter largely.
=Jean.=--A Jean is an all-cotton fabric woven as a three-shaft twill
similar to a Dungaree. Good-quality Jeans, woven from coloured warp,
are often used as sailors' collars and for children's clothing. Woven
in the grey as a weft-faced twill and subsequently dyed, they are
used for lining cloths. The weave of a Jean fabric, which is its
salient characteristic, is described under "Grey Jeans," which is the
kind of Jean most often met with.
=Jeanette.=--A three-shaft weft twill fabric having warp and weft
threads about equally proportioned in number and thickness.
The name "Jeanette backed" is applied to certain pile fabrics that
have a three-end twill back.
Applied to a cotton material, it would correspond to a Jean type
fabric not as stoutly woven as a Jean. One authority, however,
claims that it is "a similar fabric to the Jean in which the warp
predominates."
=Jouy.=--Printings in small floral effects on silk or cotton, similar
to Pompadour designs. Named after a Frenchman who established a plant
for such work during the reign of Louis XV.
=Kerseymere.=--Seldom met with under this name. Kerseymere is a fine
woollen cloth of a serge-like character, woven with a three-shaft
weft-faced twill weave.
=Khaiki.=--A Japanese silk of plain weave, not so fine as Habutai.
=Khaki.=--A colour resembling that of the ground. This word is
derived from the Hindustani word for "earth." A term applied to
a special shade of brown or greenish brown largely employed in
soldiers' uniforms.
Ladies' Cloth.--A dress fabric of plain weave, similar to a Flannel
in construction, but with a high-finished surface, which gives the
fabric a Broadcloth effect.
=Lappet Weave.=--Lappet weaving is used to produce on a light fabric
small designs which have the appearance of having been embroidered
upon the fabric, such as the detached spots in dotted Swiss, or
narrow and continuous figures running more or less in stripes. This
form of weaving is used mainly on plain and gauze fabrics, and the
figures are practically stitched into the fabric by means of needles
in a special sliding frame. The yarn which produces the figured
design is an extra warp thread known as a "whip yarn." Lappet
weaving produces the design on one side only of the fabric, and this
feature will enable this style of weave to be recognised from other
processes, such as Swiss Embroidery. The loose threads existing
between the figures when the goods leave the loom are usually cut
away, leaving a somewhat imperfect figure or spot with a bit of the
figuring thread protruding at either extreme edge of the figure or
spot. Lappet-figured fabrics are not Brocades.
=Lastings.=--A plain twill or kindred weave fabric firmly woven
from hard-twisted wool or cotton yarns. Smooth in appearance but
having a somewhat hard handle, Lasting is a fine, durable, generally
piece-dyed, material, of which there are several varieties, such as
the Printed and the Figured. It is sometimes employed in the making
of uppers for boots and shoes.
=Leas.=--A term used to denote the count of linen yarn, each lea
being a measure of length equal to 300 yards. When used with
reference to cotton yarn, it is a measure of length equal to 4,320
inches, or 120 yards. _See under_ Cotton Yarn Measures.
=Leather Cloth.=--This name is given to a cloth which is known in the
Bradford district as a Melton. It is a union cloth woven from cotton
warp and woollen weft having the warp threads running in pairs or, as
it is called, in "sisters." Generally measuring from 50 to 56 inches
in width and weighing from 20 to 24 ounces per yard, it is finished
with a bright, smooth face. The system of interlacing of warp and
weft is not apparent either on the face or back of the cloth. By
pulling away one or two weft threads it is easy to see that the warp
threads are of cotton and that they are in pairs. Leather cloth is
free from any figuring and is generally dyed in dark colours.
=Leno.=--Where a fabric is woven with a combination of gauze weaving
and a few plain picks it is said to be a Leno. It is a term now
currently used to designate all classes of light fabrics into which
the gauze weave (in which kind of weaving all the warp threads do
not run parallel or at right angles to the weft but are more or
less twisted round each other) is introduced in combination with
any other kind of weave. Lenos may have either an "all-over effect"
or "stripes." The introduction in Lenos of the gauze weave tends to
strengthen a material which from its very nature can only be but
light. Lenos may show, in addition to the "all-over effect," an extra
weft figure or spot. Whilst all these would be known as Lenos, their
more correct designation would be Figured Lenos, or Extra Weft Spot
Figured Lenos. The term is now loosely used, and sometimes a "lace"
stripe Muslin will be called a Leno. The crossing threads used in the
true or "net" Lenos are often of two or three fold yarn. The common
so-called lace curtains are Lenos. The common varieties of Lenos are
extensively used for the purpose of mosquito nets.
=Liberty.=--A light-weight silk having a satin finish. A trade name
applied to a satin-finish silk of light weight now generally applied
to such silks, although not the original "Liberty."
=Linen Yarn.=--When the count of linen yarn is given, it is denoted
by "leas." Each lea is a measure of 300 yards, and 10 leas = 1
hank and 20 hanks = 1 bundle. It will be seen that as the "counts"
increase, the weight per bundle decreases.
=Lingerie.=--This comprehensive term embraces ladies' and children's
undergarments, such as skirts, undershirts, etc., infant's long and
short dresses, stockings, chemises, night-robes, drawers, corset
covers, etc.
=Lining.=--A cloth usually made from cotton warp and cotton, alpaca,
or Botany weft, according to the type of cloth required, generally
woven with a sateen weave. Italian Cloth is a typical example of
lining cloth. The name denotes a class of fabrics rather than a given
fabric.