Starphyre's Fabric Notes: How to identify fabric; A-M

These are my notes from my fashion archives; The following is excerpted from this book: Secondhand Chic: Find fabulous fashion at Consignment, Vintage, and Thrift stores: By Christa Weil.
Hope these help in identifying the fabric you have found!

Acetate:
A manufactured fiber formed by a compound of cellulose, refined from cotton linter, and or wood pulp. An acetic acid that has been extruded through a spinnernet and then hardened.

Angora:
The hair of the Angora goat. Also known as Angora Mohair. Angora also may apply to the fur the angora rabbit. This fabric is often made in sweaters, and is extremely soft to the touch.




Beaded:
This refers to any style of fabric. Beading can be done at the time the the lace is made, or re-embroidered after the lace is made.




Bengaline:
A fabric with a cross-wire rib made from textile fibers(such as rayon, nylon, cotton, or wool)often in combination.

Boucle:
A knit of woven fabric made from a rough, curly knotten boucle yarn. The fabric has a looped knotted surface and is often used in sportswear and coats.

Brocade:
A heavy exquisite jacquard type fabric, with an all over raised pattern, or floral design.

Cambric:
A fine thin white linen fabric.

Canvas:
A strong, durable closely woven cotton fabric.

Cashmere:
A luxury fiber obtained from the soft fleecy undergrowth of the Kashmir Goat of Tibet, Mongolia, China, Iran, Iraq, and India. Most commonly used in sweaters, shawls, coats and dresses.

Crushed Velvet:
Velvet is a form of textile that is woven on a special loom. It is a tufted fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed, giving it its distinct feel. Velvet can be made from any fiber.




Chambray:
A plain woven fabric that can be made from cotton, silk, or manufactured fibers; but it is most commonly cotton. It incorporates a colored warp(often blue)and white filling yarns.

Chantilly lace:
This lace has a net background, and the pattern is created by embroidering with thread and ribbon to create floral designs. The pattern has areas of design that are very dense, and the pattern is often outlined with heavier cords or threads.




Charmeuse:
Trade name of silk and silk-like fabrics that characterized by a shiny soft satin like appearance.

Chenille:
Soft fuzzy yarns stand out around a velvety cord on this fabric, whose name comes from the french word from "Caterpillar"

Chiffon:
A plain, woven, light-weight, extremely sheer, airy and soft silk fabric, contained highly twisted filament yarns. Used mainly in evening dresses and scarves. Can also be made from rayon, and other manufactured fibers.

Chintz:
A usually glazed cotton fabric.

Cotton:
A unicellular natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant. Fibers are typically 1/2 inch to 2 inches long. The longest staple fibers, longer than 1-1 1/2 inch, including the Pima and Egyptian varieties; produce the highest quality cotton fabrics.

Crepe:
Used to describe all kinds of fabrics--Wool, cotton, silk, rayon, synthetics and blends, that have a crinkle, crimped, or grained surface.




Crepe back satin:
A satin fabric in which highly twisted yarns are used in the filling direction. The floaty yarns are made with low twist and may be either high or low luster. If the crepe effect is the right side of the fabric, the fabric is called satin-back crepe.

Crinkled:
Forming many short bends or wrinkles

Crocheted:
Loose, open knit made buy looping thread with a hooked needle. Used for light, summer sweaters.




Denim:
True denim is a twill weave cotton-like fabric, made with different colored yarns in the warp and the weft. Due to the twill construction, one color predominates on the fabric surface.

Dupioni:
Similar to Shantung, this textured fabric is recognized by irregular-sized thick fibers woven into the base fabric. Fibers that create the texture are thicker than those used in Shantung.

Elastin:
A protein, that to collagen and is the chief constituent of plastic fibers.

Embroidered:
An embellishment of a fabric or garmet in which colored threads are sewn into the fabric to create a design. Embroidery may be done either by hand, or by machine.




Fagoting:
An embroidery produced by pulling out horizontal threads from a fabric, and tying the remaining cross threads into groups of an hour glass shape.

Faille:
A glossy, soft, finally-ribbed silk-like woven fabric made from cotton, silk, or manufactured fibers.

Georgette:
A sheer lightweight fabric, often made of silk, or from such manufactured fibers as polyester, with a crepe surface. End uses include dresses and blouses.

Gingham:
A medium-weight, plain-weave fabric, with a plaid or checker pattern.



Heather:
A yarn that is spun using pre-dyed fibers. These fibers are blended together to give a particular look(For example: black & white may be blended together to create gray heathered yarn.)
The term "Heather" may also be used to describe the fabric made from heathered yarns.

Hemp fiber:
Hemp is a common name for Cannabis and the name is most used when this annual plant is grown for non-drug purposes. When grown for industrial purposes hemp is called, often, industrial hemp, and a common product is fiber for use in a variety of different ways. Hemp use dates back to the Stone Age, with hemp fibre imprints found in pottery shards in China over 10,000 years old. It is used in bags, clothing, and jewelery, and tends to be rough and itchy, depending on how fine the weave is.

Intarsia:
A colored design kitten on both sides of a fabric.

Jacquard:
Woven fabrics manufactured by using the jacquard attachment on the loom. This attachment provides versatility in designs and permits individual control of each of the warp yarns. Thus fabric of almost any type of complexity can be made. Brocade and damask are types of jacquard woven fabrics.

Jersey:
The consistent inter looping of yarns in the jersey stitch to a fabric with a smooth, flat face, and a more textured but uniform back. Jersey fabrics may be produced on either circular or flat weft knitting machines.

Knit-Fabrics:
Made from only one set of yarns, all running in the same direction. Some knits have their yarns running along the length of the fabric, while other have their yarns running across the width of the fabric knit. Fabrics are held together by looping the yarns around each other. Knitting creates ridges in the resulting fabric. Waves are the ridges that run lengthwise in the fabric, courses run crisscross.

Knitted:
Formed by interlacing yarn or thread in a series of connected loops with needles.

Lace:
An ornamental braid for trimming.

Lame like glotique:
A woven fabric using flat silver or gold metal threads to create either the design of background in the fabric.

Lawn:
A light, fine, cloth made of using carded or combed linen or cotton yarns. The fabric has a crease-resistant, crisp finish.

Leather:
Animal skin dress for use in clothing.

Leatherette:
Simulated leather.

Linen:
A fabric made from linen fibers obtained from inside the woody stem of the flax plant. Linen fibers are much stronger and more lustrous than cotton. Linen fabrics are very cool, and absorbent, but wrinkle very easily unless blended with manufactured fibers.

Lycra:
A DuPont trade mark trademark for its spandex fiber. Anytime you see this fiber listed on a label, expect comfort, movement, and shape retention that won't wash away.

Marabou:
A throw silk usually dyed in the gum or fabric made of this silk.

Matte:
Lacks luster or gloss, and has a usually smooth even surface, free from shine or high-lights.

Mesh:
A type of fabric characterized by its net-like appearance, and the spaces between yarns. Mesh is available in a variety of constructions including wovens, knits, laces, or crocheted fabric.

Micro-fiber:
Generic term for any synthetic fiber finer than silk. Fabrics made with micro-fibers are soft lightweight breathable, and durable.

If you would like a more in-depth list on textiles and cloth types, visit the website:
http://phrontistery.info/fabric.html