The textile glossary
HAS
- Weave (nf) : Method of interweaving the warp and weft threads constituting a fabric.
B
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Brocade (nm) : Rich silk with jacquard patterns embroidered with gold or silver threads. These threads are used almost exclusively on the face of the fabric and are bound by a dedicated warp called a binding warp.
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Brocatelle (nf) : Jacquard fabric whose pattern appears in relief thanks to the play of weaves and wefts used. It is most often a silk, with a twill background. The relief of the pattern is obtained thanks to a thicker linen weft which is not visible on the face of the fabric.
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Broché (nm or adj) : Jacquard fabric with multiple colors. The patterns appear as if embroidered due to the long, loosely bound weft throws. The designs are generally very precise and finely cut.
C
- Charmer (nf) : Fabric with a shiny side and a matte side, commonly called lightweight satin.
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Chenille (nf) : A very fluffy thread that can imitate a velvet effect. Chenille is obtained from a fabric woven into canvas and then cut in the direction of the straight grain. Chenille thus appears as a thread crossed by other small threads (the wefts of the canvas).
D
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Doupion (nm) : Plain weave fabric made from a warp of fine threads and a thicker weft made from irregular threads, most often in raw silk (or greige). The touch is slightly rough and the fabric has a fairly stiff drape.
E
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Etamine (nf) : Fine and light fabric, loosely woven. It takes its name from its use for filtering or wringing out, for example, flour or curdled milk in cheese making. It can also be used in clothing for scarves or in decoration in light voile.
F
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Façure (nf) : Right side of the fabric on which the jacquard pattern appears.
G
H
I
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Indienne (nf) : Painted or printed cotton fabric in shimmering colors. Initially produced in the Indies, they were so successful with the French nobility in the 18th century that they were banned for reasons of economic protectionism. Mulhouse quickly became an emblematic place for the production of these Indian fabrics, before other cities also made them their specialty.
I
K
- Kelsch (nm) : Fabric produced in Alsace characterized by blue and/or red vertical and horizontal stripes on a white background. It is generally made of cotton or linen. It takes its name from the city of Cologne, near which pastel was grown, giving its blue color to the stripes.
L
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Wool (nf) : Textile raw material often derived from sheep fleece. The most famous is mohair wool from New Zealand or Australia. These are the main producers of textile wool. Wool also comes from other animals: goats (cashmere), camels or yaks.
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Lamé (nm) : Refers to both a thread and a fabric. Lamé thread is a flat metal or metallic-looking thread. It is distinguished from covered thread where a blade is wound around another thread, the core. Lamé fabric is made with a blade thread in the weft. The weave can vary.
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Lampas (nm) : Jacquard fabric woven with two warps. One warp is dedicated to the satin background, the background is the color of the warp. The other warp is a binding warp, it is used to bind the long weft floats that will constitute the pattern.
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Lycra (nm) : Trademark registered by DuPont in 1958. Corresponds to elastane, a synthetic, petroleum-sourced fiber known for its elastic characteristics: the fiber can stretch up to 6 times its length and then return to its initial structure. Elastane is thermoplastic, so it is recyclable.
M
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Moire (nf) : Visual effect brought to the surface of a fabric by crushing and rolling the threads. These thus reflect the light differently, giving this characteristic appearance.
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Muslin (nf) : Fine, flexible, and transparent fabric (cotton, silk, etc.).
For example: a muslin veil.
N
O
P
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Pekin (nm) : Fabric with vertical (longitudinal) stripes formed by changes in weave. Pekin can be plain or shaped, that is, there can be patterns in addition to the stripes. Due to changes in weave, the consistency can change from one strip to another.
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Polyester (nm) : Raw material derived from petroleum. It is present in 50% of textiles, due to its low cost and its slightly elastic and resistant properties. It is also the source of significant microplastic pollution.
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Poplin (nf) : A fine, lightweight plain weave fabric. It is woven from a warp thread that is finer than the weft thread. In the 15th century, “poplin” was produced in Avignon from a silk warp and a wool weft. Today, we find almost exclusively cotton or viscose “poplin”, it is most often printed.
Q
R
S
- Silk (nf) : Textile raw material of animal origin. It is obtained by unwinding the cocoons of the Bombyx Mori , also known as “silkworms”. These cocoons which surround the chrysalis of the animal are made up of a single fiber which measures up to 1 km long. The latter is produced from sericin, a molecule present in the saliva of the Bombyx.
T
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Taffeta (nm) : Word of Persian origin “that which is woven”. In its current usage, it often designates a silk fabric woven with a plain weave. We can also speak by extension of the taffeta weave to speak of a canvas, in this case we can speak of a wool taffeta instead of a wool canvas.
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Taslan (nm) : Process applied to synthetic or artificial threads to curl the filaments of which the threads are composed. The thread thus obtains a voluminous appearance with slight roughness. This treatment increases the insulating characteristics of the thread.
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Toile (nf) : The simplest weave in the world of weaving. The warp and weft threads cross alternately, 1 above / 1 below. When the weft passes, one warp thread out of two rises. When the next weft passes, the warp threads that remained lowered will rise and those that rose will remain lowered. There are variations of toile, for example: Cannelé or Louisine.
U
V
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Velvet (nm) : Fabric characterized by the presence of hairs or loops on one of its faces. It is woven very tightly. Part of the warp threads are raised between two weft passes. These threads can then be shaved or not, thus forming hairs or loops.