Piece Goods Manual / Fabrics described; textile, knit goods, weaving terms, etc., explained; with notes on the classification of samples.

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Habutai.—A plain-weave silk, of smooth and even texture, originally made in Japan on hand looms.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:—

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.

Lisle Thread.—Yarns made of long-staple cotton, somewhat tightly twisted and having a smooth surface produced by passing the yarn over gas jets.

Loading Worsted and Woollens.—When the natural weight of any fabric is artificially increased, it is subjected to a treatment called "filling," "loading," or "weighting."Wool fabrics, by reason of their great hygroscopic properties, are usually weighted by being impregnated with hygroscopic substances, such as magnesium chloride.Other agents employed for filling worsted and woollen goods are zinc chloride, dextrine, starch, and water glass (alkali silicate).

Zinc chloride is a most useful loading agent on account of it possessing great hygroscopic properties.When a wool fabric has passed through solutions containing this agent the chloride is absorbed and permanently retained in the form of moisture, and a slippery handle or feel is imparted.

Longcloth.—This name is used to designate a fine cotton fabric, either plain or twill woven, of superior quality, made from a fine grade of cotton yarn of medium twist.

The fabric is used for infants' long dresses, from which it derives its name, also for lingerie.Longcloth to some extent resembles Batiste, fine Muslin, India Linen, and Cambric.It is, however, distinguished from these fabrics by the closeness of its weave.It has, when finished, a very good white appearance, due to the closeness of the weave and the soft twist of the yarn.The surface is rendered smooth by undergoing a "gassing" process.

Long Ells (Woollen).—This name is given to an all-wool twill-weave fabric woven with a worsted warp and a woollen weft, averaging in width from 28 to 30 inches and having a length of 24 yards to the piece.Calendered, finished, and often dyed a bright vermilion.Long Ells averaged in value during the 10 years 1904-14 about 17s. per piece. They are not met with in a large range of qualities, the most usual type answering to the above description.

Long Stick.—This term is used to describe a yard of 36½ inches in length.The abbreviated manner of writing this term on documents referring to textiles is LS.It is only used in connexion with textile fabrics and in opposition to "short stick," a yard of 36 inches.One authority states that "the yard is generously reckoned at 37 inches by manufacturers in the United Kingdom."This statement, however, should be taken with reserve, although in the woollen trade it seems to be a common practice.In addition to this extra 1 inch per yard, a quarter of a yard in every 10 is generally allowed, so that a nominal 40-yard piece would actually measure 40 yards + 40 inches + 1 yard = 42 yards 4 inches.The long stick measure is only used in the woollen trade.

Louisine.—A silk fabric having an uneven surface like that of an Armure, but finer in effect.

Lustre Dress Fabrics.—This class of union fabric, when woven with a fast black dyed cotton warp and a worsted mohair weft, is representative of union fabrics in general, and the treatment of this material when in its grey state applies to the majority of union fabrics. The warp is generally a 2/80's, i.e., a strong yarn, and the weft, say, a 1/14's.The warp being dyed prior to weaving, there only remains the weft to be dyed after the unfinished cloth leaves the loom.This is called cross-dyeing.The grey cloth, in its loom state, possesses a visible appearance of non-lustrous cotton.This appearance is changed and replaced by the lustre effect through the process of "crabbing," or drawing out the material in the direction of the cotton warp.The warp threads when drawn straight virtually throw the lustrous weft to the surface, whilst they themselves become embedded out of sight in the cloth. Orleans, Mohair Brilliantine, and Mohair Sicilian are fabrics which come under this heading.

Maco.—Applied to hosiery or underwear made from pure Egyptian undyed cotton.

Madapolams are all-cotton plain-weave bleached Shirtings or Calico cloths.

Madras.—A light-weight cotton fabric or a cotton and silk mixture sold in widths varying from 27 to 32 inches, usually made from dyed yarns.Extensively used to designate light-weight shirting materials as used for men's shirts, the term is equally applied to similar weight fabrics printed in simple designs frequently elaborated in weaving by stripes or figures woven on a dobby loom.In the distributing trade, comprising various subdivisions of the trade, the names Madras, Gingham, Madras Gingham, Zephyr, etc., are so closely allied as to be impossible of separation.The original intent of these several designations has apparently been completely lost.Madras may either be woven as a plain or twill or kindred weave fabric.Whilst this name is primarily applied to an all-cotton fabric, it is also used to designate a cotton and silk mixture, when it is sometimes described as a Silk Gingham.The salient characteristic of Madras is the plain white and fancy coloured narrow stripes running in the direction of the warp.

Madras Gingham.—This name is applied to all-cotton fabrics made in part or to a considerable extent of dyed yarns of various colours, woven into stripes or checks woven either plain or fancy or with a combination of two or more weaves, and of a weight distinctly suitable for a shirting material in countries lying in the temperate zone. In the United States the introduction of a leno or satin stripe for the purpose of elaboration or ornamentation does not change the trade designation of such Gingham. Madras Gingham may be woven either plain, diamond, gauze and leno weave, or a combination of these weaves. See Madras

Madras Handkerchiefs.—Plain-woven coloured cloths, with large bold checks.The yarns are dyed with a loose top, and the cloth is treated with acids, which cause the colours to bleed or run and give an imitation of block printing.

Maline.—A fine silk net of gauze-like texture.Practically the same as Tulle.

Market Descriptions of Standard Cloth.—Certain standard cloths are known on the market by an expression such as "36—76, 19 x 22, 32/36".This stated at length means that the cloth is 36 inches wide, 76 yards long, and contains 19 "ends" (or warp threads) and 22 "picks" (or weft threads) per quarter inch, whilst the twist (or warp) is 32's and the weft 36's—all being actual, not nominal, particulars.

Marl.—A term applied to a particular kind of coloured two-fold or single yarn.In the former (the two-fold) one or both threads making the two-fold yarn are spun from two rovings of different colours, causing the single thread to have a twist-like appearance; or the process may be begun earlier, by the two colours being run together in the thick roving, thus producing a twist-like effect in the smaller roving immediately preceding the spinning.These single twist-looking threads are usually folded with a solid colour, frequently black.If folded with each other they are called Double Marls; a single-yarn Marl is this yarn without the folding.

Marquisette.—A sheer plain-weave fabric of silk or cotton, having a mesh more open than that of Voile.

Matelassé.—A heavy compound-weave figured cloth, having a raised pattern, as if quilted or wadded.

Matt Weave.—Similar to a plain or one-over-one weave, with this difference, that instead of lifting one thread at a time two are lifted over two.It might be described as a double plain weave.This style of weave is noticeable in some varieties of embroidery canvas.

Medium Cloth (Woollen).—This is an all-wool fabric, plain woven from a wool weft and wool warp.In width it varies from 54 to 74 inches and in length from 19 to 36 yards per piece.The average value of this fabric per yard for the period 1904 to 1914 was 4s. 3d.

This fabric approximates to, and by some is said to be identical with, Broad, Habit, and Russian Cloth.

Mélange.—The French word for "mixture."Name given to a yarn produced from printed tops.This class of yarn can be distinguished from Mixture Yarn in that many fibres have more than one colour upon them.In Mixture Yarn each fibre would only have one colour.

Melton.—Stout, smooth woollen cloth, similar to Broadcloth, but heavier.A heavily milled woollen in which the fibres have been raised, then the piece cut bare to obtain the typical Melton.Both light and heavy Meltons are made with cotton warp and woollen weft.

Mercerised Cotton.—Cotton fibre roughly resembles a tube which, being hollow and collapsed on itself, presents an uneven, twisted, tape-like appearance with a good many surface markings.

By chemical treatment (mercerising) with caustic soda, and the application of tension at the right period of the treatment, remarkable changes in the structure and appearance of the cotton fibre are produced.It is made to swell, to become more transparent, to lose its twisted tube-like appearance, and to become more lustrous, translucent, and elastic.Mercerised cotton gives an impression of silk to the naked eye, its microscopic appearance being changed, the fibre having swelled out and assumed a rounded rod-like appearance which, whilst resembling silk, still differs from silk by the absence of the characteristic swellings so distinctive to silk.

The mercerising process improves the dyeing properties of cotton.The most effective mercerisation is obtained with Egyptian cotton.

Mercerising.—The object of this very important operation in the manufacture of cotton goods, yarn, or cloth is to give them lustre, making them resemble silk, the use of which they have replaced in many instances. The process, which takes its name from the inventor (Mercer), consists of passing the yarn or cloth, preferably bleached or partially bleached, through a concentrated solution of caustic soda, which causes the straightening of the cotton fibres, and would also cause it to shrink considerably were it not for the fact that the material being treated is kept under tension, which prevents the shrinking. To this tension more than anything else is the lustre imparted due. Mercerising is only applicable to vegetable fibres. Animal fibres dissolve in caustic soda. The caustic soda solution is only allowed to react on the fibre for about two minutes, when it is washed out by abundant application of fresh water. See Mercerised Cotton

Merino.—Applied to hosiery or underwear made of part cotton and part wool mixed together.(Note.—The word "merino" on a box label is often misleading, as it frequently happens that goods so called are composed wholly of cotton.)

Mesh Underwear.—All knit underwear cloth is mesh in varying degree, but the common application of the term means a woven or knitted fabric having a net-like appearance.

Messaline.—A light-weight satin of fine quality.

Mixture Yarn.—This class of yarn is spun from fibres which have previously, and separately, been dyed various colours.The fibres are then mixed together to produce the desired mixture tone and spun in the usual way.This class of yarn differs from Mélange Yarn, which is composed of fibres upon which more than one colour has been printed.

Mock Leno.—Mock or imitation Lenos are ordinary woven cloths, that is, the warp threads do not cross each other, the open effect being less pronounced than in the real Leno, resulting in a fabric which is not as strong as the real or true Leno.

Mock Seam.—Applied to stockings made with cut leg and fashioned foot.

Mohair is a lustrous wool obtained from the Angora goat. The hair is often pure white, fine, wavy, and of good length, being the most lustrous of the wool or hair class fibres. It is extensively used in the manufacture of Plushes and lustrous dress fabrics. The name Mohair is used to designate a lustrous fabric made from this class of material.

Mohair Beaver Plush.—This fabric is a pile-weave material having a long lustrous mohair pile and a cotton back.The mohair pile is generally a "fast" pile in the sense that it is firmly held to the back.The pile is not as lustrous as a silk pile or even a good mercerised cotton pile, but it will not crush as readily as the latter.Generally measures from 48 to 50 inches in width and 60 yards in length.To prevent crushing of the pile, this material is shipped on an iron frame, on which it is fastened by a series of hooks which hold the material by the selvedges.Generally packed two frames to the box or case.The backs of mohair pile fabrics show a certain amount of loose pile fibres which have worked through during the process of weaving.This is not found in either silk or cotton pile fabrics.

Mohair Brilliantine.—A typical lustre dress fabric, plain woven, free from ornamentation, cotton warp and mohair weft; width, 30 to 31 inches; length, 30 to 35 yards per piece.Finer in weave appearance than Lustre Orleans, with a fairly extensive range of qualities.Like most lustre fabrics, it is cross-dyed.

Mohair Coney Seal.—A long mohair-pile fabric, dyed black, in widths of from 48 to 50 inches.The pile of this fabric is mohair, the foundation cloth all cotton.Harsher to the touch than a silk-pile fabric, Mohair Coney Seal has, as a distinctive feature, a fuzzy appearance at the back due to the fact that certain of the pile fibres appear to have worked through.If a similar fabric were dyed brown instead of black, it would be known as a Mohair Beaver Plush.If a similar fabric were dyed black and the surface chemically bleached till the dye was all out, producing a pile dyed two-thirds black and the surface third white, it would be known as a Silver Seal or Chinchilla Plush.

Mohair Sicilian.—Similar in construction of weave and components to a Mohair Brilliantine and differing from this only by the relative coarseness of threads.Sicilian is three times as coarse as Brilliantine, presenting a surface in which the warp and weft intersections are clearly shown, whereas the Brilliantine, being so much finer woven, does not show these so clearly, presenting as it does a smoother surface.The weft threads in Sicilian are comparatively much coarser than the warp, whereas in Brilliantine this difference is not so apparent.In width Sicilian measures up to 54 inches and in length from 30 to 35 yards per piece.

Moiré.—A watered design applied to silks by pressure between engraved rollers, or by the more common process of pressing two fabrics together. See Watering

Moleskin.—An all-cotton Fustian, made extra strong by crowding the number of picks to the inch, napped before dyeing and put to the same uses as a strong Corduroy.

Mottles.—A variety of Velveteen or Velveteen Cord woven with a pile surface showing a distinct combination of yarn-dyed pile threads.Generally found with a pile combining black and white weft-pile threads; Mottles are yarn-dyed fabrics.

Mousseline de Soie.—A sheer soft fabric of silk, similar to Chiffon, but of more open weave.

Mule-twist Yarn.—Mule-twist yarn can be spun up to the finest counts; it is softer and more elastic than ring-twist yarn; it will take up more "size" than ring-twist and, generally speaking, is more regular in construction.

Mull.—A thin plain fabric usually bleached or dyed, characterised by a soft finish, used for dress wear.Various prefixes, such as Swiss, India, and Silk, are used in conjunction with Mull.Silk Mull is made of cotton warp and silk filling, and generally of higher count, finished either dyed or printed.The Swiss and India Mulls are fine, soft, bleached cotton fabrics; Silk Mull is in point of texture twice as fine as some grades of Cotton Mull.Cotton Mull is a plain fabric free from any ornamental features or fancy weaves, depending for its beauty or attractiveness entirely on the finish.When coarse-grade Mull, intended not for dress wear but for decorative purposes, is made, it is woven coarser than the dress fabric, stiffened in the finishing, and commonly known as Starched Mull.It is 30 inches wide, and has 36 picks and 40 ends per inch.Cotton Mull is generally woven from bleached yarns and not bleached in the piece.

Mungo and Shoddy are wool products or wool fibres which have previously passed through the process of manufacture.

Before either Mungo or Shoddy is produced, the rags, tailors' clippings, pattern-room clippings, or samples from which they are made have to be dusted, sorted, and ground.The last process tears thread from thread and fibre from fibre, leaving the Mungo or Shoddy ready to be once more made up into a yarn.The name is applied to textiles made up wholly or in great part from Mungo or Shoddy.

There actually exists a technical difference between Mungo and Shoddy, due to the class of fabric from which they are made.Mungo is the product of all types of cloths which have been subjected to the milling process.Shoddy is the product of unmilled fabrics, such as flannels, stockings, wraps, etc. Mungo is usually shorter and finer in fibre than Shoddy, because, in the first place, milled cloths are nearly always made from the shorter kinds of wool; secondly, because the fibres of a milled cloth are very difficult to separate from one another and break in the process of pulling.

Both Mungo and Shoddy are rather more comprehensive terms than names for any special type of material; both classes have a number of special divisions with different names.

Nainsook.—Nainsook is a light cotton fabric of plain weave which has a very soft finish.It may be distinguished from fine Lawns, fine Batiste, and fine Cambric from the fact that it has not as firm a construction nor as much body, and for that reason is not capable of retaining as much finishing material, the result being that when finished it has a very soft feel when handled.In width it ranges from 28 to 32 inches and in length from 20 to 60 yards per piece.

Nankeen.—The original Nankeen fabric was produced in China and was a plain-weave cotton fabric woven on a hand loom from a cotton yarn which had a natural yellow-coloured tinge.The name is now given to a cotton cloth produced in Lancashire, woven as a three-shaft twill and dyed a yellowish drab and other colours, often used for corset-making.

There is a mass of evidence to show that true Nankeen is a class of cloth having as a salient characteristic an inherent peculiar colour which is natural and due to its being woven from cotton of a yellow-brownish tint.The following extracts bear on this point.

"The statement that this stuff was made from a cotton of brownish yellow tint was for a long time discredited, but it is now certain that the yellow preserves the colour of the cotton composing it rather than acquires it by any process of dyeing" (S.William Beck: "Textile Fabrics: Their History and Applications").

Sir George Staunton, who travelled with Lord Macartney's Embassy through the province of Kiangnan, to which province the Nankeen cotton is peculiar, distinctly states that the cotton is naturally "of the same yellow tinge which it preserves when spun and woven into cloth" ("Embassy to China," by Sir George Staunton).

Sir George Thomas Staunton (son of the above) has translated an extract from a Chinese herbal on the character, culture, and uses of the annual herbaceous cotton plant, in which the plant producing "dusky yellow cotton" of a very fine quality is mentioned as one of the varieties ("Narratives of the Chinese Embassy to the Khan of the Tartars").

Van Braam, who travelled in China with a Dutch Embassy and who had been commissioned by European merchants to request that the Nankeens for their markets might be dyed a deeper colour than those last received, says: "La toile de Nanking, qu'on fabrique fort loin du lieu du même nom, est faite d'un coton roussâtre: la couleur de la toile de Nanking est donc naturelle, et point sujette à pâlir" ("Voyage de l'Ambassade de la Compagnie des Indes Orientales Hollandaises vers l'Empereur de la Chine").

"Each family (at Woosung) appears to cultivate a small portion of ground with cotton, which I here saw of a light yellow colour. The Nankeen cloth made from that requires no dye" ("Voyage of the Ship Amherst to the North-east Coast of China, 1832," published by order of the House of Commons).

Other authors refer to a Nankeen-coloured cotton grown in India and state that the original Nankeen fabric was produced in Nanking, in China, and was woven from a natural-coloured yellow cotton.As produced in Lancashire the cloth is a closely woven three-shaft twill, dyed yellowish drab and other colours and used for stay and corset making and for pocketing.

An American Government publication (House of Representatives Document No.643: Report of the Tariff Board on Schedule 1 of the Tariff Law) gives the general description of Nankeens as known in the distributing trade as: "Distinguished by their peculiar yellowish brown colour, natural to the colour of the cotton of which made."

From the above it would seem clear that true Nankeen is a plain native cotton cloth woven on a native hand loom from unbleached and undyed yarn spun from cotton of a yellowish or yellow-brownish natural colour.The weave of Nankeen is a plain one-over and one-under shirting weave, such being the type of weave most readily produced on a native hand loom.The finished fabric is marketed in its loom state.

True Nankeen is therefore devoid of any ornamentation or figuring produced by weave or subsequent printing, embossing, dyeing, or stencilling.The width of Nankeen has apparently been always recognised as not exceeding 20 inches.

The name Nankeen in China was originally used to describe native hand-loom cloths of the above variety only, but as new and slightly different makes of native cloth appeared on the market the practice grew of including them under this heading, until gradually the term was used to describe not only the true Nankeen but a whole group of native cloths answering to the following description: all-cotton cloths not exceeding 20 inches in width, woven on a hand loom with a one-over and one-under shirting weave from cotton yarn which has not been previously dyed or mercerised, and including cloths of the above variety which have either been bleached, piece-dyed in solid greyish or blue colour, or woven from yarn previously dyed in greyish or blue colour, and including hand-loom-woven grey or bleached cotton cloths not exceeding 20 inches wide which have been ornamented by the introduction in the weave of a yarn-dyed blue stripe or yarn-dyed blue checkered design.

This loose application of the term continued until the 2nd May 1917, when the Chinese Maritime Customs, in their Notification No.876 (Shanghai, 2nd May 1917) laid down an authoritative definition of this class of piece goods reading as follows:—

Chinese Cotton Cloth that does not fulfil the above conditions will not be treated as Nankeen.

Noils are the rejected fibres from the process of combing the different wools and hairs prior to making them up into yarn. The primary object of combing is to sort or separate the long from the short fibres.

Ombré.—Having graduated stripes in colour effect which shade from light to dark.

Opera Hose.—Women's stockings of extra length ordinarily measuring 34 inches.

Organzine.—This name is given to a hard and strong finished silk thread which has been given a great deal of twist in the throwing.Organzine is used for warps, as strength and regularity are needed in warp threads so that they may bear the strain and friction of weaving.When silk is thrown with less twist, and is therefore softer and more or less flossy, it is known as Tram and is used for the weft in weaving.

Orleans.—This fabric, also known as a Lustre Orleans, is one of the many varieties of lustre dress fabrics met with and described elsewhere.Woven with cotton warp and lustre weft, free from ornamentation, it is a simple one-over and one-under plain-weave fabric.Average width, 30 to 31 inches; length, 30 yards; price in normal times averaging, for the usual type, as low as 8½d. per yard.

In fineness of appearance it lies midway between a Mohair Brilliantine, which is of finer weave, and a Mohair Sicilian, which is of similar weave, coarser, but more lustrous in appearance.

Ottoman.—A silk or cotton weave having thick ribs at various intervals.Originally, the thick cord ran crossways.When the cord runs lengthways the fabric is often known as an Ottoman Cord.

This material is also called a Persian Cord, which is a cloth made from worsted or cotton warp and worsted weft employing the plain weave, but with the warp threads working in twos, thus giving a rib effect.

Outsize.—When used as a knitted goods term it is applied to women's stockings made in extra widths.

Oxford.—Originally a wool fabric in dark grey and white mixtures.Of late years heavy cotton and linen fabrics have been known by this name.

Oxford Shirting.—This fabric is an all-cotton fabric woven with a plain-weave ground and ornamented by the introduction of broken twill or fancy twill weave.It is woven with white and coloured yarns, which go to make the pattern or design—which in the main takes the form of stripes—of broken twill weave running lengthways of the material.Where the design is produced by printing, the material would not be an Oxford Shirting, but would more correctly be classed as an "imitation" or "printed" Oxford.

Oxford Shirting has been described as "a matt weave of coloured yarns, forming small checked effects or basket effects."As the name shows, it is extensively used in the making of shirts and ranges in quality from a low-grade to a high-quality fabric.

Padded Back Linings.—When a fabric is printed black on one side, or backed, to prevent the printed pattern on the face of the cloth from showing through, it is known as a Padded Back Lining.A natural back lining is a solid-coloured lining printed on one side only.This class of fabric is generally woven from all-cotton yarns, but may include fabrics which contain wool, silk, or other fibres.

Pad-dyeing.—Fabrics are generally piece-dyed after leaving the loom by being immersed in a bath of dye or colouring material.With a view to quickening more than actually cheapening the process of dyeing, "pad-dyeing" was evolved.This roughly consists in threading the cloth to be dyed into a machine the main features of which are dye baths and rubber rollers.The cloth is made to pass over rollers, dip into a dye bath and pass through rollers which squeeze out the superfluous dye, allowing same to fall back into the dye bowl or bath.In "pad-dyeing" the cloth may pass as often as six times through the dye liquor before it enters the first set of squeezers, and it may be given as many as four more passes through the liquor before the second set of squeezers are gone through; this, according to experts, gives "thorough saturation to any and all goods difficult to penetrate."It is generally recognised that any degree of saturation can be attained by the process of pad-dyeing, and cloth may be run through a machine at the rate of some 275 yards per minute and yet be well saturated.In a description of a pad-dyeing machine the nature of the operation performed by this machine is called "dyeing" and not "printing."The only difference therefore between piece-dyeing in a vat and in a pad-dyeing machine is that in the one instance the cloth is made to circulate in a dye bath or through a series of dye baths instead of being allowed to remain still in a dye vat until impregnated. The object aimed at and attained, i.e., the saturation of the cloth with a dye or colouring liquor, is identical.

All fabrics showing thorough saturation of ground colour (i.e., where both sides of the fabric are equally dyed) are considered as dyed whether they have been dyed by vat-dyeing or pad-dyeing.

Panne.—A light-weight Velvet with "laid" or flattened pile. Applied to a range of satin-faced Velvets or silk fabrics which show a high lustre, which is produced by pressure. The word panne is French for Plush.

Panung.—The nether garment of the Siamese.Made from cloth of the Papoon style or from woven or printed Checks.Papoon is a plain-woven cloth having warp and weft of different colours.It is also woven in two-and-two checking.

Panama Canvas.—An all-cotton plain matt weave fabric, similar to Basket Cloth, but woven from dyed yarns.

Papoon.—An all-cotton fabric woven from coloured yarns, the warp being of a different colour to the weft or filling threads.Exported to Siam, where it is extensively used for panungs.

Paramatta.—A thin union fabric woven as a three-shaft weft-faced twill from cotton warp and Botany worsted weft, used extensively for the manufacture of waterproof articles.

Pastel.—Applied to tones of any colour when exceptionally pale.

Pastille.—A round or oval spot.

Peau de Cygne.—A closely woven silk having a lustrous but uneven surface.

Peau de Soie.—A closely woven silk having a somewhat uneven satin-like surface.Literally, "skin of silk."A variety of heavy, soft-finished, plain-coloured dress silk woven with a pattern of fine close ribs extending weftways of the fabric.The best grades are reversible, being similarly finished on both sides; lower grades are finished on one side only.The weave is an eight-shaft satin with one point added on the right or left, imparting to the fabric a somewhat grainy appearance.

Pekiné, or Pekin Stripes.—A colour design in stripes of equal width and with equal space between.

Pepperell Drill.—The very superior qualities of Drills, woven from the highest quality yarns, are distinguishable by their carefully woven appearance and known as Pepperell Drills.

Percale.—A plain-weave cotton fabric of fine or medium count, used for shirtings, dresses, linings, etc. Percale is usually printed on one side with geometrical figures, generally black, although other colours are sometimes used.The fabric is bleached before printing and has an entire lack of gloss, differing from Percaline, which has a very glossy finish.It is often printed in stripes and, when so printed, is known as Percale Stripes.

Percaline.—A highly finished and dressed light-weight Percale, piece-dyed in solid colours and not printed.Percaline is an all-cotton, plain, closely woven fabric, generally met with in shades of blue, green, black, brown, and tan.Highly calendered and glossed.

Persian Cord.—A worsted or cotton warp and worsted weft fabric woven with a plain weave, but with the warp threads working in twos, thus giving a rib effect.Also called Ottoman.

Pick.—When the word "pick" is used in connexion with weaving, it always signifies the filling or weft threads, while each warp thread is called an "end" or a "thread."Picks run across the width of the fabric.

Piece Goods.—A usual trade reference for fabrics which are woven in lengths suitable for retail sale by linear measure.

Pile Fabrics.—Materials of silk or cotton wherein the surface is woven with raised loops, which are afterwards cut, forming a raised "pile."They include Plushes, Velvets, Velveteens, and Corduroys.

The threads that go towards making the pile are special threads independent of the warp and weft threads necessary to make a fabric that will hold together.

If the raised loops are left uncut, as more frequently is the case with warp piles, the fabric is spoken of as "Terry."If cut, as is sometimes the case with warp piles, and usually the case with weft piles, the fabric is spoken of as "cut-pile."

A generic name, used more in the elementary distributing trade, covering the classes of goods known amongst retailers and consumers as Velveteen, Corduroy, Turkish Towelling, Plush, etc.

Pile Weave.—Numerous varieties of cloth woven with a pile surface, such as Plush, Velvet, Velveteen, Silk Seals, Pony Skin, Beaver, Chinchilla Plush, and Carpeting of various kinds, are produced by this style of weave. The distinctive feature of this weave is that the surface consists of threads standing closely together like bristles in a brush. These threads appear either as threads sheared off smooth, so as to form a uniform or even surface, as in the case of Velvet, or may appear in the form of loops, as in the case of Towelling. The threads forming the pile are fixed to the back in a more or less firm manner and are known as "loose" or "fast" pile: the former takes the form of the letter U and the latter of the letter W. The loose pile may be driven out of the material by pressure, as there are not the same binding threads holding it as in the fast pile, or, again, they may be drawn out through the back of the material by relatively little scratching with, say, the edge of a paper-knife. The fast pile cannot be so withdrawn, as one of the warp threads passes in each of the two surface depressions as well as under the centre bend of the W, thus firmly binding it to the cloth.All other conditions being equal, a fast-pile material would be the better and more expensive of the two, and for upholstery or where there is much wear the "fast" pile is essential.Pile-weave materials are shipped on iron frames of about 60 yards, the material being hooked on to the frame by the selvedge so as to prevent the crushing of the pile.For export two frames are boxed together, separated by a wood partition.

Piqué.—A stout cotton fabric having as a distinguishing feature wide or fine welts, running "lengthways in the piece" and extending side by side from selvedge to selvedge.It is woven in the unbleached state and bleached before being placed on the market.It is also made in part of dyed yarns, forming ornamental stripes.It is sometimes referred to as Welts or Bedford Cords.This fabric is described in the English market as a fabric having "transverse ribs or welts, produced by stitching tightly weighted warp threads through a fine plain-woven cloth which has its warp lightly tensioned."The ribs or welts are sometimes emphasised by the introduction of wadding weft.In America this material is sometimes described as "P.K."

P.K.—An American way of writing Piqué.This abbreviated designation of the word is limited to America and seldom met with on English invoices.

Plain.—As a weaving term the word "plain" is used to designate the simplest weave, in which the weft thread passes under one and over one warp thread. This system of interlacing produces a "plain" or "one-over and one-under" or "shirting" weave. The term is also used to denote that a fabric is not figured, i.e., that it is free of ornamentation produced by either extra threads or combination of weaves.

Plain Velvet (Cotton).—An all-cotton pile fabric, which is more often known under the name of Velveteen.There would appear, however, to be a difference between the two fabrics, which lies only in the length of the pile, the pile of Velvet being if anything a little longer than that of Velveteen and shorter than that of Plush.This fabric may, like Velveteen, be either of a weft or warp pile weave, which is more fully described under "Velveteen."Being plain, it is free from any ornamentation produced by printing, embossing, or combination of weave, and of uniform colour throughout the width and length of the material.

Plain Velveteen (Cotton).—This fabric, like all true Velveteens, is an all-cotton pile fabric which has not been ornamented or figured in any way, either by being printed or embossed or by combination of weave, and would be of uniform colour throughout the width and length of the material.

Plain (or Homespun) Weave.—Plain cloth is the simplest cloth that can be woven.In this weave one series of threads (filling or weft) crosses another series (warp) at right angles, passing over one and under one in regular order, thus forming a simple interlacement of the threads.This weave is used in the production of Muslin, Gingham, Broadcloth, Taffetas, etc.

Checks are produced in plain weaving by the use of bands of coloured warp and coloured filling.This weave produces a strong and firm cloth.It is also called calico or tabby weave, and referred to as a "one-over and one-under" weave.

Plated.—An American term used in connexion with goods having the face of one material and the back of another; for instance, a garment having a wool face and cotton back is "plated."The face may also be of one colour and the back of another, both of the same material.

Plissé.—French for pleated; applied to fabrics which have as a distinctive feature a narrow lengthways fold like the pleats of a closed fan.Also known as Tucks.

Plumetis.—A sheer cotton fabric ornamented with tufts at intervals.A Figured Muslin or Lawn of high quality and price which shows on its face dots or small sprigs of flowers which closely imitate real hand embroidery.These designs are the result of swivel figuring.This fabric is also known as Plumety.

Plush.—As a distinctive fabric Plush would appear to be a pile fabric having a fairly long pile woven on the same principle as Velvet, but composed of wool, mohair, or mixed fibres, and sometimes from a silk pile and cotton back.Used as an adjective, the word "plush" would mean woven with a pile somewhat longer than Velvet.It is generally used in conjunction with a prefix showing the nature of the materials from which the pile is made.

It is generally recognised that Plushes and Velvets are so generally part cotton that a Silk Plush should be considered as having a cotton back unless it is definitely stated that it is "silk backed."This practice is recognised by manufacturing, wholesale, and retail branches of the trade and is accepted by such authorities as Paul H.Nystrom and recorded in his book, "Textiles."

Plush of Silk mixed with other Fibres.—This class of material includes all pile fabrics which, in the first instance, answer to the description of Plush, i.e., have their pile longer than that of Velvet, and the pile of which, whilst being partly of silk, contains other animal fibres such as wool or mohair and which may contain even vegetable fibres such as cotton.In Plushes belonging to the above class the nature of the back or foundation cloth may vary, but in the great majority of cases they would be found to be of cotton.Where it is clearly stipulated that they are "Plushes of silk mixed with other fibres and having cotton backs," the foundation cloth must not contain warp or weft threads wholly or in part composed of any material other than cotton.

Plush Velveteen.—A plain all-cotton pile fabric, either weft or warp pile, but generally the former, which differs from Velveteen only in the length of the pile.As the name Velveteen stands for "an all-cotton fabric," it would be as correct to describe a Plush Velveteen as "an all-cotton Plush" or as a "long-piled Velveteen."The terms Plush and Velveteen are explained elsewhere.

Pointillé.—Having a design in small dots.

Pompadour.—A term used to describe small floral designs in silk fabrics.

Poncho Cloth.—This name is apparently more used to describe a class of fabric than a particular and distinctive material.Used presumably in the manufacture of Ponchos, which are blanket-shaped garments having a slit in the centre through which the head is passed, and extensively used in Mexico.Poncho Cloth was originally a fine all-wool fabric.

Poncho Cloth is now described as a union cloth, i.e., composed of two materials, such as wool and cotton, otherwise than by blending.It is also similar to what is known as Leather Cloth, produced in the Morley district, which is heavier than the boiled and teazled goods known in that district as "Unions."True Poncho Cloth is a union cloth woven with cotton warp and woollen weft, measuring from 72 to 74 inches wide and having a distinctive 1-inch hair list at each selvedge.It resembles but is lighter in weight than a Union or Leather Cloth, averages from 16 to 20 ounces per yard, and is given a high finish on the face.In the Bradford district such a cloth would be known and sold as a "Melton" unless shipped as a Poncho Cloth at the request of the buyer.

Pongee.—A fine plain-woven cotton fabric, mercerised, dyed, and schreinered, having a soft handle or feel like the real Silk Pongee of which it is an imitation.Pongees are met with having stripes produced by coloured warp threads.The fabric has a lustrous silky appearance.Average width, 28 inches.The ground colour of Pongees is most often of a shade similar to real Silk Pongee.

Pony Skin.—As a textile term, it is used to describe a pile fabric which is made to imitate the true Russian Pony Skin fur.Always dyed a solid black, this fabric has a mohair pile which has been laid and fixed by heat.The density of the pile and the lustre are the best guides to value.Like many imitation fur fabrics, it came into the market owing to the vogue of the real fur it imitates.Average width, 48 to 50 inches; length, 30 to 33 yards per piece.

Poplin.—A fabric having a silk warp and a wool weft, with a corded surface.Goods in which a similar effect is produced, but made in all silk, all wool, or cotton, are also called Poplins.

It is a warp-ribbed fabric with a plain weave and was originally made with a fine silk warp and a comparatively thick gassed worsted weft which gave the ribbed effect, with the silk warp threads thrown to the surface and completely hiding the worsted weft.It is similar to, but generally softer finished than, Repp or Rep.

Printed.—This term, when used with reference to textiles, indicates that the fabric has been submitted to a process whereby certain designs, either simple or complex, have been impressed on the surface of the fabric in either one or more colours.Calico is perhaps the most typical of printed fabrics.The printing of fabrics is generally done by the aid of a machine, its main feature being a revolving cylinder on which the design has been stamped or cut out.The cloth in passing through the machine comes in contact with the impression cylinder.The cylinder revolving in a colour trough takes up the colour and leaves the impression of the design on the cloth.When fabrics are printed by hand from blocks, the design never joins so perfectly that it cannot be detected, and, if looked for, certain marks will be found that are used as "guides" to show the operator where the next impression with the block is to be made.Roller-printed designs, being continuous, show no such marks or irregularities.

A recent process known as the "Lithographic" or transfer process has been introduced, and it is a modified form of block printing, an engraved stone being used as for lithographic work.

A fabric that is printed will not show continuous coloured threads, but threads coloured in places and not in others; whereas in fabrics having the pattern woven the coloured threads are continuous.

An "indigo print" is distinguished from a regular print by having a printed figure on a solid indigo blue ground, whereas the ground of an ordinary print-cloth pattern is white or of a light colour.An indigo-print pattern is obtained either by indigo block printing, indigo discharge printing, or indigo resist printing.

Printed Balzarines.—The general structure and appearance of Balzarines is given under that heading.The cotton variety would be an all-cotton fabric having a gauze weave and net-like appearance.The printed variety would consist of similar fabrics which had been subjected to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs had been impressed upon the surface of the fabric in either one or more colours.The fabric would approximate 30 inches in width and probably from 28 to 30 yards in length per piece.

Printed Calico.—This fabric is described under "Calico."

Printed Cambrics.—As the name shows, Printed Cambrics are Cambrics which have been submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed on their surface.

Cambric being a light-weight, soft-finish, plain-weave fabric of linen or cotton, the term Printed Cambric is therefore applicable to either a linen or cotton fabric.The more correct designation would be either Printed Linen Cambric or Printed Cotton Cambric.The majority of Cambrics met with are Cotton Cambrics, and, unless specially designated, a Printed Cambric would be a cotton fabric.Whereas in the plain white a Cambric is finer than a Lawn, Printed Cambrics, on the other hand, are coarser than Lawns.

Printed Chintzes.—This fabric is essentially a multicoloured printed cotton fabric.It is the style of printing and the large bright and gay coloured patterns of flowers and other subjects used for ornamentation of the fabric that are the distinctive features of this material, which is mainly used for curtains and furniture coverings.Chintz is but a plain-woven fabric elaborately ornamented with designs by means of the printing machine.After printing, the fabric is passed through a calender press, the rolls of which are well heated and tightly set, which gives the glazed finish which the fabric in most cases possesses.

Printed Cotton Drill.—A strong all-cotton warp-faced or warp sateen faced fabric which, after leaving the loom, has been suitably prepared for and subjected to a process whereby certain ornamentation in the form of simple or complex designs in either one or more colours has been impressed on its surface. For particulars of weave, see Drills; Florentine Drills; Satin Drill

Printed Cotton Italians.—This name is given to an all-cotton fabric woven generally with a weft-faced satin weave having an even, close, smooth surface, upon which—for the purpose of ornamentation and to enhance the value of the fabric—certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed.Whilst the name of this fabric does not indicate whether it is a grey, white, or dyed one, nevertheless, as an Italian Cloth itself is a dyed cotton fabric, so a Printed Cotton Italian is a dyed and printed cotton fabric.

Printed Cotton Lastings.—This fabric is essentially a plain all-cotton twill or kindred weave fabric firmly woven from hard-twisted yarns, piece-dyed after leaving the loom, and subsequently subjected to a printing process whereby certain designs, whether simple or complex, are impressed upon the surface of the cloth in either one or more colours.

Printed Crapes.—Any all-cotton Crape Cloth, which has been ornamented by having certain designs or patterns impressed upon its surface in one or more colours, is termed a Printed Crape.The crinkled appearance—which is the distinctive feature of Crape Cloth—remains unchanged in the Printed Crape.The various methods of obtaining this crinkled effect is given under "Crape Cloth, Plain."

Printed Crimp Cloth.—Any all-cotton Crimp Cloth which has been ornamented by having certain designs or patterns impressed upon its surface in one or more colours is known as a Printed Crimp.The "cockled" stripes—which are the distinctive feature of Crimp Cloth—remain unchanged in the Printed Crimps.The method of obtaining these "cockled" stripes is given under "Crimp Cloth, Plain."

Printed Furnitures.—This name, like many others used with reference to textiles, denotes more a class of goods than any given fabric.Chintz, Cretonne, and any other printed cotton fabrics which enter into the manufacture of chair or sofa coverings, curtains, hassocks, screens, etc., may be termed Printed Furnitures.This name, however, seems to be unknown to both manufacturer and distributor, and it is not in use in any of the many branches of commerce concerned with textile fabrics.As a generic term it has its value; but if it was ever used as the name of any given fabric, it is so used no longer.

Printed Lawns.—As the name shows, Printed Lawns are Lawns which have been submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed on their surface.Lawn being a light-weight, soft-finished, plain-weave fabric woven from cotton yarns varying from 1/40's to 1/100's or from a linen yarn, the term Printed Lawn is therefore applicable to either a cotton or linen fabric.The more correct designation would be either Printed Cotton Lawn or Printed Linen Lawn.The majority of Lawns met with are Cotton Lawns, and unless specially designated, a Printed Lawn would be a cotton fabric.Whereas a plain White Lawn is coarser than a White Cambric, a Printed Lawn, on the other hand, is finer than a Printed Cambric.It varies in width from 27 to 45 inches.

Printed Leno.—When a Leno has been submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed on its face, it is then known as a Printed Leno.

Printed Muslin.—As the name shows, Printed Muslins are Muslins which have been submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed on their surface.Muslin, like Lawn and Cambric, is an open, plain-weave, light-weight, soft-finished cotton fabric.The better qualities of Muslin may be recognised by their evenness of weave and fineness of yarn, whilst in the lower grades occasional warp or weft threads will be irregular, having the appearance of being thicker in some parts than in others.

Printed Reps.—As the name indicates, this class of fabric is essentially of rep construction, i.e., having as a predominant feature a rep or rib running transversely across the face of the cloth, which is described in detail under "Rep."When a cloth or fabric of rep construction has had its face ornamented by having certain designs or patterns impressed on it in either one or more colours, it is known as a Printed Rep.This class of fabric is generally met with as an all-cotton fabric, and unless specially designated, the material so described would be a printed plain (in the sense of not figured) cotton fabric.

Printed Sateens.—These are essentially light-weight cotton fabrics finished to imitate Silk Satin, and the common Italian Cloth is a sateen fabric. The ornamentation of Printed Sateens is the result of a printing process whereby certain designs are impressed on the surface in contradistinction to Coloured Sateens, in which the ornamentation is produced by combination of coloured warp and filling threads. See also Sateens; Satin

Printed Satinets.—An imitation of the true Satin in mercerised cotton or other yarns which has been printed after leaving the loom.The four-shaft satin weave, which does not fulfil the conditions of the real Satin as regards order of intersections, is known as a satinet weave and is the basis of this class of fabric.Similar to Sateen, but somewhat lighter in weight.

Printed Sheetings.—This name is given to an all-cotton fabric woven either as a four-shaft two-and-two twill or with a plain weave, as in the case of low-grade sheetings, in which waste and condenser wefts are used.The actual fabric is woven as described under "Grey Sheeting," then "singed," "bleached," and "calendered" to prepare it for the process of printing, which consists of impressing on the face of the material certain designs in either one or more colours.This term is very seldom met with in the trade and is considered a misnomer.

Printed Shirtings.—Printed Shirtings are essentially an all-cotton fabric woven with a plain weave, having the warp and weft approximately of the same count, which have had their surface ornamented by being submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed upon them.Printed Shirtings, like all other cotton fabrics, undergo a process of "singeing," "bleaching," and "calendering" prior to being printed.The first process removes the surface hairs, which form a sort of nap to the surface of the cloth, which if allowed to remain would interfere with the uniform application of the colours, and the other two processes further prepare the fabric for printing.

Printed T-Cloth.—This fabric is an all-cotton plain-woven fabric, generally woven from poor-quality yarn, which, after leaving the loom, has been bleached and printed. This fabric answers the description of a Printed Calico and would by many be known under that name. Beyond the actual manufacturer, the jobber or exporter, and those merchants in such markets as Manchester and China where the term is currently used, few even in the textile business would know the value of the term T-Cloth.

Printed Turkey Reds.—Fabrics designated as Printed Turkey Reds are essentially all-cotton fabrics of good quality dyed turkey red (see Dyed Real Turkey Reds) and subsequently ornamented by having certain designs impressed on their surface in either one or more colours.They are usually plain woven or of small twill weave.

Printed Twills.—This term is applied to all cotton fabrics of twill weave, having the diagonal effect or twill running across the face of the fabric, which subsequent to being woven have been ornamented by having certain designs, either simple or complex, impressed on their surface in either one or more colours.

Printed Velvet (Cotton).—Like a Plain Cotton Velvet, this fabric is virtually a Velveteen, i.e., an all-cotton pile fabric, which has been ornamented by having certain designs or patterns impressed on its face in either one or more colours.

Printed Velveteen (Cotton).—This fabric, like all true Velveteens, is an all-cotton pile fabric which has been ornamented by having certain designs, whether simple or complex, impressed on its surface in either one or more colours.

Printers.—Plain-woven cotton cloths either exported plain or more often used for printing. Burnley Printers, or "Lumps," are usually 32 inches wide by 116 yards in length and 16 square, i.e., 16 ends and 16 picks to the quarter inch.Glossop or Cheshire Printers are about 36 inches by 50 yards and average 19 ends and 22 picks to the quarter inch.Printers are generally well woven from pure yarns of good quality.A variety woven from low-grade yarns is also manufactured.

Pure Silk Plush.—A pile fabric, not often met with woven entirely from silk, i.e., having both pile face and back warp threads of silk.Woven as a Velvet but with a somewhat longer pile.Most branches of the trade consider a Pure Silk Plush to be a fabric having an all-silk pile, irrespective of whether the foundation fabric is silk or not.

Paul H.Nystrom, in his book, "Textiles," states that Velvets and Plushes are so generally part cotton that a Silk Velvet or a Silk Plush should be considered as having a cotton back unless it is definitely stated that it is "silk backed."The term "pure silk" when applied to a plush qualifies the pile of the fabric and not the fabric as a whole; it does not mean that the fabric is composed entirely of silk.

Pure Silk Velvet.—An all-silk pile fabric, not often met with woven entirely from silk, similar to an all-silk Plush, from which it differs only in length of pile.The pile of Velvet is shorter than that of Plush.A Pure Silk Velvet is generally understood to be a pile fabric having an all-silk pile, irrespective of the nature of the foundation fabric.Velvets are so generally part cotton that a Silk Velvet should be considered as having a cotton back unless it is definitely stated that it is "silk backed.""Silk," or "pure silk," refers to the pile and the pile only, in the general acceptance of the trade, and not to the fabric as a whole; it does not mean a fabric composed entirely of silk.

Raised Back Cloths.—Fabrics requiring a "raised back" are usually warp faced and weft backed.By constructing the cloth in this manner, the raising machine, in the subsequent processes, partially disintegrates the weft fibres and gives that soft and woolly feel which one is accustomed to in such cloths as Swansdown, Cotton Trouserings, and some classes of fabrics used for dressing-gowns, pyjamas, etc.

Raised Cotton Cloth.—Any material woven in all cotton and having either one or both sides "raised " or "napped" would be a Raised Cotton Cloth.The "raising" or "napping" of the cloth is a process which the fabric is put through with the view of giving it a soft "woolly" feel. By passing the fabric, whilst it is tightly stretched, over a revolving cylinder which has its surface covered with small steel hooks or teasels, the surface of the fabric is scratched and the short fibres of the yarn used in the weaving are opened up and raised, resulting in a nap covering the whole of the surface. Raised Cotton Cloths allow of the use of coarse inferior yarns and are better looking than had they not been raised. The raising hides defects of weave and produces a warmer, better-looking cloth than could be produced by any other process at the price. Raised Cloths, like certain Flannelettes, are sometimes chemically rendered "fireproof."

Ramie, Rhea, China Grass.—A fibre obtained from a plant of the nettle family which grows in India and China.The fibre is strong and lustrous and lends itself to the weaving of various materials, especially underclothing, and it is used also in the manufacture of incandescent gas mantles.

The diameter of ramie and china grass fibres is from two to three times that of flax.Ramie and china grass are not absolutely identical, the latter containing 78 per cent.of cellulose as compared with 66 per cent.in ramie.When spun into threads they produce a lustrous effect.Effects resembling silk-woven textures are produced with the finest yarns, and when dyed in delicate shades they give a brilliancy comparable with silk.

Ratine.—A wool material similar to a Chinchilla, but having smaller tufts with wider spacings between.This material is always plain woven and is of comparatively recent creation; it can be described as a very rough surface dress fabric, properly in part of wool, but now also made entirely of cotton.The characteristic rough surface is caused by the use of special fancy weft threads which are composed of two or more different size yarns so twisted together as to produce knob effects at intervals in the thread.A more expensive fabric is made of filling threads composed of braided yarns.The trade now applies the name to imitation effects produced by terry weaves, Turkish Towelling fabrics, bouclé and bourette effects.

Rayé.—This is the French term for "striped" and is applied to patterns running longitudinally with the warp in textile fabrics, produced by employing a special weave or two or more colours of warp specially arranged.

Reed and Pick are terms applied in the cotton industry to the number of threads in a given space—usually ¼ inch or 1 inch—in the warp and weft respectively. These terms are not generally employed, however, in all textile districts; the term "make" or "ends and picks per inch" is applied to worsted cloths, whilst "sett" and "shots" are used with the same meaning in the linen industry.

The word "counts," which refers to the number or thickness of yarn, is sometimes erroneously used in this connexion, probably owing to the fact that the expression "counts to the 1-inch glass" is also used in reference to reed and pick.

Rembrandt Rib.—Applied to women's stockings having groups of five drop-stitches, separated by 1 inch of plain knitting running the full length.

Rep.—The name Rep is used to designate certain fabrics that have as a predominant feature a rep or rib running transversely across the face of the cloth.The term may also be applied to the actual weft rib which appears in the material.

Reps are what is known as warp-ribbed fabrics, i.e., fabrics with the rib or rep running weftways, and for that reason may be considered the opposite of cords.The term "warp-ribbed" might at first sight appear to designate a rib running warpways, that is to say, in the longitudinal direction of the cloth, whereas a warp rib is a warp surface weave in which, owing to the thickness of the weft picks or to the grouping of a number of weft picks together, the warp threads are made to bend round them, and being thus thrown to the surface produce a ribbed appearance across the piece.Reps, unless specially designated, are dyed plain cotton fabrics with an average width of 32 inches and a length of 32 yards per piece.

Resist or Reserve Printing.—This style of printing is a process used to obtain white figures on a coloured ground by means of printing the designs in substances that are impervious to the dye into which the cloth so printed is subsequently placed.The cloth is dyed, but all parts of it which were covered by the resist agent remain white.

Reversible Cretonnes.—The salient features of Cretonnes are the bold type of highly coloured designs with which the fabric is ornamented through printing.The weave employed for this style of fabric is either plain, twill, satin, or oatmeal weave; the width of the material varies from 25 to 50 inches.Sometimes, though rarely, a small brocaded effect of fancy weave is introduced.Reversible Cretonnes differ from ordinary Cretonnes in that they are printed on both sides of the fabric.A recent variety of Reversible Cretonne, called a Shadow Cretonne, is purely a warp-printed fabric, sometimes containing yarn-dyed threads. A Cretonne printed with the same design on face and back would be known as a Reversible Cretonne, whilst the same fabric printed with one pattern on the face and a different pattern on the back would be known as a Duplex Printed Cretonne.

Rib.—The name given to any kind of cord effect or to a weave in which either, owing to the interlacing or to the yarns used, warp or weft is the stronger and remains comparatively straight while the weaker does all the bending.Thus, in warp ribs the weft is the stronger and causes the warp to bend and form a warp surface rib running from selvedge to selvedge, while in weft ribs the warp is the stronger and develops a weft surface rib running lengthways of the piece.

Rib Crape Effect.—This term is used to designate the effect produced by breaking up the regular order of weave so as to produce a warp-rib effect on a fabric which is of the Crape variety, the crape weave being distinguishable by the interlacing of warp and weft in a more or less mixed or indiscriminate order, so as to produce an appearance of a finely broken character.Rib crape effect is found in fabrics known as Crepoline.

Richelieu Rib.—Applied to women's plain stockings having a single drop-stitch at intervals of three-quarters of an inch running the full length of the stocking.

Right and Wrong Side of Fabrics.—In certain goods it is difficult to tell the right from the wrong side.In plain worsteds the diagonal ought always to run from right to left, that being the right side.In all textiles which are not reversible, but are similar on both sides, the right side can be detected by the quantity of down, which is less on the right side than the wrong side.To determine this it is often necessary to hold the cloth under examination to the light.When both sides are well finished, but with different patterns, it is the neater of the two which is generally the right side.In a comprehensive way, shaving and neatness indicate the right side.

Ring-spun Yarn.—Ring-spun cotton yarn is generally a harder spun thread than mule-twist, which is more fibrous and more elastic.Ring-spun yarn will not take up as much "size" as the more fibrous and softer spun thread of the mule.

Ring-spun yarn is rounder than a mule-spun thread.Ring-spinning differs from mule-spinning in this essential: the former is spun on the "continuous system" upon spindles that are fixed, whereas in mule-spinning the spindles are mounted on a carriage which moves backwards and forwards for a distance of some 5 feet. When the spindles reach their greatest distance the rolls producing the yarn are automatically stopped, and the thread that has been spun during the outward move of the carriage is wound on the spindles while the carriage is being moved back toward the rolls.

Robes.—A name given to printed twill cotton fabrics made from 64-square printing cloth.Originally made for use as wraps, they were made in Cashmere effects.Now, although made in large bright-coloured furniture coverings, curtains, etc., they still retain the name Robes when made from 64-square printing cloth.

Russian Cloth (Woollen).—An all-wool fabric, plain woven from a wool weft and wool warp, the weave being a plain one-over and one-under weave.Owing to the finish of the cloth, the weave is non-apparent.It varies in width from 54 to 74 inches and in length from 19 to 36 yards.It does not differ materially from Broad, Medium, and Habit Cloth.Average value for period 1904 to 1914, 4s. 3d. per yard.

Russian Prints.—This class of fabric does not differ materially from any other print.They originate in Odessa, whence they come by steamer to Chinese ports or to Vladivostock, from which points the majority are brought overland into Manchuria.Many of the designs on Russian Prints are similar to those on American prints.Measuring 24/25 or 26 inches wide, 88 by 68 or 88 by 64 ends and picks, and 30 yards per piece, they are generally packed 30, 40, and sometimes 60 pieces to a bale.On the whole, Russian Prints are not a high-grade material.

Samples and their Classification.—Unless some definite system, which provides means for ready reference to any of the individual samples forming part of the collection, is adopted from the very start, sample collections are of comparatively small value.The successive pasting into a book of samples which represent fabrics of different materials, different weaves, and different finishes—and under the heading "finishes" would be included dyeing, printing, embossing, etc.—is of no great value, for it becomes impossible after a time to readily turn up any given sample.Even with an index to the collection so formed it is only possible to turn up a sample of material the name of which is known.A person wishing to turn up in such a collection a sample of a certain type of fabric the name of which he did not know at the time could not do so, and the more specimens or samples were added to the collection the more difficult it would become to turn up a given sample, and the value of the collection would lessen instead of increase.

If fabrics are divided into 17 headings representing the main divisions into which they may be classed, and each division or section is subdivided into numbered sub-sections, the task becomes simpler, and there results therefrom a series of key-numbered collections each containing samples of fabrics of a similar type but of varying quality and value.Each collection (or sub-section) becomes known by a combination of two numbers, one of which is the main division or section number and the other the number of that particular sub-section.These numbers precede the name of the division and the name of the subdivision.

The 17 main divisions or groups, together with their respective subdivisions, which will in practice be found to be ample are as follow:—

Whether the loose-leaf system with folders to contain the samples is used or whether they are entered into special books is a matter for the individual, but the loose-leaf or card-index system with folder is infinitely preferable, admitting of the removal of any given sample for reference or comparison.The index to such a collection of samples would be alphabetical (even though not absolutely so), and if a sample of Italian (of the plain variety) were added to the collection, it would be added under section 4, Dyed Plain Cottons.If the sample of Italian thus added to the collection was the fifth sample of Dyed Plain Cottons (with finish), it would appear in the index to the sample collection under 1 and would be entered as follows:—

A sample of Bunting, on the other hand, would be filed under section 14, sub-section 2; and if it were the thirty-first sample filed under that sub-section, it would be indexed under the letter B as Bunting, 14: 2: 31.

This decimal system of numbering and classifying samples lends itself to a refinement of subdivision unattainable in any other.

Generally speaking, samples, unless accompanied by certain descriptive information, are of little value, and care should be taken to describe briefly any salient feature connected with the fabric.This information may concern either the trade-mark, the importer, the value, or the date when the sample was entered into the collection, and brief particulars of the shipment of which it is a sample.This kind of information is of material value where the sample concerns a class, style, or quality of fabric not hitherto met with.With a comparatively small amount of trouble it would be possible to get together very valuable collections of samples.And if the individual would but give a little time and thought to the question of textile samples, and but a tithe of the time devoted to any hobby he may have, he will be amply repaid by the added knowledge he will acquire.All samples should be of uniform size (7 inches by 4 inches will be found a very useful size) and should invariably be in duplicate—one to use in obtaining all particulars necessary for classification and the other for the actual sample collection. Weave structure, nature of yarns, etc., may be studied and tests for components made and recorded.

Nothing will give a better idea of relative values of fabrics than knowledge of components, style of weave, etc. This, of course, does not apply to extrinsic values, i.e., values due to fashion, exclusive designs, or proprietary articles.There is nothing to go by in such cases better than market values; but in the plainer staples knowledge of construction, finish, etc., means ability to classify fabrics and estimate their approximate relative values.

Provisions for an index to sample collection have been made at the end of this book, enabling the ready adoption of the system now advocated.

Sateens.—This material is a light-weight cotton fabric finished to imitate Silk Satin.In weaving Cotton Sateens the same style of weave is adopted as in weaving Silk Satin, the object aimed at being an even, close, smooth surface and one capable of reflecting light to the best advantage.In a "warp sateen" weave the warp only appears on the surface, the filling or weft threads being effectually and completely hidden by the warp threads.In passing over the filling the warps do not interweave at regular, but at irregular, intervals—thus they may pass over five, eight, ten, twelve, or sixteen, then under one and over eight more, and so on.Sateens average 30 inches wide and from 30 to 60 yards in length per piece.

Sateens are woven on the same principle as Italians.The common Sateen cloth is produced on a "five threads and picks" system.Sateens are woven either as "Warp Sateen" or "Weft Sateen"; the peculiarities of these weaves are given under those headings.

Satin.—A term applied to silk goods woven on the same principle as Sateens, either Warp Sateens or Weft Sateens.In weaving most silk fabrics the warp and weft, or filling, are made to intersect each other every alternate time (as in plain weaving) or every third or fourth time in regular order (as in ordinary or plain twill weaving).In weaving Satin the same style of weave is adopted as in weaving Cotton Sateens, the object aimed at being an even, close, smooth surface and one capable of reflecting light to the best advantage.In a warp-weave Satin the warp only appears on the surface, the filling or weft threads being effectually and completely hidden.In passing over the filling the warps do not interweave at regular intervals; thus, they may pass over five, eight, ten, twelve, or sixteen, then under one and over eight more, and so on. Common Satin is what is technically known as an eight-leaf twill, the order in which the filling thread rises being once in eight times. The filling in the better qualities of Satin is of silk, whilst in the lower grades of this fabric cotton is generally used for the filling. Rich Satins may be woven on almost any number from five to twenty leaf twills. Satin at the time of leaving the loom has a somewhat flossy and rough surface—this is removed by passing the fabric over heated metal cylinders, which destroy the minute fibrous ends and increase the brilliance of the silk. Black Satins are often woven with a selvedge which is of a different colour to the piece.

Satin Drill.—When a Drill is woven with a warp-faced sateen weave it is known as a Satin Drill, to distinguish it from a Drill woven with a twill weave, which is known as a Florentine Drill.

Satin Weave.—In weaving a satin design the filling thread is made to pass under one and over eight, ten, twelve, or a greater or lesser number of warp threads, and the order in which this is done is irregular.The filling by this process is thus placed practically all on the face of the cloth, and this style of weave is sometimes called a filling-face satin weave.By reversing the process and bringing practically all the warp to the surface or face of the cloth a warp-face satin is produced.Cloth produced by this system of weave has a close, smooth surface reflecting light to a high degree and giving it the appearance of Satin Cloth, a fabric which is best described as a cloth made of silk woven with a satin weave.

Satinet or Satinette.—An imitation of the true or Silk Satin woven from mercerised cotton or other yarns.It is similar to Sateen, but somewhat lighter in weight.The term is used to describe the four-shaft satin weave, which does not fulfil the conditions of the real Satin as regards the order of intersection of warp and weft.

Schreiner Finish.—This, like all other special finishes, is the result of a process through which a fabric is passed with the view of rendering its face more lustrous, i.e., capable of better reflecting light and hence having a more silky appearance.A Schreiner finish is given to a woven cloth by means of a specially engraved steel roller.This roller is engraved with minute lines running parallel to each other.When this roller has been suitably heated and set with the right amount of pressure the cloth is run between it and a plain backing roller. The engraved roller which comes in contact with the cloth impresses on it minute lines, which can readily be distinguished by means of a counting-glass.

In America a Schreiner finish is often known as a "milled" finish.

Scribbled.—When any two or more kinds of fibres have been thoroughly mixed together prior to being spun into a thread they are said to be "scribbled."

Seamless.—Applied to hosiery knitted in one piece on a circular machine, leaving an opening at the toe to be looped together.The shaping of the leg, heel, and toe is done by steaming and then drying on boards of proper form.

Seamless Bags.—All-cotton bags woven on looms which automatically measure the length of what is practically a tubular cloth required for each bag.What are virtually two cloths are "condensed" and woven together to form the bag bottom.In forming the body of the bag the loom weaves two fabrics, one over the other, and in weaving the bottom these are combined into one.

Selvedge.—The edge of any piece of woven fabric.The term is synonymous with "list."The warp threads which go towards the weaving of selvedges are in some cases made of a stronger material than that used for the bulk of the fabric.Folded yarns are often used for this purpose, because during the process of weaving single selvedge yarns are liable to break out oftener than any other, generally on account of the pulling action of the weft thread in the shuttle as it is "picked" across.This is more particularly the case with cottons.Selvedges are that part of the fabric by which it is held out in a stretched position in many of the stages of finishing.In the textile trade generally it is often stated that "a good selvedge shows a good cloth."Velvets and Velveteens that are mounted on iron frames, to which they are attached by means of series of hooks penetrating the selvedges, have these selvedges reinforced by stronger warp threads.

Selvedges, or lists, of a colour different but of a material similar to that of the bulk of the fabric denote that the fabric has been woven of dyed yarns and that it has not been piece-dyed.Obviously, if piece-dyed, the selvedge would be of the same colour as the bulk of the fabric.Distinctive styles of selvedges have given rise to special names of fabrics, such as Spanish Stripes.The actual quality of a fabric cannot be always told by the selvedge, but other conditions being equal, it then becomes a good guide to quality. A silk selvedge thread or threads, or the initials of the manufacturer in silk, appearing on the selvedge of an all-wool fabric generally denotes a superior quality of fabric. The following, from a work dealing with cotton fabrics, shows the generally accepted value of selvedges as an indication of quality: "Advertising has educated the retail dealers and consumers to the fact that cotton warp goods with a white selvedge, the ground being of colour, are more to be depended upon not to crock than similar cloths of solid colour."

Serge (Cotton).—All all-cotton fabric woven with a decided twill and having a special finish imitating wool; usually printed with hair-line stripes to imitate woven effects.

Shadow Cretonne.—A fabric of comparatively recent creation having as a distinctive feature the design printed on the warp threads. The filling is generally white, but is sometimes yarn-dyed to a shade approximating the general tone of the large floral decorations which are generally used in this class of fabric. The warp threads take the colouring matter in such a way that when woven the design or pattern appears equally on both sides of the fabric in somewhat blurred and softened tones. From the fact that the fabric is reversible, i.e., shows a design on both sides, it has sometimes been called a Reversible Cretonne, but the true Reversible Cretonne is the result of printing on a woven fabric and not on the warp threads only prior to weaving.The blurred effect, resembling that of a fabric which might have run in the washing, is at times intensified by the introduction here and there of yarn-dyed warp threads of solid colour.They are not always an all-cotton fabric; flax enters sometimes into their composition.

Shantung.—The real Shantung is a Chinese silk fabric of the Pongee class.This fabric has now been imitated in cotton yarns suitably finished.The yarns used in imitation Shantung are spun with thick soft places at irregular intervals in the yarn; this irregularity is more noticeable in the filling yarns.

Sheeting.—A light or medium weight plain-woven all-cotton fabric woven from coarse or medium yarns.The name applies to both bleached and unbleached cloth.Under the heading "Grey Sheeting" will be found a description of the two distinct varieties of fabric known as Sheeting.In the trade it would appear that, should a Sheeting be dyed or printed, it is never sold as a Sheeting, but under some other name.

Shirtings.—A generic term applied to any material originally and usually employed for the making of shirts and covering such varieties as Grey, Harvard, Oxford, Zephyr, Sateen, Grandelle, etc. The term Shirting, if used by itself, would in most instances be used with reference to the Grey Shirting so largely exported from England and America.This Grey Shirting is a plain-woven cloth of low-quality and heavily sized yarns which has not been bleached.

Short Stick.—This term implies a yard of precisely 36 inches, in opposition to the term "long stick," which is by trade custom a yard of 36½ inches in length.

Shot.—A weaving term having the same value as "pick."When a fabric is described as having so many "shots" to the inch it means that there are so many weft threads to the inch.When used to describe a colour effect in fabrics, it applies to fabrics which are woven with different coloured warp and weft, and which, according to the way they are held when looked at, appear to change in colour.

Sicilienne.—A Mohair of heavy weight.

Silence Cloth.—A heavy all-cotton backed fabric, used to cover the table under the linen cloth, to withstand heat or to prevent damage to the finish of the table.Made in widths from 54 to 64 inches.The fabric is a double fabric, reversible, and made from coarse yarns; it is also known as Table Felting.

Silesia.—A cotton fabric woven with a twill or sateen weave, usually printed in stripes and highly finished.The high finish found in this class of fabric is often a "Beetle" finish imparted to the fabric after weaving by subjecting it to a rapid succession of elastic blows from a series of hammers whilst the fabric is wound upon a cast-iron beam.Generally woven as a three-shaft twill from single 30's to 40's in warp and filling so as to produce a 45-degree right-hand twill.Silesia is essentially a tailoring fabric used for linings.A variety of yarn-dyed striped Silesia is also on the market.

Silk Beaver.—Silk Beaver is a pile fabric woven so as to imitate the prepared fur of the beaver.Like many other fabrics of this style the pile is all silk and the foundation cloth or back is all cotton.This fabric appears to be dyed invariably a rich brown, and this differentiates it from such similar fabrics as Silk Seal, which are dyed black.The quality of Silk Beaver depends upon the depth and closeness of pile. If looked at from behind, the pile threads will distinctly show as small shiny spots where they are bound into the back. The closer these little silk dots are to each other the heavier the pile and the better the quality. The value prior to 1914 ranged from 5s. to 12s. per yard but has since increased. The pile may have a length of as much as half an inch in the best grades. Generally framed in lengths of from 30 to 33 yards. As this is bulky material when framed, the landed cost in the East is greatly increased. Average width, 48 to 50 inches.

Silk Gingham.—This class of fabric is similar to Gingham, Madras, Madras Gingham, Zephyr, etc., except that the fabric contains more or less silk in the filling.It sometimes happens that through inadvertence such material is found described simply as a Gingham, hence the presence of silk should be looked for in goods so described.

Silk Mull.—Like Mull, this fabric is a plain-woven, soft-finished material, but is made from cotton warp and silk filling and is generally finished undyed.Silk Mull is finer in texture than Cotton Mull.The silk filling used in this fabric is raw silk, viz., tram silk.

Silk Pongee.—A light-weight fabric made of the silk produced by wild silkworms that feed on oak leaves.

Pongee is a soft, unbleached, washable silk, shipped from China to Europe in large quantities, where it is bleached, dyed, and ornamented in various styles of designs.The name is also applied to a variety of dress goods made in Europe woven with a wild-silk warp and a fine worsted weft.This material is of comparatively recent make and is made mostly with narrow stripes, produced by the insertion of certain yarn-dyed threads.

Silk Seal (Cotton Back).—This is an imitation fur fabric made in a range of quality, length, and closeness of pile.In this fabric the pile only is of silk, the foundation cloth being all cotton.

Silk Seal might be mistaken for Silk Beaver if not judged from the point of view of colour.Silk Seal is black, Silk Beaver is brown.There is a variety of this fabric known as a Fancy Silk Seal, similar in construction and components but having stamped in outline by means of rollers a design resembling the irregular scales on a crocodile's skin.Along the lines demarcating these scales the pile has been crushed and fixed down by heat. This fabric is not a true Silk Seal. Quality in this, as in other pile fabrics, depends on the closeness and depth of the pile. There is a possibility of mistaking Silk Seal with cotton back for a Silk Plush with cotton back, but generally the pile of Plush is shorter than that of Silk Seal. Average width, 48 to 50 inches.

Silk Yarns.—There are two distinct classes of silk yarns, i.e., (a.) pure, or net, silk and (b.) spun silk.

(a.) Net Silk Yarns.—These are constructed from fibres reeled straight from the cocoon, and in the case of organzine (or warp) yarns three to eight fibres are lightly twisted together; subsequently, two or more of these compound threads ("singles" as they are termed) are folded together to form the silk yarn employed as warp.Weft yarns, known as tram silk, are made from two or more strands, each made from three to twelve cocoon fibres, which have not undergone any preliminary twisting, so that tram silk is much straighter, softer, and more lustrous than organzine.

(b.) Waste and Spun Silk Yarns.—The fibre is obtained from "pierced" cocoons, i.e., cocoons through which the silk moth has forced a way at the time of emerging from same, also from "wild" cocoons.The low qualities are short-fibred and are only suitable for weft yarns, while the longer drafts produce higher quality yarns well suited for warp.

Counts of spun silk are based upon two distinct systems of numbering.In the French system the number is based on the singles, by metres per kilogramme; two and three cord yarns have one-half, one-third, etc., the length the numbers indicate thus:—

The other and more general system is the English.The hank is 840 yards and the number of the hanks in 1 pound avoirdupois is the count of the yarn.It is based on the finished yarn, and singles and two and three cord yarns of the same number have all the same number of yards per pound.Thus:—

Sliver.—A continuous strand of cotton or other fibre in a loose, untwisted condition, ready for the further process of slubbing or roving, preparatory to being spun.

Spanish Stripes, Cotton.—A plain-woven all-cotton fabric, sometimes woven from dyed yarns, but oftenest met with as a piece-dyed material woven with a simple one-over and one-under weave.The selvedge is often woven with black warp threads to the width of about 1 inch.The filling weft threads are soft and full, the warp threads are much finer and hard-twisted.The surface is raised and the general appearance of the fabric is similar to Flannelette.Often met with in bright vermilion.Average width, 56 inches; length, 25 yards per piece; and value (nominal), 7d. per yard.

Spanish Stripes, Woollen.—Essentially an all-wool fabric, free from any ornamentation of weave, printing, or embossing, this class of fabric is woven with a plain one-over and one-under weave.Soft of handle, Spanish Stripes are generally dyed bright red and have as a distinguishing feature a selvedge of coarser warp threads from 1½ to 2 inches in width, some of which are dyed, prior to weaving, a different colour (generally black) to the rest of the warp threads or weft filling threads.These coloured warp threads go towards making generally three separate coloured stripes in the selvedge and have given rise to the name of this particular fabric.In width measuring up to 62 inches and with a length of 29 to 30 yards per piece, Woollen Spanish Stripes are met with in a limited range of quality and the average price of same taken over the period 1904 to 1914 was 1s. 8½d. per yard.

Spanish Stripes, Wool and Cotton.—This class of fabric, being a mixture and not a union fabric, answers to the description of a Woollen Spanish Stripe but differs from it in that it is woven from yarns which are composed of a mixture of wool and cotton.The "handle" is very nearly that of an all-wool fabric, the average width some 62 inches, and the length per piece 29 to 30 yards.The distinctive selvedge of this class of fabric is maintained in the wool and cotton variety.

Split Foot.—Refers to black or coloured hosiery having a white or unbleached sole.

Sponge Cloth.—A fine cotton or wool fabric having a surface resembling that of a small sponge.

Spun Silk.—Applied to a low grade of silk used in the cheaper lines of silk hosiery.It is made from floss, injured cocoons, husks, and waste from reeling, and bears the same relation to silk as cotton waste to cotton or shoddy to wool.

Staples.—Staples is a term used to designate those fabrics which are woven in the same way year after year, varying only in the colouring given to them, which may change in accordance with the demands of fashion and of the buyer.

The principal dress goods staples are Brilliantines, Sicilians, Mohairs, Imperial Serges, Storm Serges, Cheviots, Panamas, Batistes, Taffetas, Voile, Muslins, Nun's Veiling, Cashmere, and Shepherd's Checks.

Surah.—A light, soft, twilled silk.

Swansdown.—Like Cotton Flannel and Flannelette, Swansdown is a fabric made of cotton with a "raised" or "napped" surface.Being raised but on the back of the cloth, it is "single raised": heavy and closely woven Swansdown is a typical raised cotton cloth.The weave is on the satin-weave principle.

Swiss Embroidery.—This process of ornamentation closely resembles lappet spots, but, unlike lappet spots, they are in reality the result of a subsequent process of weaving.The essential difference in the manner of attaching the thread which is used for the figuring to the cloth can readily be seen.In Swiss Embroidery there is an equal amount of floating thread used to form the spot on the face of the cloth and on the back, thus producing what may be termed a solid spot on both sides and therefore reversible.

Swivel Figures.—High-class fabrics are often ornamented with swivel spots and figures, which are easily distinguished from the lappet or extra warp figures.In this style the figure is interwoven with extra weft by small shuttles into the ground cloth structure.Each figure is produced by an independent weft thread quite distinct from the weft pick forming the ground structure or body of the fabric.The figure threads are well bound into the cloth, the bulk of the material being on the surface.Where no figure is required in the space between, the shuttles remain idle in the loom, and the single thread from each shuttle joining the swivel figures is often cut away.Often used where a silk figure or a mercerised cotton figure is required on a cotton or worsted ground.

Tapestry.—A yarn-dyed figured fabric composed of two sets of warp and weft threads, woven on a Jacquard loom.