Search results for "linen"
art linen
A medium-weight
linen or blended fabric which is plain-woven. Normally used for
embroidery, dresses, uniforms, table
linens, and other types of embroidered items.
bed linen
Bed
linen is a term for any fabric sheeting used on a bed.
butcher’s linen
Strong, heavy,
plain weave fabric, originally of
linen (and originally worn by butchers), now made of any
fiber.
linen
A vegetable
fiber obtained from the inside of the woody stalk of the
flax plant. It is one of the oldest fabrics known. It is strong, and today’s man-made
fibers are often blended with it to improve its wrinkle resistance and give the fabric other desirable qualities. Linen is woven in various weights for different purposes and is occasionally used in knit blends. The following entries are common linen names.
Belgian linen
Any
linen produced in Belgium.
embroidery linen
Another name for
art linen. See
art linen.
handkerchief linen
A fine,
sheer linen used for handkerchiefs, dresses or blouses, or whenever a lightweight cloth is desired.
irish linen
Irish
linen refers to
linen items from Northern Ireland and Eire.
linen tester
A magnifying glass for counting cloth, also called pick glass or pick counter.
linens and domestics
The term used in stores to describe various household items which, at one time, were made of
linen. Today, most
linens and domestics are made of cot ton and
man-made fibers. The following entries are some of the items found in the
linens and domestics sections of stores. See blankets, towels, and bedding.
table linen
Any fabric, regardless of
fiber content, suitable for a table covering.
tow linen
Fabric made of uneven, irregular yarns composed of the every short fibers.
art linen
A medium-weight
linen or blended fabric which is plain-woven. Normally used for
embroidery, dresses, uniforms, table
linens, and other types of embroidered items.
batiste
A fabric named for Jean Baptiste, a French
linen weaver. (1) In
cotton, a
sheer, fine
muslin, woven of combed yarns and given a mercerized finish. It is used for blouses, summer shirts, dresses,
lingerie, infants’ dresses, bonnets, and handkerchiefs. (2) A
rayon, polyester, or
cotton-blend fabric with the same characteristics. (3) A smooth, fine
wool fabric that is lighter than challis, and similar to fine nun’s veiling. It is used for dresses and negligees. (4) A
sheer silk fabric either plain or figured, similar to
silk mull. It is often called “batiste de soie” and is made into summer dresses.
batting
Batting is usually stocked in
linens and domestics departments although it is used today primarily for crafts. Batting is a filling
material used to
stuff pillows, toys, and quilts. At one time, batting was made of cotton
bed linen
Bed
linen is a term for any fabric sheeting used on a bed.
beetling
A finish primarily applied to
linen or
cotton whereby the cloth is beaten with large wooden blocks in order to produce a hard, flat surface with a sheen. lt gives a
linen-like appearance to
cotton.
boucle yarn
Boucle
yarn is a rough, quite thick and slubby
linen yarn that is characterized by tight loops projecting from the body of the
yarn with regular intervals. It is a novelty
yarn often mixed with
yarns of other fibers for textural interest. Boucle
yarn is very popular because there are many varieties and weights.
butcher rayon
A coarse
rayon, or
rayon and
acetate blend, mediumweight fabric woven in a
plain weave and originally intended as a substitute for butcher
linen.
butcher’s linen
Strong, heavy,
plain weave fabric, originally of
linen (and originally worn by butchers), now made of any
fiber.
cambric
A closely woven,
plain weave, white fabric that is fini
shed with a slightly glossy surface. The fabric is traditionally made from
cotton or
linen, but can be made from any
fiber. It was formerly used in underwear and handkerchiefs, but today its major uses are to reinforce book bindings and to upholster the underside of chairs and sofas. Very low count, heavily sized glazed cambric is used for costuming.
damask
A glossy, heavy, firm-
textured Jacquard weave fabric, similar to
brocade, but lighter, with flat and reversible patterns. It is made of
silk,
linen,
cotton,
rayon or a combination of fibers in double or single damask. It is used for tablecloths, napkins, home furnishings, draperies and upholsteries, and occasionally clothing, such as afternoon and evening dresses.
flax
Fibers of the flax plant that are spun into
linen yarns and woven into
linen cloth. The word
linen is derived from “linum,” part of the scientific name for the flax plant. See
linen.
homespun
Originally, fabrics made from yarns spun by hand. Today, homespun is used for fabrics that imitate this look. It is a very coarse, rough, plain-weave fabric, loosely woven with irregular, tightly twisted, and nubby, unevenly spun yarns. It is made from
linen,
wool,
cotton, or man-made
fiber, or blends in varied colors and is used for coats, suits,
sportswear, draperies, upholstery, and slipcovers.
huck
A type of toweling fabric with a honeycombed surface made by using heavy filling yarns in a
dobby weave. It has excellent absorbent qualities. It is woven with a pattern, most often with a
dobby attachment on the
loom and may have Jacquard borders. Huck is traditionally made of
cotton,
linen, or
rayon, or a
mixture of these, although today, other fibers may be used. In a
mixture it is called a union fabric. Face or hand towels are made in white or colors and are used for drying dishes, glasses, and kitchen utensils. Huck is also called huckaback. Embroidery enthusiasts often use huck as a ground for their work. See
dobby.
khaki
A term used for both an earth color or olive green color (yellow-brown color with a greenish tint) and for fabrics made in these colors, whether of
wool,
cotton,
linen, or
man-made fibers. Khaki is a classic uniform color and
material. It is also used for
sportswear and leisure clothes.
lawn
A light, well-hackled
linen fabric first made in haon, France. Now, it is a lightweight, fairly
sheer, fine, plain-weave
cotton or
linen muslin fabric generally more
sheer and with a higher count than nainsook. It can be given a soft or crisp finish and is sized and calendered to produce a soft, lustrous appearance. Linen lawn is synonymous with handkerchief
linen. Cotton lawn is a similar type of fabric. Lawn is slightly stiffer than
batiste, but can be used for similar purposes. [t is white, solid colored, or printed and is used tot dresses, blouses, curtains,
lingerie, and as a base for embroidered items. See
batiste, nainsook, and handkerchief
linen.
line
Longest
flax fibers used for fine, even
linen yarns. Shortest
flax fibers are called
tow.
line yarn
Well-hackled, even
linen yarn made of long fibers.
linen
A vegetable
fiber obtained from the inside of the woody stalk of the
flax plant. It is one of the oldest fabrics known. It is strong, and today’s man-made
fibers are often blended with it to improve its wrinkle resistance and give the fabric other desirable qualities. Linen is woven in various weights for different purposes and is occasionally used in knit blends. The following entries are common linen names.
Belgian linen
Any
linen produced in Belgium.
embroidery linen
Another name for
art linen. See
art linen.
handkerchief linen
A fine,
sheer linen used for handkerchiefs, dresses or blouses, or whenever a lightweight cloth is desired.
irish linen
Irish
linen refers to
linen items from Northern Ireland and Eire.
Iinen straw
A type of
straw made to resemble woven
linen. See
straw
linens and domestics
The term used in stores to describe various household items which, at one time, were made of
linen. Today, most
linens and domestics are made of cot ton and
man-made fibers. The following entries are some of the items found in the
linens and domestics sections of stores. See blankets, towels, and bedding.
linsey-woolsey
When
linen and
wool were woven together in the 18th century, the resulting coarse, loosely woven, and rather scratchy fabric, was called linsey-
woolsey. Although
linen and
wool blends are occasionally made today, the use of finer
finishing techniques makes them extremely comfortable and the name linsey-
woolsey is limited to historical references.
Moygashel
A trade name representing excellent quality in imported Irish
linen.
sailcloth
Originally, a firmly woven
cotton canvas used for making sails. Today, sailcloth is a very heavy, strong, plain-weave fabric made of
cotton,
linen,
jute, nylon, or palyester. It comes in many qualities and weights. In common usage, the terms
duck, sailcloth, and
canvas often are used interchangeably. Sailcloth can be used for
sportswear, slipcovers and upholstery, and curtains and draperies. See
canvas and
duck.
sharkskin
(1) A heavy weight, fairly lustrous
cotton,
linen,
silk, or man-made
fiber fabric with a sleek, hard-fini
shed, crisp, and pebbly surface and a chalky
luster. Today, it is almost always made of
acetate or tri
acetate. Filament yarns, when used, are twisted and woven tightly in a plain-weave or basket-weave construction, depending on the effect desired. Staple
fiber yarns are handled in the same manner, except for
wool. Sharkskin is best known in its stark white color especially popular for tennis outfits and for permanently pleated white skirts when they are in fashion. (2) A
wool fabric in
twill weave, originally made of yarns of two colors.
sheet
A rectangular piece of fabric used to cover and protect the top and sides of a mattress. This is usually referred to as a bottom sheet. A top sheet is placed on top of a bottom sheet to protect the skin from a sometimes scratchy blanket and to protect the blanket from soil. Traditionally, sheets were made of
linen or
cotton.
straw
A fairly stiff
material made from the stems, leaves, bark, or stalks of various plants. It is usually braided or woven to form a fabric. Straw is used in large quantities for hats when they are in style. Most straw today is used for baskets and handbags of various kinds. Chip straw is used almost exclusively for baskets. It is a by-product of the lumber industry and is made from chips and other pieces of wood, including shavings. Leghorn straw is a braided straw popular for hats and is made from wheat grown in Italy. Panarna, another braided hat straw, is made from the screw pine. Other types of straw include Bangkok,
linen (straw made to resembie woverr
linen), Milan,
ramie, sisal (used for rugs and ropes), toyo, and Tuscan.
summer-weight suiting
Another name for tropical suiting. A general term for many fabrics that have the characteristics of suiting fabrlcs: they are crisp, take sharp creases well, and are lightweight for wear in hot weather. A typical summer-weight suiting is
linen.
tow
Short
flax fibers, separated by
hackling (combing) from the longer fibers. Also, the poorly hackled, uneven
linen yarn made from these short fibers. lt may also refer to a continuous loose rope of man made filaments drawn together without
twist to be cut in lengths for spun
yarn.
dish towel
One of the few textile products which is still made of
linen (occasionally they are made of
cotton or even paper). Dish towels are used for hand-drying dishes after washing. Many
linen dish towels are made in Ireland and printed with colorful pictures. llish towels can also be made of
terry cloth and
huck toweling. See
terry cloth and
huck.
glass cloth
A
towel used to dry drinking glasses, glass plates, and silver. lt is made from
linen. Glass
towels are often checked red and white and rnay have the word "Glass;" woven into the fabric."
triacetate
A
thermoplastic fiber classified under the generic name of
acetate, although it is a modification of
acetate. Tri
acetate fabrics resist shrinkage, wrinkles, and fading. They do not dissolve in acetone, can be wa
shed at higher temperatures than those made of
acetate, and can be ironed with the heat set for
linen. See
acetate.
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