Apparel and Textile Glossary
So you wouldn't know a houndstooth if it bit you? Now's your chance to learn about this textile industry term and others in our handy Apparel and Textile Glossary.
Allen Solley Placket:
A one piece hidden placket utilizing the remaining fabric for the outside placket face.
Anti-Pilling:
A treatment applied to garments to resist the formation of little balls or "pills" on the fabric's surface caused by abrasion during wear.
Back Pleats:
Small folds in the fabric on the back of a garment that permit for more space and comfort.
Backing Yarn:
The napped or brushed yarn found on the inside of a fleece garment used to create the soft lining.
Binding:
A method of sewing that encases a seam or edge with fabric.
Box Pleat:
A single, even fold in the back center of an item of clothing that allows for more space and comfort.
Calendar Crease:
A crease located in the center of a garment as a result of the cloth finishing process.
Carding:
An initial fiber cleaning process in yarn spinning.
Chambray:
A dressier fabric woven with colored and white yarns, often used for men's shirts.
Clean Finished:
A term describing hems and seams of a garment that have been stitched to cover raw edges and provide a finished look.
Combed Cotton:
Cotton fiber that has been through a mechanical process that removes the short fibers and impurities, strengthening and aligning the fibers.
Combing:
A secondary process, following carding, to cleanse and remove additional impurities from the staple fiber.
Compaction:
A technique used to control shrinkage in fabric during the manufacturing process.
Contoured Collar:
A sport shirt collar construction in which the back portion of the collar is wider than the front tips. This assembly helps to cover the back neck seam.
Cord Locks:
A toggle or stopper on a draw cord that keeps it from drawing back into the garment.
Cotton:
Cotton is a natural fiber used to make a number of textile products. These include terrycloth, denim, chambray, corduroy, seersucker, and cotton twill.
Course:
In knit fabric, the horizontal row of loops.
Cut:
The number of needles per inch utilized when knitting fabric on a machine.
Double Needle Hem:
A hem made with a double row of stitches at the seam.
Drop Needle:
A knit fabric distinguished by vertical lines in the material, manufactured by the dropping of a needle from the knitting cylinder.
Double Needle Stitch:
A finish used on a bottom hem and/or sleeve that uses two needles to create parallel rows of noticeable stitching. Double needle stitch gives the item a cleaner, more finished look, as well as adding durability.
Drop Tail:
A characteristic design feature in which the garment is shorter in the front and longer in the back.
Dyed-To-Match:
Buttons or trims that have been dyed the same color as the garment onto which they are sewn.
End-On-End:
A 2-ply weave of different color threads that run parallel to each other so that both colors are equally visible.
EMB-AXS System:
A hidden zipper system incorporated into a garment allowing complete embroidery access without having to go in through the lining.
Enzyme Washed:
A laundering process in which a catalytic substance is added to the wash to produce a chemical transformation in the fabric resulting in an extremely soft finish, a smoother appearing surface, and reduced shrinkage.
Face Yarn:
The yarn on the exterior of a fleece garment.
Fleece:
A multi-yarn fabric characterized by a soft napped interior and a smooth exterior.
Garment Dyed:
Fabric that has been dyed after knitting.
Herringbone:
A decorative fabric pattern made up of rows of tiny slanted parallel lines alternating direction each row.
Horn Buttons:
Buttons that resemble animal horn.
Houndstooth:
A duotone textile pattern consisting of broken checks or abstract four pointed shapes that are in knit into the fabric.
Inset/Set-In Placket:
A placket constructed from a different piece of fabric, making it visible after it is sewn separately into the garment.
Interlock:
A fabric in which two separate plys are knit together to form one thicker and heavier ply. Generally knit with finer gauge yarns, Interlock has a particularly soft hand and the same appearance on both sides.
Jacquard:
A mechanical knitting process used to create complex patterned designs throughout a fabric.
Jersey:
A simple knit fabric distinguished by its softness and smooth exterior finish.
Jet Spun:
A spinning technique utilizing air jets to create yarn.
Knit Fabric:
Fabric made by intertwining component yarns or threads into a series of interconnected loops.
Locker Loop:
A looped piece of fabric located in the neck of an item of clothing for the convenience of hanging the garment on a hook. It may also be located at the center of the back yoke on either the inside or outside of a garment.
Locker Patch:
A semi-oval fabric panel sewn into the inside back part of a garment, just below the collar seam, to help reinforce the garment and minimize stretching when hung on a hook. The patch also allows for the tag or label to be sewn below the neckline to help prevent irritation to the wearer.
Loftex:
A superior open-end process of spinning that creates softer, thicker yarn.
Mercerized:
A product, such as cotton, that has gone through a process to produce a smooth lustrous hand.
Mesh:
A tightly woven knit construction with a rough or raised surface that gives an uneven, almost honeycomb appearance on the face side of the fabric.
Micro-Fleece:
A high density, anti-pilling fleece made of knit microfibers that are brushed less than a regular fleece garment. It has a high capacity for warmth without the weight.
Microfiber:
Fabric that is tightly woven from an extremely fine poly thread with a sueded finish for a luxurious, supple feel. Microfiber tends to be water resistant due to its construction and special treatments.
Micro-Stripe:
An ultra-fine (or 'micro') stripe knit into fabric.
Nap:
The soft or fuzzy inner surface of a fleece garment made by shredding the backing yarn by passing the fabric over briskly rotating cylinders covered with sharp metal points.
Nylon:
A man-made yarn generally used in jacket manufacturing, with the unique features of flexibility, strength, and abrasion resistance.
Open-End Spinning:
A yarn spinning technique using a combing roll and rotor.
Optical Brightener:
An additive that makes fabric brighter or appear brighter.
Ounces Per Square Yard:
A common measurement of fabric weight.
Oxford:
Type of fabric where the warp has two fine fibers woven together, either of cotton or blended man-made fibers and the weft has one heavier, softly spun fill yarn.
Pearlized Buttons:
Buttons that are made to look like they are made of pearls.
Pilling:
A friction induced collection of fibers on the surface of a garment characterized by small lint balls.
Pique/Mesh:
A tightly woven knit construction with a rough or raised surface that gives an uneven, almost honeycomb, appearance on the face side of the fabric.
Placket:
The place on a jacket or shirt where the garment comes together.
Polyester:
A wrinkle resistant, synthetic fabric consisting of man made filament fibers that show little or no shrinking or stretching.
Poly-filled:
A warm polyester lining found in the sleeves or body (or both) in many outerwear garments.
Poplin:
Originally made of silk, poplin is a tightly woven, resilient, medium weight cotton or cotton blend fabric made using a rib variation of the plain weave, creating a minor ridge effect.
Polynosic:
A fabric with similar characteristics to cotton and silk that has outstanding luster and minimal shrinkage.
Raglan Sleeves:
A type of sleeves that are set with a diagonal seam from the neck to the underarm.
Reactive Dyes:
Dyestuffs that work by forming chemical bonds with cotton fibers.
Reinforced Pocket:
A supplementary fabric taping joined to the interior seam of a pocket for durability and strength.
Reverse Placket:
Same as Placket, only reversed for women's garments.
Rib Knit:
A textured knit fabric distinguished by rows of alternating wales or raised ridges that form a knit fabric characterized by its high elasticity and recovery capabilities.
1x1 Ribbed Trim:
Rib knit fabric characterized by its high elasticity and recovery capabilities.
Ring Spinning:
A yarn spinning technique which stretches the yarn between rollers to remove the short fibers and reduce contamination in combed yarn.
Seamless Collar:
A collar that is knit in a circle. There are no seams joining the collar.
Self Trim:
Trim constructed from the same fabric as the body.
Shrinkage Controlled Fabric:
For 100% cotton, the fabric is compacted using heat and pressure before being cut. In the case of 50/50 blends, polyester is woven with cotton to minimize shrinkage. Shrinkage is dependent upon the temperature of the wash water and the temperature and length of the drying cycle.
Side Seams:
Seams that unite the front and back of a garment. This feature is not found in T-shirts and other low-end shirts.
Side Vents:
Slits found at the bottoms of the side seams. Side vents are a fashion detail that allow for ease of movement and comfort.
Single Needle:
A single row of stitching at the seam.
Singles:
One yarn.
Spandex:
A synthetic rubber fabric distinguished by its remarkable stretch and elasticity.
Stonewashed:
A process in which fabric or garments are heavily washed with rubber/silicon balls or lava rocks. The outcome is a softer fabric with a weathered or distressed look and reduced shrinkage.
Storm Flap:
A strip of fabric sewn over or under the front zip or snap closure of an outerwear garment to protect the wearer against moisture and wind.
Taping:
A design feature in which a swatch of fabric is used to cover a seam.
Tencel:
The trademarked brand name of lyocell, a fabric made from the fiber found in wood pulp which is then processed to produce a delicate, silk-like fabric.
Three-End Fleece:
A fleece fabric constructed from combining three different yarns: face, tie-in, and backing.
Tie-In Yarn:
The joining yarn found between the face and backing yarns in fleece garments.
Top-Stitching:
A decorative and functional design feature that is an additional method of securing fabric plies in which the original seam is folded under and sewn.
Toughlan:
The name refers to how the fibers are woven and the resulting texture. Toughlan is a water repellent and durable nylon fabric with a somewhat shiny surface that is used primarily in outerwear garments.
Twill:
A fabric distinguished by micro-diagonal parallel ribs producing a smooth, soft finish.
Tubular Knit:
Fabric manufactured or spun in a complete circle without seams.
Tunnel Draw Cord:
A draw cord formed without break points that assists in keeping the cord connected to the garment. Commonly used in the waistbands of sweatpants.
Ultra Cool:
An exceptional fabric designed to wick moisture away from the wearer's body.
Underarm Grommets:
Small holes in the underarm area of a garment that allow air circulation and breathability for the wearer.
V Patch:
A section of V shaped material that is sewn onto a garment directly under the collarette to provide support and prevent against stretching of the neck opening. The V Patch is also a style component.
Wale:
The vertical column of loops found in knit fabric.
Welt:
A cloth with a clean edge normally used to trim a sport shirt's cuffs and collar.
Welt Cuffs:
The cuffs on short sleeved garments created by a singly ply of ribbed fabric with a finished edge. Fabric for welt cuffs is knit in a more bold stitch construction than that of standard 1x1 ribs.
Yarn Size:
A gauge of yarn weight. The higher the number, the lighter the yarn weight.
Yoke Back:
A piece of material that connects the back of a shirt or jacket to the shoulders. This allows the garment to lay flat and drape properly.
2-Way Zipper:
A zipper involving two zipper pulls that enable it to be unzipped from either direction.
