Habutai : A general term applied to silk
fabrics that are fine, soft and have been degummed. Jappe is an example
of this group.
Haircord : The cloth bears the name of the modified
plain-weave from which it is made. Fine ribs run in the warp direction
of the cloth which may be printed and is usually made from cotton.
Herringbome : Fabric made from a herringbone weave.
Hessian : A plain fabric of approximately square
construction woven from one of the bast fibres, usually jute
Holland : A thin, glazed, medium-weight plain-weave cloth
made from cotton or flax which has been beetled or has received a glazed
finish. Used for window blinds, furniture covering.
Homespun : Coarse tweeds handwoven from handspun wool yarns
in 2/2 twill-weave.
Honeycomb : The cloth bears the name of the honeycomb weaves
which are designed to produce a cellular effect. It is made in a range
of weights according to its use eg dress fabric or counterpane.
Hopsack : The cloth of square construction takes its name
from the modified plain-weave from which it is made. It is synonymous
with weaves known as basket or matt.
Italian : A lining fabric, usually made
from cotton in a 5-shaft sateen weave, with lustrous finish produced
mainly by Schreinering. The combination of a cotton warp and worsted
weft also may be used.
Jacquard : Fabric woven with a large scale
repeat requiring a mechanically controlled mechanism (the Jacquard
mechanism)to select and lift the warp while weaving. Can acheive a more
complex weave than a dobby or tappet loom.
Jappe : A fine, soft, lightweight (70 g/m²) plain-woven
cloth of approximately square construction. Continuous filament silk
yarns are usually used. The fabric is used for lining but is suitable
for dresswear if printed.
Kersey : A dense woollen cloth similar to a
melton. Often made from 2/2 twill, milled and finished to give a short
lustrous nap.
Lambs wool : Wool from the fleece of
lambs or young sheep up to the stage of weaning, irrespective of breed
or type of sheep. The term lambswool is, however, used commercially to
indicate a fabric or garment having a soft handle, made totally of
virgin wool, a proportion of which is lambs wool.
Lamé : Applied to fabrics having flat metallic
threads which form either the ground or a decorative figure.
Lawn : A lightweight, plain-woven cloth of linen or cotton
of a soft, smooth and sheer character. Spun yarns made from polyester
fibres are also used in this type of fabric.
Leathercloth : A coated fabric which is embossed to give a
leather-like appearance.
Leno : A cellular type of cloth made by crossing warp
threads in weaving.
Limbric : A closely woven plain-weave cloth. The softly
twisted weft is thicker than the warp yarn and the picks per centimetre
exceed the number of ends. The weft is prominent and has a slight lustre
because of its low twist. Used as a dress fabric
Linen : This describes cloth woven from linen yarns spun
entirely from flax. Many fabrics with the characteristic slubby and
thready appearance of linen are made from viscose, polyester and blends.
For this reason it is important to state the fibre content of linen-type
cloths.
Linsey-wolsey : A fairly coarse fabric having a linen warp
and a worsted weft.
Lisle thread : A cotton hosiery yarn, hard twisted, plied
(usually 2 ply), gassed and often mercerised. Formerly used for lisle
stockings.
Loden : A coarse woollen milled fabric of Austrian origin
used for outerwear (eg coats and capes) and given a water-repellent
finish.
Loom : Machine designed to interlace warp and weft yarns to
produce woven fabric
Lycra : A man made fibre with elastane properties
manufactured by Dupont
Marcella : A piqué structure with a
fancy or figured woven design. Often made from cotton and used for dress
shirt fronts.
Marquisette : A lightweight Leno gauze.
Matelassé : A fabric with a quilted appearance
produced in weaving. This is achieved by the use of a double or compound
structure. It is often used for formal dress wear.
Matt : A modified plain weave in which two or more ends and
picks weave as one. The fabric may be known as matt or hopsack
or basket weave.
Melange fabric : Fabric in which bands of colour are printed
at intervals across a thick rope of slubbing of fibres prior to
spinning. When the slubbing is attenuated during yarn manufacture, a
very even blend of dyed and undyed fibre is produced and by this means,
if black has been used, a grey yarn results.
Melded fabric : A fabric made from or containing bi-component
fibres. By heating to a suitable temperature one of the component fibres
may be softened, producing adhesion.
Melton : A heavyweight fabric suitable for overcoats.
Lighter weights are used as undercollars in suits. It may be entirely of
wool or with a cotton warp and a woollen weft in 2/2 twill or other
simple weave. It is heavily milled, raised and cropped.
Mercerised : cloth Cotton or linen cloth treated with a cold
concentrated solution of caustic soda with or without tension is said to
have been mercerised.
Merino wool : A fine white wool obtained from the merino
breed of sheep or a fabric made from this wool. The term tends to be
used rather loosely
Mock leno : A cellular type cloth produced from a mock Leno
weave in which spaces develop between groups of threads.
Moiré : A watermark effect produced on lustrous
ribbed or corded cloths by localised flattening of the ribs during
finishing. The flattened areas reflect the light differently from the
rest of the cloth and consequently produce the distinctive appearance.
The finish is generally not resistant to washing. Various styles of moiré
can be produced, such as reversal or mirror image of the moiré
pattern across the cloth and centred on the middle, and a striped moiré
produced by suitably engraved rollers.
Moleskin cloth : This cloth is very much like uncut
velveteen. It is heavier than a beaverteen with about 140 picks per
centimetre.
Molleton : A heavy reversible woollen flannel with a nap on
both faces. Now made from other fibres.
Moquette : A warp-pile upholstery fabric. The pile may be
either cut or uncut, or patterned with cut and uncut pile.
Mousseline (de-soie) : A French term describing muslin which
was originally made of silk. Now Mousseline is applied to similar
fabrics made from fibres other than silk.
Mull : A very fine, soft, lightweight, plain-weave of fairly
open texture and almost square construction. Weight about 50 g/m².
Muslin : A general term for soft, fine, plain weave or simple
Leno weave cloths of very lightweight, open, square construction. Muslin
for dress wear may be decorated with embroidery, clip-spot or lappet
design