Textiles Part 8

=Dress Flannel.= All wool fabric used chiefly for women's winter dresses; also called flannel suiting. It has a diversity of qualities, colors, and styles of finish. It is commonly put up in double fold, width from twenty-six to fifty inches.

=French Flannel.= A fine, soft twill, woven variety dyed in solid shades, and also printed with patterns after the manner of calico; used for morning gowns, dressing sacques, waists, etc.

=Shaker Flannel.= A variety of white flannel finished with considerable nap, composed of cotton warp and woolen weft.

=Indigo Blue.= A superior all wool grade used in the manufacture of men's suits and particularly for the uniform of members of the G. A. R.

=Mackinaw.= The name applied to an extra heavy blanket-like material used in cold climates by miners and lumbermen for shirts and underwear.

=Navy Twilled Flannel.= A heavy all wool variety commonly dyed indigo blue, commonly used in the manufacture of overshirts for out-door laborers, firemen, sailors, and miners.

=Silk Warp Flannel.= A high grade, pure variety of flannel woven with a silk warp and a fine woolen weft. It is a very soft, light-weight, loosely woven flannel and runs only in narrow widths, twenty-seven inches. If the finishing process is carried beyond fulling the texture is rendered hard and firm, the cloth thus losing its softness and elasticity. In the teaseling process it is necessary for the nap to be raised only slightly, and this is commonly done in the direction of the grain or twist of the warp. The perfection of a flannel finish lies not in the smooth appearance of the cloth, but in its full, rich softness. Sometimes the nap is sheared, but more often it is pressed down flat upon the face of the cloth. After a thorough drying, and careful examination for defects, the goods are rolled on boards, and are ready for market. It is used for infants' wear and shawls, for undergarments, bed coverings, and also to some extent for outer garments in weights and styles adapted for that purpose.

=Baby Flannel.= A very light-weight variety woven of fine, soft wool, smooth finish, bleached pure white.

=Florentine.= A heavy twilled mohair fabric for men's wear which is sold largely to Italy and Spain. The name is from Florence, Italy.

=Foule.= A twilled, unsheared cloth; that is, the face appears to be unsinged, and shows the woolly roughness in a slight degree. The cloth when woven in the gray is fulled or shrunken in width by soaking in soapsuds and pa.s.sing it while wet through holes of different sizes in a steel plate. The name is from _fouler_, French, to full or shrink.

=Frieze.= Frieze is a coa.r.s.e, heavy cloth with a curly surface and made at first of lamb's wool. It is now made from coa.r.s.e grades of wool. It is thick and heavily napped, and is used in the manufacture of warm outer garments, particularly for men's wear. It was named after the people of Friesland in Holland in the 13th century, and is famous to-day as an Irish fabric. Irish frieze has extraordinary durability, and the fibers are the longest and strongest made. The weave is plain, small twill, or herring bone. When not of a solid color it is usually a mixture, the colors being mixed in the raw state. The wool is dyed in the raw state in ma.s.s, then doubled after spinning.

=Gloria.= Plain weave of silk and wool, and silk and cotton; first made for umbrella covering. Name means bright.

=Granada.= Popular weave of mohair, made in coating weight for Spanish trade. Granada is a city in Spain.

=Grenadine.= Originally a plain, openwork, net-like fabric of silk, mohair, cotton, or wool. We have grenadines in Jacquards and in set patterns. The name is an adaptation of Granada.

=Henrietta Cloth.= A twilled cashmere of light weight and high finish, originally made with silk warp and wool filling in Yorkshire, England.

The name was given in honor of Henrietta Maria of England, Queen of Charles I. The silk warp, hand-woven fabric was first produced about the year 1660.

=Homespun.= A rough, loosely woven material made from coa.r.s.e yarn. It is soft but rather clumsy. A general term used to designate cloth spun or wrought at home. The homespun of the present day is a woolen fabric in imitation of those fabrics made by hand before the introduction of textile machinery. It is made of a coa.r.s.e, rough, and uneven thread; usually of plain weave and no felting. It was woven by the early settlers of the Eastern and Southern States. It is now used as woolen suiting for men's wear and in various kinds of coa.r.s.e, spongy, s.h.a.ggy cloth for women's gowns.

=Hop Sacking.= A coa.r.s.e bagging made commonly of a combination of hemp and jute, used for holding hops during transportation. The name hop sacking is also applied to a variety of woolen dress goods made from different cla.s.ses of yarn. It is made of carded woolen fabric of the plainest kind. The cloth is characterized by an open weave, and a square check-like mesh, the structure being designed to imitate that of the coa.r.s.e jute bagging. It has very little finish, is usually dyed in solid colors, and is used for women's and children's dresses.

=Jeans.= Cotton or woolen coa.r.s.e twilled fabric. In cotton used for linings, in wool for men's cheap clothing. The name is from a Genoese coin, relating to the price of the cloth; so much for one jean.

=Kersey.= A very heavy, felted, satin finish woolen cloth made with the cotton weave or cross twill for face, and cotton weave or four harness satin for back. It was originally made with fine Merino lamb's wool for face, and somewhat coa.r.s.er grade for back. The cheaper grades are manufactured from a fine-fibered wool and shoddy, with low grades of shoddy and mungo for back. It is named from an English town, Kersey, where from the eleventh to the fifteenth century a large woolen trade was carried on. The Kersey of early history was a coa.r.s.e cloth, known under different names, and before knitting was used for stockings. In the construction of Kersey the cloth is woven a few inches wider in the loom (and correspondingly longer) than it is to appear in the finished state. This is done in order that the meshes may be closed up in the fulling mill to insure a covering of threads.

Previous to fulling, however, the face of the cloth is gigged to produce a good covering for the threads by forming a light nap, which is fitted in. In the fulling operation, which comes next, the cloth is shrunk to its proper width and density, usually to a degree rendering it difficult to see the individual warp and filling threads, so closely are they matted together. Fulling is followed by gigging, and in this process a nap more or less heavy is raised on the face of the goods by means of teasels. The cloth is run through the gig several times and then sheared in order to render the fibers forming the nap short, even, and of uniform length. Great care is exercised in the shearing, as the nap must be cropped quite close and yet not expose the threads or cut the face. The next operation is scouring or steaming, in which live steam is forced through every part of the goods for the purpose of developing the natural l.u.s.ter of the wool. In case the goods are to be piece dyed, the dyeing follows scouring.

After steaming, the cloth is thoroughly matted and gigged again, care being taken to avoid stirring up the ground nap. It is then dried and the nap briskly brushed in a steam brusher and laid evenly in one direction. Again the cloth is slightly steamed and primed, face up.

The result of this treatment is the production of a texture firm, yet pliable, with a highly l.u.s.trous face and one not liable to wear rough or threadbare. Kersey is used for overcoats.

=Kerseymere.= Light weight twilled worsted; same derivative of name as Kersey.

=Linsey Woolsey.= Coa.r.s.e cloth of linen and wool used as skirtings by the British peasantry. The name is from the components of the cloth.

=Melrose.= Double twilled silk and wool fabric; named for Melrose, a town on the Tweed, in Scotland.

=Melton.= A thick, heavy woolen fabric with short nap, feeling somewhat rough. Meltons are made firm in the loom. The weaves for single cloth meltons are usually plain, and three or four harness twill. For double cloths the plain weave is used, or a weave with a plain face and a one-third weave on the back. All trace of the weave is destroyed in the finishing. The colors usually black or dark blue.

=Meltonette.= A cloth of the same general appearance as melton, of light weight, for women's wear.

=Merino.= A fabric woven of the wool of the Merino sheep, twilled on both sides, the twill being uneven. Merino resembles cashmere.

=Mohair Brilliantine.= A dress fabric resembling alpaca, of superior quality, and sometimes finished on both sides. The name is from the Arabic _mukayyan_, cloth of goat's hair. It is made from the long, silky hair of the Angora goat of Asia Minor, a species which is being introduced into the United States. The fabric has a hard, wiry feel, and if made from the pure material has a high l.u.s.ter. It has cotton warp and l.u.s.ter worsted filling. The weave is plain ground, or with a small Jacquard figure, and when a very l.u.s.trous fabric is wanted, the warp yarn is of finer counts than the filling yarn. The warp and filling yarns are dyed previous to weaving. They may be of the same color or different colors. The contrast of colors in connection with the weave gives the fabric a pretty effect. Fabrics made with dyed yarns are usually given a dry finish, that is, simply run through the press and cylinder heated, after which they are rolled and then packed. Those made with undyed filling are first scoured, then dyed, after which they are run through a rotary press with fifty or sixty pounds of steam heat. Mohair brilliantine is used for dress goods.

=Montagnac= is heavy overcoating. The French _montagne_, for mountain, is the origin of the name, being for mountain wear.

=Orleans.= Cloth of cotton warp and bright wool fulling, made in Orleans, France. Many of the so-called alpacas and mohairs of to-day are Orleans. These fabrics are mostly cross-dyed, that is, fabrics with warp and filling of different shades. After weaving they are cross-dyed or redyed to give solid colors and glace effects.

=Panama Cloth= is a plain weave worsted fabric of no uniform construction or finish. Fabrics sold under this name vary considerably. They are of solid colors, usually piece dyed, and are used for suitings.

=Prunella.= From the French _prunelle_, which means plum, a stout worsted material named from its color, which is a purplish shade similar to that of a ripe plum. The name was originally applied to a kind of lasting of which clergymen's gowns were made. It is now used to denote a variety of rich, satin-faced worsted cloth employed for women's dresses. The fibers are worsted. Prunella is dyed either in piece or yarn state and is hand finished.

=Sacking.= Plain solid color flannel in special shades for women's dressing sacks, also applied to a fabric made of hemp for grain sacks.

=Sanglier.= A plain fabric of wiry worsted or mohair yarn, closely woven, with a rough finished surface. Sanglier is French for wild boar, the hairy, wiry cloth resembling the coat of the animal.

=Sebastopol.= A twill-faced cloth named from Sebastopol, the Russian fortified town captured by the English and French in 1855.

=Serge.= Under this name are cla.s.sed a large number of fabrics of twill construction. In weight and texture a modern serge resembles flannel, except that it is twill woven and composed of fine yarn finished with a smoother surface. Serge comes from the Italian word _sergea_, meaning cloth of wool mixed with silk. Serges are woven of worsted, of silk, or of cotton yarn, and variously dyed, finished, and ornamented, as silk serge, serge suiting, storm serge, mohair serge, etc. Worsted serges of various kinds and degrees have been known since the twelfth century. Worsted serge appears to have come into general use as a material for men's wear in the sixteenth century. Modern serges vary but little from those made two centuries ago. They are dyed in a great variety of colors. On leaving the loom the cloth is washed and scoured with soap and water to remove the dirt and oil (if these remain the cloth will not take the dye properly). After dyeing, it is pa.s.sed through a pair of metal rollers under pressure, which renders the surface more regular and even and of a better l.u.s.ter. This process accomplishes more than is required, for it produces a bloom on the surface which will show rain specks when in the garment, if it is allowed to remain. This is ordinary serge. In order to make storm serge it is necessary to remove part of the bloom, and to accomplish this the cloth is steamed sufficiently to neutralize the effect of pressing. Steaming deadens the bloom and prevents the effects of rain showing on the cloth. The wearing qualities of serge are good, but it gets a shine easily. It is used for dress goods and suitings. Serge suiting used for men's clothing is a variety of light, wiry, worsted yarn woven with a flat twill, and dyed black or in shades of blue, fifty-four inches in width. Mohair serge is woven with a cotton warp and a mohair filling, thirty-two inches in width. This is dyed in a variety of colors and largely used as lining material for women's clothes, men's coats, and overcoats. Storm serge, designed to withstand exposure to stormy weather, is a coa.r.s.e variety of worsted dress goods produced in a wide range of colors and qualities. The twill is wider, the texture stouter, and the surface rougher and cleaner than that of ordinary serge. Iridescent serge is a variety of worsted dress goods woven with warp and filling of different colors, causing a shimmering or iridescent effect. Cravenette serge is a fine twilled variety having a firm, closely woven texture, dyed black and in colors, and is used for women's gowns, men's summer suits, etc.

Serge de Barry is a high-grade dress goods of fine texture, with fine twill, and wiry feel.

=Shoddy= is made from old woolen stockings or rags, shredded or picked by hand or machine, to render the yarn suitable for spinning a second time, or to give a fiber that can be woven or felted with a wool or cotton warp. The name has come to mean cheap, make-believe.

=Sicilian.= Heavy weight cotton warp, mohair filled cloth. Sicilienne, the proper name, was made in the Island of Sicily as a heavy ribbed, all silk fabric.

=Sultane.= Twilled cloth of silk and wool; finished in the rough, not singed or sheared. The name is from Sultana, the first wife of the Sultan.

=Tamise.= Similar to etamine, with a very close mesh, made first of silk and wool. _Tamis_ is French for sieve.

=Tartans.= Plaids of the Scottish clans worn by men in the Highlands of Scotland as a diagonal scarf, fastened on one shoulder and crossing the body. Each clan had a distinctive tartan or plaid. The name was adapted from the French _tiretaine_, a thin woolen checked cloth.

=Thibet.= Heavy, coa.r.s.e weave of goat's hair, made by the Thibetans in Asia for men's wear.

=Tricot.= A heavy, compound fabric characterized by a line effect running warp way or filling way of the piece, usually produced with either woolen or worsted yarn. Tricot was originally a name given to fabrics made of woolen yarn or thread by hand knitting, and is the French word meaning knitting. The term was later applied to materials made on a knitting frame and now known as jersey cloth. Since 1840 the name tricot has been applied to finely woven woolen cloth, the weave of which is intended to imitate the face effect of a knitted fabric.

The fabric is composed of woolen and worsted fibers, sometimes with cotton warp woven so as to hide the cotton in finishing. The tricot line is similar to the rib line in a ribbed cloth except that it is not so p.r.o.nounced. All tricots are constructed with two sets of warp thread and are characterized by a texture which, while dense, is singularly elastic, in this respect being somewhat similar to heavy jersey cloth. Tricots are commonly dyed in plain colors, and are finished clear so as to show the filling. When intended for trousers they are ornamented with small, neat patterns.

=Tweed.= A rough unfinished fabric of soft, open, and flexible texture, of wool or cotton and wool, usually of yarn of two or more shades; originally the product of the weavers on the bank of the river Tweed in Scotland. The face of the cloth presents an unfinished appearance rather than a sharp and clearly defined pattern.

=Veiling= includes light weight, usually plain weave fabrics of various constructions; generally made with singed or polished yarns.

They are in solid colors. The use is designated by the name.

=Venetian.= Venetian cloth has a worsted or cotton warp and worsted filling; named from Venetia, a country around Venice. The warp yarns are firmly twisted, the twist being in the opposite direction to the twist in the filling yarn. Venetian is a trade term of wide application, in use since early times as a descriptive t.i.tle for various fabrics, textures, and garments. One of the many varieties is a species of twill weaving in which the lines or twills are of a rounded form and arranged in a more or less upright position, hence a closely woven worsted cloth. The name is also applied to other fabrics, as a twilled lining fabric woven with a cotton warp and a worsted filling known as Italian cloth. It is dyed in plain colors and is piece or yarn dyed for men. For women's wear it has light weight and plain colors with mixed effects and closely sheared nap. It is finished smooth so as to show the yarns prominently. Venetian cloth has not so much felting as broadcloth; it shows the weave more, but has the same l.u.s.trous finish.

=Vigogne= or =Vicuna=. A soft wool cloth of the cheviot order, with teasled face, made from the wool of the vicuna, a South American animal. Vigogne is the French name for the animal.

=Vigoureux.= A name applied to a plain or twill mixture, woven of undyed natural wool yarns. The French spinners found that the strongest yarns were those of the undyed wool. Sometimes two or more shades or tones are spun into one thread. The name is French for strong.