Glossary

Carding/combing Processes of aligning fibers for spinning. carpet Large flat rug generally used as a floor cover. cloth Woven fabric, sometimes specifically to plain weave. drawloom Loom for weaving patterns by means of a series of harnesses manipulated by a person who controls each warp. dyes/dyeing Liquid containing organic or inorganic coloring matter, sometimes with a mordant, to impart to fibers, yarns, or

Fabrics by a process known as dyeing; dyes form a chemical bond with fibrous material (unlike pigments). embroidery Technique, or result of such technique, of

Embellishing cloth with accessory threads worked by a needle. felt A nonwoven fabric of amorphous structure made by the compacting of fibrous materials using heat, moisture, and pressure; as used, often implies wool, the scaled surface of which is well suited to making felt.

Foundation The ground weave of a fabric generally composed of one set of warps and wefts.

Loom A structure designed to hold warp yarns taut, often with one or more devices to raise or lower warp threads in groups. pile A loop of yarn, sometimes cut, that projects from the plane of a fabric to form a raised surface often obscuring the foundation.

Plain weave Most basic weave structure in which each warp and weft intersect at right angles in an over-under alternation.

Plaiting Technique of interworking by deflection a set of elements fixed at one end.

Pseudomorph A substance or structure of definite form (e. g., a textile), the form of which is defined by another substance to which the form does not belong (i. e., a textile fossil). satin Basic binding system derived from twill, in which interlacing sequence of warp and weft has longer floats, for example, over five under one.

Selvedge The naturally occurring stable edges of a textile formed in weaving by the return passage of successive wefts. supplementary warp, supplementary weft Textile structure used for patterning in which there is a set of warps or wefts supplementary to the foundation. tapestry Woven textile in which the design is formed by discontinuous wefts of different colors. textile (1) Anything made of fibrous material fashioned by human hands (note: this broad definition includes nonwoven structures and unspun materials). (2) Woven fabric (note: this narrower definition, derived from Latin, textere, to weave, is restricted to materials made by the interlacing of warp and weft). twill Basic binding system in which interlacing sequence of warp and weft spans more than one element (but fewer than five), creating floats often with diagonal alignment. warp Longitudinal set of elements generally held taut by a loom. weave structure Description of relationships of warp and weft in a woven textile.

Weaving Process of interlacing warp and weft to create a textile. weft Transverse elements that interlace with warps to create a woven textile.