Fabric Terms Flashcards
Muslin
A plain-woven cotton made from bleached or unbleached corded yarns in a variety of weights:
- Coarse-weave: Used for draping and tasting basic patterns
- Lightweight: Used for softly draped garments
- Heavy-weight: Firmly woven, used for testing tailored garments, jackets, and coats
Grain
The direction in which the yarn is woven or knitted
Warp
Lengthwise grain - yarns parallel with selvage and at right angles to the crosswise grain. It is the most stable grain.
Weft
Crosswise grain - yarns woven across the fabric from selvage to selvage. It is the filling yarn of woven fabrics. Crosswise grains yields to tension.
Selvage
The narrow, firmly woven and finished strip on both lengthwise grain edges of the woven fabric. Clipping selvage releases tension.
Bias
A slanting or diagonal line cut or sewn across the weave of the cloth
True bias
The angle line that intersects with the lengthwise and crosswise grains at a 45 degree angle. True bias has maximum give and stretch, easily conforming to the figure’s contours. Flares, cowls, and drapes work best when cut on true bias.
Bowing and skewing
When filler threads do not interlace with the straight grains at 90 degrees, bowing and skewing, or a one-sided combination occurs and is often sent to industry in that condition unless otherwise instructed
Direction of Grainline
- Vertical graininess are drawn parallel to center for garments cut on straight grain
- Bias graininess are drawn at an angle to center (45 angle for true bias) for garments cut on their bias
- Horizontal graininess are drawn at right angles to center for garments cut crosswise grain
Bust Point
A designated place on the bust and pattern and referred to in flat Patternmaking as the pivotal point or apex
Dart
A wedge-shaped cut-out in a pattern to control the fit of a garment when stitched
Dart Legs
The two lines that converge at a predetermined point on the pattern
Dart Intake
The amount of excess (or space) confined between dart legs. Its purposes are to take up excess where it is not needed and to gradually release fabric where it is needed to control the fit of the garment.
Trueing
The blending and straightening of pencil lines, cross marks, and dot marks for the purpose of establishing correct seam lengths - for example, trueing a side seam having a side dart
Plumb Line
A vertical line that is at right angles with the floor, used to determine the balance of a figure