Acetate

A filament fiber made from acetate with a crisp hand and high luster. Drapes well. Acetate woven fabric is often used for linings, but it shows perspiration stains.

Acrylic

A synthetic fiber that has a soft hand and good wrinkle resistance. It is often used in blankets and socks.

Admiralty Cloth

Melton cloth often used in military uniforms and pea coats.

Aida Canvas

Stiff, coarse fabric used for needlework.

A reversible wool double cloth with different colors on front and back. Used for coats.

A needlepoint lace with fine net background with cord outlining design.

Rugged looking 100% cotton, formerly used to make draperies but now used for unlined jackets and straight or a-line skirts.

A trademark of Bemberg Spa, Italy, this rayon lining material has a soft, silk-like quality and comes in several weights.

A lustrous, durable, warp-faced fabric with corded appearance most often used in millinery, ribbons, and suits.

Originally referred to Australian wool, of fine quality, but now refers to fine wool from all over the world.

Thermal underwear fabric.

A fine, closely woven, lustrous cotton or poly-cotton blend with an unbalanced weave that creates a fine rib. An excellent shirting material.

A coarse, stiff, plain open-weave fabric used as a stiffener.

Very rough open weave inexpensive fabric. Can be used as window coverings but tends to fade and stretch overtime.

A fine lightweight goatskin fabric. Excellent choice for garment sewing, especially pants.

A plain cotton weave with a typically busy, small floral pattern.

A soft plain-weave cloth or linen with a slight luster used for handkerchiefs, aprons, and underwear.

A popular fabric for military uniforms. Its distinct twill weave makes it an excellent choice for a jacket or coat. Wrinkle resistant.

Has the appearance of very fine denim. With a plain weave using colored warp and white weft. Makes great shirts and pajamas.

Light-weight leather from sheepskin. Used for buffing cars and american indian-inspired garments.

A wool twill dress fabric with a ribbed face and smooth back.

Plain-weave cotton fabric with a glazed finish often used for slipcovers and curtains.

A durable twill-cotton fabric with a slight sheen that makes excellent work clothes or casual pants.

A trade name used to denote a light-weight “tropical” wool. Armani suits are often made in this fabric.

A durable twill-weave fabric made from tightly twisted yarns. Wool covert makes an excellent top coat that can be waterproofed. Cotton covert makes good work clothes or sportswear.

A trademark of Dupont, this polyester is an old favorite for house dresses.

Soft, supple leather skin from deer hide. Makes first-quality garments; especially soft shirts, loose pants, and skirts.

A rather-coarse, wrinkle-resistant multicolored wool most often used in men’s sports jackets.

A sheer cotton or nylon fabric patterned with small dots that are woven in or glued on. Makes good summer blouses and curtains.

A strong, dense, medium-to heavy-weight cotton of twill weave. Used for uniforms, lining shoes, work clothes, and mattress ticking.

A highly lustrous, smooth, very finely woven silk fabric. Used in bridal or evening wear where volume without bulk is desired.

A durable, plain-weave cotton that is flexible. Used for sails, tents, and awnings.

A high-quality long staple cotton used in the finest sheets.

A cotton netting with a hexagonal weave that dyes well. Used in evening wear for sheer sections and as underlining in bodices.

A trademark of Skinner Co., this faux suede is lightweight and drapes better than ultrasuede.

A flat, ribbed fabric with a light luster. Fabric has body but drapes and tailors well. Makes beautiful spring suits and coats.

Used to make linen.

A silk square used in Japan to wrap gifts. Can be combined in garments for beautiful effects

A fine, transparent, plain-weave fabric with open texture.

A lightweight plain-weave fabric often woven in checks. Great for pattern pretests.

This porous fabric repels water but allows body moisture to escape, making it comfortable for active outerwear.

A closely woven ribbed ribbon made with a rayon warp. Must be preshrunk.

A soft, lightweight plain-weave silk usually referred to as china silk.

Handkerchief Linen

A plain weave of the lightest weight linen. Used for handkerchiefs, blouses, and bias binding.

Harris Tweed

A woolen fabric hand-woven on the islands off the coast of Scotland. It is wrinkle resistant and often used in men’s sport jackets.

A coarse, loosely-woven fabric woven in hopsack or basket weave. Burlap is a rough hopsack. Cotton or linen hopsacking is more pliable and can be used in lightweight, loose coats.

A fine, sheer plain-weave cotton fabric used in children’s summer clothing.

A weaving system that can produce large woven designs.

A finely-woven, semi-crisp fabric woven in cotton or linen. It is primarily used in heirloom dresses, blouses, collars, and cuffs. Also makes great underlining.

A coated fabric that simulates leather. Used in upholstery.

Hand-blocked floral prints in silk, rayon, cotton, and wool challis.

A thick, soft, oily green wool fabric that repels water and is typically seen in coatings.

Madras

A fine cotton, hand loomed in the Madras region of India. Dyed with natural dyes.

Matelasse

A fabric with crepe and ordinary yarn interfaced in the warp. When the crepe yarn shrinks, it causes the ordinary yarn to pucker, creating raised patterns. Can be made in cotton, silk, or wool.

A very fine, dense wool from the merino sheep. Takes dye well.

Woven, knitted, crocheted, or knotted with open spaces between yarns. Supple and elastic. Used in men’s sport shirts. Lightweight mesh is used in evening wear.

A wavy, water-like pattern produced onto a fabric surface by engraved rollers during the finishing process.

A Japanese unit of weight for silk fabrics.

A heavy, coarse cotton fabric with a loose, basket weave. Used in draperies, slipcovers, and upholstery.

A firm plain-weave cotton found in many weights. Great for pattern pretests.

A soft, thin, very drapey leather skin used for quality garments.

An oil-coated fabric with a waterproof surface. Cleaned with water. Used for table or shelf covers.

A very fine, sheer cotton with a crisp hand.

A plain weave with twice as many threads in the warp as in the weft, resulting in a basketweave.

A high-gloss satin fabric.

Often with a knitted base, pile on this velvet is pressed down in one direction, resulting in a shiny appearance.

Shiny, hard, smooth leather created by applying a solution that hardens to the surface of the leather.

A lightweight firm cotton with a balanced weave that can be piece-dyed or printed.

A sueded leather skin that can be drapey or firm depending on the dye lot. Works well in jackets, slim pants, and straight skirts.

A very fine American-Egyptian cotton that is great for underlining.

A puckered or crinkled cotton.

A netting with a rectangular dot in a regular, all-over pattern.

A plain-weave, medium-weight silk with a finer warp than weft; feels like a starched china silk.

Fabric with a similar weave to broadcloth but the rib is larger and the fabric heavier.

A warp-knitted fabric that comes in a variety of patterns.

Fabric made of long staple cotton or filament yarns to produce a strong, lustrous surface.

The finest grade of cotton.

A permanently crinkled cotton stripe. Crinkle is produced in the weave and is not destroyed by heat.

A worsted wool with a mottled effect often found in men’s suits. A lighter weight in cotton is used in sportswear and uniforms.

Suede produced from a breed of sheep that grows hair rather than wool.

A fine, closely woven silk with a fine rib.

Silk brocades are known for their smooth texture, durability and strength, which qualify as a perfect clothing material. Only the highest quality of raw silk is used in brocade weaving.

A manufactured fiber of at least 85% polyurethane with excellent recovery and flexibility.

A soft, lightweight lustrous silk characterized by fine twill lines. Because it isn’t durable, it’s best used in ties and vest fronts.

A fabric made from inter-locked polyester that is coated to be slippery and durable.

A thermal insulation that can’t be dry-cleaned. It provides twice the insulation of similar thicknesses of polyester, down, or wool.

A durable plain, twill-or satin weave cotton fabric most often used as covering for mattresses and pillows and sometimes for upholstery.

A modified acetate fiber that is stronger than acetate when wet, with greater resistance to heat, shrinking, wrinkling, and fading.

A warp knit fabric with a horizontal rib used often in women’s lingerie. Makes a great lining for knitted pants. Fusible tricot makes an excellent lightweight interfacing.

Lightweight suiting made of highly twisted yarns that permit air circulation. One yard weighs 7 1/2 ounces to 10 ounces.

The finest wool woven from a small South American relative of the camel. Very soft to touch and very warm to wear.

A strong worsted fabric with an upright twill weave. Very resistant to wrinkling or stretching out of shape. Used in riding habits, uniforms, sportswear, and coatings.