Absorbency~A measure of how much water a fabric can absorb. Acrylic~a synthetic polymer fiber that contains at least 85% acrylonitrile. Aida cloth~a coarse open-weave fabric traditionally used for cross-stitch. Alnage~the official supervision of the shape and quality of manufactured woolen cloth. Alpaca~a style of fabric originally made from alpaca fiber but now frequently made from a similar type of fiber. Angora~the hair of either the Angora goat or the Angora rabbit Applique~a technique in which pieces of fabric are sewn onto a foundation piece of fabric to create designs. Aramid~a fire-resistant and strong synthetic fiber Argyle~a pattern is one containing diamonds in a sort of diagonal checkerboard pattern. Backstrap loom~a loom are tied around the weaver's waist on one end and around a stationary object such as a tree or post on the other. Baize~a coarse woollen or cotton cloth, often coloured red or green. Ballistic nylon~a thick, tough synthetic fabric used for a variety of applications. Batik~an Indonesian-Malay word and refers to a generic wax-resist dyeing technique used on fabric. Bedford-Cord~a combination of two kinds of Weave, called Plain and Drill. Bias~The direction of a piece of woven fabric at 45 degrees to its warp and weft threads. Binding~used to finish a seam or hem of a garment, usually by rolling or pressing then stitching on an edging or trim. Blend~a fabric or yarn made up of more than one type of fiber. Bobbin lace~a delicate lace that uses wound spools of thread to weave together the shapes in the lace. Bobbinet~a tulle netting with hexagonal shaped holes, traditionally used as a base for embroidery and lingerie. Bombazine~is a fabric twilled or corded and used for dress-material. Braid~to interweave or twine three or more separate strands of one or more materials in a diagonally overlapping pattern. Brocade~a thick heavy fabric into which raised patterns have been woven Buckram~a stiff cloth, made of cotton or linen, which is used to cover and protect books. Burlap~a type of cloth often used for sacks. Calico~a type of fabric made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. Cambric~a lightweight cotton cloth used as fabric for lace and needlework. Camel's Hair~a natural fiber from the camel. Canvas~an extremely heavy-duty fabric used for making sails and tents. Canvas work~embroidery on canvas. Carding~the processing of brushing raw or washed fibers to prepare them as textiles. Carpet~any loom-woven, felted textile or grass floor covering. Cashmere~wool from the Cashmere goat. Cellulose~a fiber processed to make cellophane and rayon. Cheesecloth~a loosewoven cotton cloth, such as is used in pressing cheese curds. Chiffon~a sheer fabric made of silk or rayon. Chino cloth~a kind of twill fabric, usually made primarily from cotton. Chintz~calico cloth printed with flowers and other devices in different colors. Coir~a coarse fibre extracted from the fibrous outer shell of a coconut. Colorfast~A term used to describe whether the colors bleed or not in washing. Cord~twisted fibre, usually intermediate between rope and string. Cotton~a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of a plant native to the tropical and subtropical regions. Crape~a silk fabric of a gauzy texture, having a peculiar crisp or crimpy appearance. Crazy quilt~often used to refer to the textile art of patchwork and is sometimes used interchangeably with that term. Crinoline~a stiff fabric with a weft of horse-hair and a warp of cotton or linen thread. Cross-stitch~a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches are used to form a picture. Crochet~the process of creating fabric from a length of cord, yarn, or thread with a hooked tool. Crochet hook~a type of needle, usually with a hook at one end, used to draw thread through knotted loops. Cro-hook~a special double-ended crochet hook used to make double-sided crochet. Damask~a fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Darning mushroom~a tool which can be used for darning clothes, particularly socks. Denim~a rugged cotton twill textile. Dimity~a lightweight, sheer cotton fabric having at least two warp threads thrown into relief to form fine cords. Dobby loom~a loom in which each harness can be manipulated individually. Double weave~a type of advanced weave done by interlacing two or more sets of warps with two or more sets of filling yarns. Dowlas~the name given to a plain cloth, similar to sheeting, but usually coarser. A Dye~used to color fabric. Embroidery~the stitching strands of some material on to a layer of another material. Even-weave~used in counted-thread embroidery and is characterized by warp and weft threads of the same size. An Eyelet~metal, plastic, or rubber rings that are inserted into a hole made through another material. Felt~a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers. Felting~The process of making felt is called felting. Fiber~a class of materials that are continuous filaments are often used in the manufacture of thread, rope or felt. Filament~a fine, thinly spun thread, fiber, or wire. Fishnet~a material with an open, diamond shaped knit. Flannel~a cloth that is commonly used to make clothing and bedsheets. Flax~soft, lustrous and flexible stronger than cotton fiber but less elastic. Fulling~a step in clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to get rid of oils, dirt, and other impurities. Fustian~a term for a variety of heavy woven cotton fabrics, chiefly prepared for menswear. Gabardine~a tough, tightly woven fabric, smooth on one side and has a diagonally ribbed surface on the other. Gauge~a set number of rows per inch or the thread-count of a woven fabric. Gante~a cloth made from cotton or tow warp and jute weft and has the appearance of a fine hessian cloth. Gauze~A very light, sheer, fine woven fabric. Geotextile~A geotextile is a synthetic permeable textile. Gingham~a fabric made from dyed cotton yarn. Glass fiber~widely used in the manufacture of insulation and textiles. Gossamer~a very light, sheer, gauze-like fabric, popular for white wedding dresses and decorations. Grogram~a coarse fabric of silk mixed with wool or with mohair and often stiffened with gum. Hem~the process of enclosing a cut edge in cloth, so that it cannot ravel. Huckaback~a type of coarse absorbent cotton or linen fabric used for making towels. Ikat~a style of weaving that uses a tie-dye process before the threads are woven. Intarsia~a knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colours. Interfacing~a common term for a variety of materials used on the unseen side of fabrics in sewing. Jacquard loom~the first machine to use punch cards to control the pattern being woven. Jamdani~a kind of fine cloth made in Bangladesh. Jute~one of the cheapest natural fibres, and is second only to cotton in amount produced and variety of uses. A Knit fabric~fabric that was produced through the process of knitting. Lace~lightweight openwork fabric, patterned, either by machine or by hand, with open holes in the work. Lawn~a fine linen or cotton cloth. Linen~a material made from the fibers of the flax plant. Loden~water-resistant material for clothing made from sheep wool. Loom~a machine used for weaving fabric. Lucet~a method of cordmaking or braiding which is believed to date back to the Viking era. Macrame~a form of textile-making using knotting rather than weaving or knitting. Mercerized cotton~a treatment for cotton fabric and thread mostly employed to give cotton a lustrous appearance. Merino~the Spanish name for a breed of sheep, and hence applied to a woolen fabric. Microfibre~a term for fibres with strands thinner than one denier. Millinery~the profession or business of designing, making, or selling hats for women. Mohair~a silk-like fabric made from the hair of the Angora goat. Mungo~a fibrous woollen material generated from waste fabric, particularly tightly woven cloths and rags. Muslin~a type of finely-woven cotton fabric, introduced to Europe from Mosul, Iraq in the 17th century. Nainsook~a fine, soft muslin fabric, often to used to make babies clothing. Nap~a sewing term for the raised surface of certain cloth, such as flannel. Needlepoint~a form of canvas work created on a mesh canvas. Needlework~another term for the handicraft of decorative sewing and textile arts. A Nonwoven fabric~a fabric which is neither woven nor knit, for example felt. Nylon~a synthetic polymer, a plastic, used to make women's stockings. Oilcloth~a kind of cloth with a permeable painting oil or paint surface. Paisley~a droplet-shaped vegetal motif. The design originated in India. Patchwork~a form of needlework or craft that involves sewing together small pieces of fabric and stitching them together. Percale~a closely woven, high thread count, cotton fabric often used for sheets and clothing. Persian weave~a method of weave used in jewelry and other art forms. Plaid~a Scots word meaning blanket, usually referring to patterned woollen cloth Plied yarn~yarn that has been plied, with the process called plying. Plush~a fabric having a cut nap or pile the same as fustian or velvet. Polyester~a synthetic fiber Poplin~a heavy, durable fabric that has a ribbed appearance. Purl stitch~commonly used in knitting Qalamkari~a type of hand-painted or block-printed textile, produced in various places in India. Qiviut~the wool of the musk ox. Quilting~a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating batting in between. Rayon~a transparent fibre made of processed cellulose. Rolag~a loose woolen roll of fibers that results from using handcards. Roving~a ong rope of fibers where all of the fibers are going parrellel to the roving. Sateen~a fabric formed with a satin weave using short-staple yarns such as cotton Satin~a cloth that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. Satin weave~a weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. Seam~the line where two pieces of fabric are held together by thread. Seam ripper~a small tool used for unpicking stitches. Selvage~The woven edge portion of a fabric parallel to the warp. Serge~a type of twill fabric that has diagonal lines or ridges on both sides, made with a two-up, two-down weave. Serging~a sewing term for the binding off of an edge of cloth. Sewing~an ancient craft involving the stitching of cloth, leather, animal skins, furs, or other materials, using needle and thread. Shed~the gap between yarns on a loom when one or more, but not all, of the harnesses are raised. Sheer~a term that means semi-transparent or flimsy cloth. Shoddy~Recycled or remanufactured wool which is of inferior quality compared to the original wool. Shuttle~a device used with a loom that is passed back and forth between the threads of the warp in order to weave in the weft. Silk~a natural protein fiber from the cocoon of the silkworm larva. Sisal~a stiff fiber used in making rope. Spandex fiber~a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. Spinning~the process of creating yarn (or thread, rope, cable) from various raw fiber materials. Staple~the raw material, or its length and quality, of fiber from which textiles are made. Super~The grading system used to grade the quality of wool fabric. Tactel~the brand name of a man-made fibre made from nylon. Taffeta~a type of fabric, often used for fancy dresses. Tapestry~a form of textile art woven by hand on a weaving-loom. Tarlatan~a starched, open-weave fabric, much like cheese cloth. Tassel~a ball-shaped bunch of plaited threads from which protrudes a cord and tassel. Tatting~an old technique for handcrafting lace. Terry cloth~a type of cloth with loops sticking out such as bath towels. Thimble~a protective shield worn on the finger or thumb. Threads per inch (TPI)~The measurement of the number of threads in a square inch of fabric. Tissue~a fine woven fabric or gauze. Tulle~a netting made of various fibers, including silk, nylon, and rayon, that is commonly used for veils and ballet tutus. Tweed~a type of fabric using the twill weave. Twill tape~a flat twill-woven ribbon of cotton, linen, polyester, or wool. Twill weave~a type of fabric woven with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. Velour~a textile, a knitted counterpart of velvet. Velvet~a type of tufted fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed, with a short dense pile. Velveteen~a cotton cloth made in imitation of velvet. Warp~the set of lengthwise threads attached to a loom before weaving begins, and through which the weft is woven. Warp knit~Knit fabric in which intermeshing loops are positioned in a lengthwise, or warp, direction. Waterproof~a descriptor of textiles that resist water (do not allow it to soak through). Water repellent~a descriptor of textiles that repel water. Weaving~an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. Weft~the yarn that is woven back and forth through the warp to make cloth. Wilton Carpet~produced on a specific type of weaving machine called wire loom. Wire loom~a Weaving machine for pile fabrics or velvets whereby the pile is made by weaving steel rods or wires into the fabrics. Woof~the same thing as the weft. Wool~the fiber derived from the hair of domesticated animals, usually sheep. Woolen~the name of a yarn and cloth usually made from wool. Worsted fabric~well twisted yarn and cloth usually made from wool. Yarn~a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, suitable for textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving and ropemaking. Zibeline~a thick, soft fabric with a long nap.