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Glossary Of Fabric Terms [81]

S S Twists A term that applies to the direction that two yarns are turned during the manufacturing process. Single yarns may be twisted to the right (S twist) or to the left (Z twist).
Saga Nishiki Form of brocading from Saga prefecture, Japan. It is a unique form of brocading in that Japanese paper is used as the warp. This paper is coated in either gold, silver or lacquer. The weft is a silk thread which is dyed. As the technique is time-consuming, only several inches are produced each day.
Sailcloth Cloth type made of a wide variety of materials that span those from natural fibers, such as flax (linen), hemp or cotton in various forms including canvas, to synthetic fibers, including nylon, polyester, aramids, and carbon fibers.
Samite Luxurious and heavy silk fabric worn in the Middle Ages, of a twill-type weave, often including gold or silver thread. By the later medieval period, the term samite was applied to any rich, heavy silk material which had a satin-like gloss.
Sampler A sampler is a small piece of needle or yarn work the displays a certain stitch or pattern, usually in suggestion or preparation for a larger project.
Sanforization A process of treatment used for cotton fabrics mainly and most textiles made from natural or chemical fibers, patented by Sanford Lockwood Cluett in 1930. It is a method of stretching, shrinking and fixing the woven cloth in both length and width before cutting and producing, to reduce the shrinkage which would otherwise occur after washing.
Sateen Sateen is a fabric made using a satin weave structure but made with spun yarns instead of filament. Sateen, on the other hand, is made entirely from cotton (sometimes rayon). Its surface is smooth to the touch and reduces light scattering to increase shine.
Satin Any fabric constructed by the satin weave method, one of the three basic textile weaves. The fabric is characterized by a smooth surface and usually a lustrous face and dull back; it is made in a wide variety of weights for various uses, including dresses, particularly evening wear; linings; bedspreads; and upholstery. The name derives its origin from the Chinese port city of Quanzhou, whose name in (medieval) Arabic was Zayton.
Saye Woolen cloth woven in the west and south of England in and around the 15th and 16th centuries. A suburb of Bristol, England, nowaday Sea Mills, has originally been called Saye Mills.
Scarlet Type of fine and expensive woolen cloth common in Medieval Europe. Scarlet cloth was produced in red, white, blue, green, and brown colors, among others. The most common color was carmine red, though, which resulted in the double meaning of the word as a color designation.
Scouring The process by which raw sheep's wool is cleansed to prepare it for textile use.
Screen Printing Screen printing is a printing technique whereby a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh apertures as the screen springs back after the blade has passed.
Screen-Printing Printing technique also known as serigraphy. It is a method of creating an image on paper, fabric or some other object by pressing ink through a screen with areas blocked off by a stencil. It first appeared in a recognizable form in China during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), later to be adapted by other Asian countries and eventually introduced in Europe in the late 18th Ct.
Scrim The term scrim has two separate meanings in terms of fabric. In each case, it refers to woven material, one a finely woven lightweight fabric widely used in theatre, the other a heavy, coarse woven material used for reinforcement in both building and canvasmaking.
Sea Island Cotton The variety of extra-long staple cotton, a species of cotton plant that has been cultivated to have fibers longer than 34 mm that are associated with high quality products. In about 1786, planting of Sea Island cotton began in the former British North American colonies, on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia.
Seam The join where two or more layers of fabric, leather, or other materials are held together with stitches.
Seam ripper A small tool used for unpicking stitches.
Seersucker A thin, puckered, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped or chequered, used to make clothing for spring and summer wear. The word came into English from Persian, and originates from the words sheer and shakar, literally meaning "milk and sugar", probably from the resemblance of its smooth and rough stripes to the smooth texture of milk and the bumpy texture of sugar. Common items of clothing made from seersucker include suits, shorts, shirts, curtains, dresses, and robes.
SEG SEG, stands for Silicone Edge Graphics. It is a printed fabric signage with a thin silicone beading sewn around the edges that fits into edgeless Aluminum framing. The silicone beading fits into a recessed groove around the perimeter of the frame to stretch the fabric completely smooth. The result is an upscale modern frameless appearance.
Selvage Self-finished edge of fabric. The selvages keep the fabric from unraveling or fraying. The selvages are a result of how the fabric is created.
Sequin Disk-shaped beads used for decorative purposes. In earlier centuries, they were made from shiny metals. Today, sequins are most often made from plastic. They are available in a wide variety of colors and geometrical shapes. Sequins are commonly used on clothing, jewelry, bags, shoes and many other accessories.
Serge Type of twill fabric that has diagonal lines or ridges on both sides, made with a two-up, two-down weave. The worsted variety is used in making military uniforms, suits, great coats and trench coats. Its counterpart, silk serge, is used for linings. French serge is a softer, finer variety. The word is also used for a high quality woolen woven fabric.
Serging The process of overcasting the raw edges of a piece of fabric (as a carpet) to prevent raveling.
Served Yarn In aerospace textiles, a reinforcing yarn such as graphite or glass around which two different yarns are wound, i.e., one in the Z direction and one in the S direction, etc., for protection or compaction of the yarn bundle.
Sewing The craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. For thousands of years, all sewing was done by hand. The invention of the sewing machine in the 19th century and the rise of computerization in the 20th century led to mass production and export of sewn objects, but hand sewing is still practiced around the world.
Sewing Machines Machine used to stitch fabric and other materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. In a modern sewing machine the fabric easily glides in and out of the machine without the inconvenience of needles and thimbles and other such tools used in hand sewing, automating the process of stitching and saving time.
Shag A rug or carpet that has a deep pile, giving it a shaggy appearance.
Shantung A heavy fabric, with a rough surface, made from wild silk, historically from the province of Shandong. Often used for bridal gowns.
Sharkskin Smooth worsted fabric with a soft texture and a two-toned woven appearance. Lightweight and wrinkle-free, sharkskin is ideal for curtains, tablecloths and napkins. Sharkskin fabric is popular for both men’s and women’s worsted suits, light winter jackets and coats.
Shed The shed is the temporary separation between upper and lower warp yarns through which the weft is woven. The shed is created to make it easy to interlace the weft into the warp and thus create woven fabric. Most types of looms have some sort of device which separates some of the warp threads from the others. This separation is called the shed, and allows for a shuttle carrying the weft thread to move through the shed perpendicular to the warp threads.
Sheer Sheer fabric is fabric which is made using thin thread and/or low density of knit and which results in a semi-transparent and flimsy cloth. Some fabrics become transparent when wet.
Shoddy An inferior quality yarn or fabric made from the shredded fibre of waste woollen cloth or clippings.
Shot silk Fabric which is made up of silk woven from warp and weft yarns of two or more colours producing an iridescent appearance. The weaving technique can also be applied to other fibres such as cotton, linen, and synthetics.
Shuttle A piece of equipment used in weaving. It takes a thread backwards and forwards over the other threads in order to make a piece of cloth.
Shuttless Loom Modern loom used to produce fabrics with high production rate. it is divided into three types: rapier, projectile and jet loom.
Silk Animal fibre produced by certain insects and arachnids as building material for cocoons and webs, some of which can be used to make fine fabrics. In commercial use, silk is almost entirely limited to filaments from the cocoons of domesticated silkworms. First developed in ancient China. The earliest example of silk fabric is from 3630 BC.
Silk Chiffon A plain, woven, lightweight, extremely sheer, airy, and soft silk fabric, containing highly twisted filament yarns.
Silnylon Synthetic fabric used mainly in lightweight outdoor gear. It is made by impregnating a thin woven nylon fabric with liquid silicone from both sides. This makes it strong for its weight, as the silicone substantially improves the tear strength. It is also highly waterproof, but not breathable.
Single Fill A type of cotton canvas or cotton "duck" that is identified by its approximate weight per square yard, in ounces. Unlike numbered duck, which is woven with two strands of yarn in the horizontal "weft", single fill is woven with only one strand.
Sinker The second primary knitting element. It is a thin metal plate with an individual or a collective action operating approximately at right angles from the hook side of the needle bed, between adjacent needles.
Sisal Sisal fibre is derived from the leaves of the plant. It is usually obtained by machine decortications in which the leaf is crushed between rollers and then mechanically scraped. It is fairly coarse and inflexible, and valued for cordage use because of its strength, durability, ability to stretch, affinity for certain dyestuffs, and resistance to deterioration in saltwater.
Sizing Any one of numerous substances that is applied to, or incorporated into, other materials — especially papers and textiles — to act as a protective filler or glaze. Sizing is used in papermaking and textile manufacturing to change the absorption and wear characteristics of those materials.
Skein Unit of measurement used by weavers and tailors, equal to 96 ells or 360 feet (110 m).
Slasher An indigo dyeing method for yarn. Slasher, or sheet, dyeing combines dyeing and sizing into a single process. Warp yarns are repeatedly passed in warp beam form through several baths of indigo dye before being sized and wound for weaving.
Slinky Knit Knit type that never wrinkles and washes beautifully. It is the perfect travel fabric with four-way stretch for ultimate comfort. Suitable for almost any wardrobe item.
Slit Tape A fabric, 12 inches or less in width, made by cutting wider fabric to the desired width. Slit tapes are made primarily of cotton, linen, jute, glass, or asbestos and are used principally for functional purposes.
Slub A thick spot in a yarn is created by varying the tightness of the twist of the yarn at various intervals.
Smartwool An American company makes eponymous products primarily from treated merino wool. SmartWool claims that this proprietary treatment makes its products itch-free and resistant to shrinking.
Solution-dyed A type of fiber dyeing in which colored pigments are injected into the spinning solution prior to the extrusion of the fiber through the spinneret. Fibers and yarns colored in this manner are colour-fast to most destructive agents.
Songket Fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect.
Space Dyeing The dyeing process in which multiple colors are applied along a length of yarn (usually a continuous filament strand) at intervals.
Spandex Spandex, Lycra or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is stronger and more durable than natural rubber. It is a polyester-polyurethane copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers. When introduced in 1962, it revolutionized many areas of the clothing industry. Because of its elasticity and strength, spandex has been incorporated into a wide range of garments, such as activewear, dance belts, gloves, and hosiery.
Spinneret Device used to extrude a polymer solution or polymer melt to form fibers
Spinning The process of creating yarn (or thread, rope, cable) from various raw fiber materials. Several fibers are twisted together to bind them into a strong, long yarn.
Splicing In ropework, it is the forming of a semi-permanent joint between two ropes or two parts of the same rope by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands. Splices can be used to form a stopper at the end of a line, to form a loop or an eye in a rope, or for joining two ropes together.
Spread Tow Fabrics a type of lightweight fabric. Spread Tow Fabric offers the advantages of relatively lower crimp, increased smoothness and less-pronounced crossover defects.
Staple Fibre of discrete length and may be of any composition. A continuous fibre such as natural silk or synthetic is known as filament rather than staple fibre.
Star Profile or Attribute Analysis Characteristics of a raw material or finished good which make it distinct from other products. Attributes include size, colour, functionality, and features that affect the product's appeal or acceptance in the market.
Steaming The process of quickly removing wrinkles from garments and fabrics with the use of high temperature steam.
Stencil Printing A method of transferring a pattern by brushing, spraying, or squeeging ink or paint through the open areas of a stencil cut from thin metal or cardboard.
Stenter A machine for drying cloth, in which sheets for drying are held by the edges.
Stiffness The resistance of an elastic material to deflection or deformation by an applied force.
Stitch A single turn or loop of thread, or yarn. Stitches are the fundamental elements of sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet, and needle lace-making, whether by hand or machine.
Stock Dyeing Dyeing raw fibers, also called stock, before they are aligned, blended, and spun into yarns.
Stockinette Stockinette stitch is the most basic knitted fabric. Stockinette-stitch fabric is very smooth and each column ("wale") resembles a stacked set of "V"'s. It has a strong tendency to curl horizontally and vertically because of the asymmetry of its faces.
Stone washing A textile manufacturing process used to give a newly manufactured cloth garment a worn-in (or worn-out) appearance. Stone-washing also helps to increase the softness and flexibility of otherwise stiff and rigid fabrics such as canvas and denim. In this process, the garments are placed in a large horizontal industrial clothes washer that is also filled with large stones. As the wash cylinder rotates, the cloth fibers are repeatedly pounded and beaten as the tumbling stones ride up the paddles inside the drum and fall back down onto the fabric.
Strand A single thin length of something such as thread, fibre, or wire, especially as twisted together with others.
Stretch fabric A synthetic fabric which stretches. Stretch fabrics are either 2-way stretch or 4-way stretch.
Strike Off A large textile sample made as a trial to test production methods.
Stuff In the context of materials, stuff can refer to any manufactured material. However, one type of stuff was a type of coarse thickly woven cloth. Originally it was probably entirely of wool, but later a 'woolsey-linsey' cloth, made with a warp of linen, yarn and a worsted weft. The gowns of most English lawyers are still described as 'stuff gowns'. In Victorian dressmaking terminology, stuff was used as a generic term for woven fabrics.
Stuffers Series of extra threads or yarn running lengthwise in a fabric to add weight and bulk and to form a backing especially for carpets.
Suede Type of leather with a napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, shirts, purses, furniture and other items. The term comes from the French "gants de Suède", which literally means "gloves from Sweden." Suede leather is made from the underside of the skin, primarily from lamb, although goat, calf and deer are commonly used.
Surah An even-sided twill, that is an even sided type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs.
Surfactant Compound that lowers the surface tension between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactant may act as a detergent, wetting agent, emulsifier, foaming agent, and dispersant.
Sustainable Textiles Textiles derived from eco-friendly resources, such as sustainably grown fiber crops or recycled materials.
Suzani A type of embroidered and decorative tribal textile made in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. Suzani is from the Persian "Suzan" which means needle. Suzanis usually have a cotton (sometimes silk) fabric base, which is embroidered in silk or cotton thread. Chain, satin, and buttonhole stitches are the primary stitches used. Popular design motifs include sun and moon disks, flowers (especially tulips, carnations, and irises), leaves and vines, fruits (especially pomegranates), and occasional fish and birds.
Swelling capacity Swelling capacity of a polymer is determined by the amount of liquid material that can be absorbed.
SympaTex Type of fabric that is branded as waterproof with "breatheable" fabrics made or licensed by SympaTex Technologies. The fabric features a waterproof, windproof and breatheable membrane that is laminated to fabrics either on its inner surface or sandwiched between two fabric layers.
Synthetic Dye Man-made organic dyes, originally derived from coal-tar derivatives, but currently synthesized from benzene and its derivatives. Examples include eosin, methylene blue, and fluorescein.
Synthetic Fabrics Textiles made from man-made rather than natural fibers. Examples of synthetic fabrics include polyester, acrylic, nylon, rayon, acetate, spandex and latex. Synthetic fabrics have many different qualities—including some not achievable with natural fibers. Synthetic fabric can provide waterproof fabrics and elastic fabrics for swimwear and underpants. Depending on the synthetic fabric, various added chemicals can make it softer, wrinkle free, flame-resistant, water-resistant, stain-resistant, or moth-repellent. While all these qualities are desirable, the processes can harm the environment, wildlife, and people's health.
Synthetic polymers Human-made polymers. From the utility point of view they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibers. They are found commonly in a variety of consumer products such as money, super glue, etc. The most famous ones are nylon and teflon.