HOW TO KNOW THE FABRICS 
Simple Definitions of the Materials Constantly in Use 
for Hangings and Upholstery 
ANTIQUE SATIN, ;i reproduction of an 
old weave made from the silk of the wild 
silkworm and woven with a linen thread. 
This gives an uneven, lumpy look, char¬ 
acteristic of the old damasks and satins. 
Used mostly for coverings. 
ARMURE, generally a fabric of mixed silk 
and cotton, or all cotton, with usually a 
small, overshot design. Used for both cur¬ 
tains and upholstery. Appropriate for 
bedrooms. 
ARTIFICIAL SILK, a fabric with much 
the appearance of silk and made out of 
wood fibre. It has a high lustre and is 
now made sun fast. Comes in various 
patterns and is effective and durable for 
upholstery and curtains. 
BATIK, an old Javanese process of dye¬ 
ing materials. The designs are obtained 
by dipping the fabric in dye again and 
again, covering the parts not to be dyed 
with wax. The crackle effect of the back¬ 
ground is caused by the dye coming through 
the cracks in the wax. Silk, cotton or 
velvet can be treated in this manner. 
BROCADE, a fabric with a satin or taffeta 
ground and a raised design of flowers, 
stripes or foliage in various colors. The 
pattern often has the effect of being em¬ 
broidered on. Used for both hangings and 
upholstery in formal types of rooms. 
BROCATELLE, heavier than a damask 
although much the same type of material. 
Sometimes woven with a linen thread, 
making a heavy, raised design. The pat¬ 
terns, usually in two colors, are of the same 
type as the designs of damask. 
CASEMENT CLOTH, a closely woven 
cloth used for window hangings. It comes 
in cotton, wool, silk and cotton or silk 
and wool. 
CHINTZ, a cotton cloth printed in designs 
of different colors and often glazed. The 
word comes from the Hindoo “chint” mean¬ 
ing full of color. Painted and printed 
calicos made in India were the earliest 
forms of the modem chintz. Heavy, block 
printed linens are often miscalled chintz. 
At present widely used for curtains, uphol¬ 
stery, slip covers, luncheon sets, bags, etc. 
CRETONNE, the French word for cotton 
cloth printed in colored designs. In this 
country we are apt to call all printed cotton 
materials either chintz or cretonne. Cre¬ 
tonne is a heavier cloth than chintz. 
CREWEL WORK, embroidery in different 
colored wools on a linen or wool back¬ 
ground. In wool this material is used for 
chair seats and backs. In linen for hang¬ 
ings and upholstery. Usually sprawly, 
Jacobean designs. 
DAMASK, a material with a raised figure 
usually in the same color as the background. 
Sometimes the pattern will be in a contrast¬ 
ing color and occasionally Roman stripes 
are found in the background. This fabric 
comes in silk, cotton, or wool or a com¬ 
bination of silk and wool or silk and cotton. 
Named for Damascus, a city in Syria 
famous for its silks and steel. 
DENIM, a coarse, inexpensive cotton 
material used largely for first coverings on 
furniture. Comes plain, striped or in 
allover designs. 
DOTTED SWISS, a cotton cloth with a 
raised, embroidered dot in self or contrast¬ 
ing colors. 
FAILLE, a heavy taffeta, with a fine rib, 
used for both hangings and coverings. 
FRIEZE is the word applied to a pile 
fabric made with loops instead of a nap. 
Often the loops are cut and uncut to form 
a design. There are silk, wool or mohair 
friezes and these may be plain, figured or 
block printed. For upholstery only. 
GAUZE, a very thin, light, transparent 
fabric of silk, artificial silk or silk and 
cotton. Is now made sunfast and dyed all 
colors. Used for glass curtains. 
GINGHAM, a cotton cloth in plain colors, 
stripes, plaids, or checks. Sometimes used 
for curtains in an informal country house 
or for kitchen or bathroom curtains. 
GROS POINT, a fabric made of worsted 
embroidery. It is entirely worked by hand 
in pictorial designs and used to cover chairs, 
cushions, stools, etc. Imitated in machine 
tapestry sold by the yard. 
LINEN, a cloth made of flax. It comes 
in plain colors,- stripes and block printed 
designs. Used for hangings and upholstery. 
MARQUISETTE, a very thin cotton or 
silk fabric resembling voile with a slightly 
more open mesh. Used for glass curtains. 
MERCERIZED FABRIC, a high finish 
on cotton to give it an effect of silk. 
MOHAIR, the name of a yarn made from 
the fleece of the Angora goat. It enters 
into the construction of some of the best 
wearing furniture coverings such as friezes, 
velvets, etc. 
MUSLIN, a soft, fine cotton cloth either 
plain or dotted, used for glass curtains. 
This cloth was originally made in Mossul, 
a city in Mesopotamia, and later, a fine, 
sheer variety was manufactured in India. 
NET, a fabric woven in open meshes of 
silk, cotton or linen. Used generally in 
white, cream or ecru for glass curtains and 
is sometimes dyed strong colors. 
PONGEE, a thin soft silk from India or 
China used in its natural color for curtains. 
POPLIN, a corded material of silk and 
cotton or silk and wool. Can be dyed any 
color and owes its name to the fact that it 
was originally made in Avignon, a Papal 
town. 
PETIT POINT, a fabric made of worsted 
hand embroidery, the stitches being particu¬ 
larly fine. Pictorial designs. Used for 
chair coverings, cushions, etc. 
REP, a ribbed fabric of silk, cotton or 
wool or a mixture. Used for upholstery. 
SATEEN, an all cotton fabric with a mer¬ 
cerized finish giving the effect of satin. 
Used sometimes for furniture coverings and 
to line curtains. 
SAT IN, a silk fabric of a thick close tex¬ 
ture and a glossy surface. 
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STRIE SATIN, a satin with a small, faint 
self-colored stripe in the background. 
Often gives a two tone appearance. Taf¬ 
fetas, velvets and damasks come in strie 
effect. 
SUNFAST, the process of treating materi¬ 
als to make them fadeproof. Cotton and 
fibre can be so treated but very few silks 
are guaranteed sunfast. 
TAM 7 ETA, one of the oldest of silk- 
weaves—a fine, smooth fabric with no 
lustre to speak of. Many taffetas are arti¬ 
ficially weighted with tin or some other 
metal to give them more body. These 
naturally will not wear as well as when 
dyed with unweighted dyes. 
TAPESTRY, a fabric originally of worsted 
worked on a warp of thread by hand, the 
designs usually being pictorial. Now made 
by machine in either cotton or wool. 
TOILE de JOUY, originally a cotton cloth 
with designs of pictorial or classic scenes. 
Derives its name from the town of Jouy in 
France where this material was manufac¬ 
tured under the leadership of Oberkampf. 
The designs often commemorated some his¬ 
torical event. Now printed on both cotton 
and linen. 
TUSSAH, a silk produced by the Asiatic 
silk workers. It is coarse and does not take 
dye well so is usually used in its natural 
fawn color. 
VELOUR, the general name applied to 
pile fabrics of any kind. It is made of all 
kinds of yarns, is heavier than velvet with 
a thicker, longer nap. It comes plain, 
striped or figured. 
VELVET, a cotton, silk or wool fabric 
with a very short close nap of erect threads, 
forming a thick, soft pile. Plain, striped 
or figured. 
VOILE, a very sheer, soft material, closely 
woven of cotton, silk or a mixture of both. 
Can be dyed any color and is used for 
glass curtains. 
