The Glossary of Terms

  • Absorption - The attraction and retention of gases or liquids within the pores of a fiber.
  • Baffle - A thin fabric 'wall' sewn between the top and bottom layers of a comforter shell. These vertical walls create a deeper interior of the comforter, allowing the down to loft more, and permitting the down to "touch" along the wall lines.
  • Batiste - Named after French weaver Jean Batiste, this is a very fine 'plain weave' using only combed cotton yarns and given a mercerized finish.
  • Calendarizing - A process of passing fabric between rollers under heat and pressure to give it a shine. Makes the fabric more down proof.
  • Cambric - A closely woven, cotton fabric finished with a slight gloss on one side. Usually this is the most common down proof fabric.
  • Combing - A process by which natural fibers are sorted and straightened; a more refined treatment than carding.
  • Combed Cotton - Cotton that has had the short fibers and impurities removed. It is a superior process to the more common treatment called 'carding' because the yarns have fewer fibers projecting from them.
  • Cotton - Fiber from the seedpod of the cotton plant. The quality of cotton depends mostly on the length of the fiber, with a longer fiber being better. Here are several types:
  • American Upland Cotton - Representing the bulk of the world crop, American Upland fiber runs between 3/4" and 1 1/4".
  • Egyptian Cotton - Long staple variety form Egypt with fiber length averaging 1 3/8".
  • Pima Cotton - An excellent long staple variety grown in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California. It is a cross between Sea Island Cotton and Egyptian Cotton with fiber length averaging 1 1/2". The "SuPima" certification mark is used only when the product is made entirely from Southwestern extra-long staple cotton grown by members of the SuPima Association of America.
  • Sea Island Cotton - The very finest and most expensive cotton, in very limited supply, with a fiber length greater than 1 1/2".
  • Damask- A firm textured fabric with patterns, similar to brocade, that is weaved into cotton.
  • Denier - A unit of yarn number equal to the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of the yarn. The higher the denier number, the thinner the thread and the higher the thread count.
  • Dobby Weave - A decorative weave, characterized by small figures, usually geometric, that are woven into the fabric structure. Dobbies may be of any weight or compactness, with yarns ranging from very fine to coarse and fluffy. Standard dobby fabrics are usually flat and relatively fine or sheer. However, some heavyweight dobby fabrics are available for home furnishings and for heavy apparel. (Source FabricLink.com)
  • Dotted Swiss - A sheer, crisp cotton fabric with either clipped spot or swivel dots.
  • Down Cluster - The group of components: down, nestling down, and plumule. (Down fiber and other components are specifically excluded.)
  • Down Fiber - The tiny strands that used to be attached to a down cluster but that are present in the mixture. Down fibers are not counted towards the total "Down" percentage. Down fibers are parts of the down cluster that have come away from the cluster point. Down fibers look like Down but are characterized by random 'Down" like strands.
  • Down Proof - Any fabric with a 230 thread count or higher is deemed down-proof. As a measure of air permeability, fabric that is down proof (Lower air permeability means more down proof) will not leak or bleed feathers and down from the inside. Lower thread count fabrics may be treated with starch sizing to make them 'down proof,' as well. A fabric's ability to be down proof is usually dependent upon three factors: fabric construction (warp & Weft counts), yarn size and weave (Source: idfb.org). In addition, calenderizing and surface agents help to down proof a fabric.
  • Embroidery - Ornamental needlework on fabric either by hand or by machine.
  • Fabric Forward Law - Where the fabric is woven has to be indicated on the law label. So if the fiber is woven in China then that is what has to show on the law label.
  • Fill Power - The ability of down to regain its shape when pressure is released. The higher the fill power number, the greater the insulating value of the down.
  • Flannel - Plain or twill woven cotton or wool fabric that has a surface with a napped finish. The cloth must be made from cotton with a fiber long enough to hold in the yarn, otherwise, the fibers will shed from the flannel or pill into little balls on the surface.
  • Gussets - The side "walls" along the perimeter of a pillow or comforter. Generally provides no functional benefit; just an esthetic enhancement of the product.
  • Hand - The "feel" of a fabric.
  • Hypo-allergenic - A fiber or material is deemed hypo-allergenic if it has undergone a process that makes it less likely to cause an allergic reaction.
  • Jacquard - This decorative weaving technique was invented by Joseph Jacquard in 1804. A special loom is used to weave a non-linear pattern directly into the fabric; usually a design or shape such as a flower.
  • Loft - The springiness of fluffiness of a fiber.
  • Long Staple Cotton - Staple refers to the length of the cotton fiber. Longer fiber length results in the finer, smoother yarn that is used to weave higher quality fabrics.
  • Madras - A finely woven, soft plain or Jacquard weave fabric with a strip in the lengthwise direction and Jacquard or dobby patterns woven in the background.
  • Mercerize - A finishing process for combed cotton that increases the fiber's luster and affinity for dyes.
  • Piece Dyed - The fabric as a whole is colored as a whole after weaving.
  • Piping - A think tube of fabric that is used to ornament pillows and comforters. Can be made of any variety of fabric types.
  • Sateen - A cotton or spun-yard fabric characterized by floats running in the filling direction. Usually is mercerized and has a shine from the finishing process.
  • Synthetic Fiber - A man-made fiber made from chemicals that were never fibrous in form.
  • Thread Count - Measured by adding the number of warp ends per inch and filling picks per inch in the woven fabric. The higher the number, the more dense the yarns are packed together, but unfortunately thread count has come to be the major determinant of quality in the US customer's eyes. The quality of the cotton and the finishing process after weaving can often be more important to the soft hand and durability of a fabric than a high thread count.
  • Twill - A medium to heavy weight, fluffy, woolen, twill weave fabric containing colored slubbed yarns. (Source FabricLink.com)
  • Weaving - Weaving is an ancient art of making fabric, with no new types of weaves having been developed since 1747. The warp yarns and weft yarns are interlaced (woven) with each other to make a fabric (vs. a knit where the yarns are looped together). There are three basic weaving constructions: Plain, Twill, and Satin; all other weaves must be made by using one or more of these basic weaves.
    • Plain Weave - The Plain Weave is made by weaving one weft yarn over and under each warp yarn, alternating each row. It is the most common type of weave.
    • Twill Weave - The Twill Weave is similar to a Satin Weave in the sense that the loom is floating the warp or weft yarns over yarns of the opposite direction, but with a Twill the yarn is only passing over two of the opposite yarns. Twill is distinctive by the diagonal lines that appear in the fabric. A Twill Weave, like a Satin Weave, usually results in a softer fabric than a Plain Weave. It is excellent for brushed or napped cotton, and is superior for a feather pillow ticking.
    • Satin Weave - The Satin Weave is made by "floating" the warp or weft yarns across several yarns to bring them to the surface. Bringing the yarns to the surface gives the fabric sheen because light is reflected off the yarn surface, not absorbed by the intersections of yarns such as in a Plain Weave.
  • Warp - The yarns that run the length of the loom. The warp yarns are pulled through the loom as the weft or filling yarns are woven across the warp to make the fabric.
  • Weft (or Filling) - The yarns that are woven across the loom, with Weft being the English term and Filling being the American term. The individual yarns are also known as Picks.
  • Wickability - The property of a fiber that allows moisture to move rapidly along the fiber surface and pass quickly through the fabric.
  • Wool - The term 'wool' refers to the fibers from the fleece of lambs, sheep, Cashmere goats, Angora goats, camels, Llamas, Alpacas, and Vicunas. Wool from sheep is the most common, lamb's wool is shorn from sheep less than eight months old, and Merino wool is from a specific breed that yields the finest and softest sheep wool. Mohair is the wool of the Angora goat.
  • Yarn Dyed - The individual yarns are colored as a whole before weaving.