A GUIDE TO MAJOR FABRIC GROUPS

Some commonly used fabrics, based on “A Dictionary of Textile Terms,” (Dan River Inc., 1971):

Cotton--To raise anything in the vegetable kingdom, favorable soil and climatic conditions are vital. Color, strength, length properties and characteristics of cotton are naturally affected by these conditions. There are nine grades of cotton and 10 different types of cottons, with Sea Island at the top, very white and silk-like.

Linen--Flax is the plant, linen is the product from flax. The term linen cannot be used except for natural fiber flax. Among the properties of linen are rapid moisture absorption, fiber length of few inches to one yard, no fuzziness, does not soil quickly, a natural luster and stiffness.

Polyester--A manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is any long-chain synthetic polymer composed of at least 85% by weight of an ester of dihydric alcohol and terephthalic acid. Includes Dacron, Fortel, Kodel, Trevira.

Silk--The only natural fiber that comes in a filament form; from 300 to 1,600 yards in length as reeled from the cocoon, cultivated or wild.

Wool--The fiber from the fleeces of the sheep or the lamb or hair of Angora or cashmere goats and may also include specialty fibers from the hair of the camel, alpaca, llama and vicuna which has never been reclaimed from any woven or felted wool product. There are five classifications and 210 grades and types, with merino at the high end.