glossary of terms
- crepe
- Crepe is a light, soft fabric of silk, cotton, wool, or another fiber, with a crinkled surface. The crinkling is apparent on the reverse or "wrong" side of the fabric. On the right side, the satin has a faint texture and lower sheen than standard satins. Our crepe-backed satins are made from artificial fibers.
- eyelet
- A metal ring clamped around a hole in a piece of fabric. Eyelets are used to reinforce the holes through which the drawstrings pass. Sometimes called a grommet.
- faux
- False. In fabrics, this applies to a fabric that is woven to mimic another. Faux-suede would be a false suede, an artificial fiber woven to be similar in quality, thickness and texture to actual suede, a nappy leather.
- foil
- For dicepouch purposes, foil (or lame) is a highly reflective, bright metallic fabric, woven from artificial fibers and with a great deal of stretch. Our foil linings are fully reinforced against the stretchy nature with fusible interfacing, which also gives the lining additional strength.
- interfacing
- A material insert, usually sewn between the layers of fabric to thicken or stiffen it. Some varieties can be heat-fused to other fabrics, effectively bonding the two together.
- microfiber
- Also known as Cashmere Twill. This is a very lightweight synthetic fabric with the texture and drape of natural-fiber cloth. It is essentially reversible, with a low sheen "wrong" side and a soft nap "right" side. By default, we sew with the nappy side out, as it has an extremely nice texture.
- nap
- A soft or fuzzy surface on fabric or leather.
- net
- For dicepouch purposes, net is a sheer, extremely lightweight and delicate fabric with a two-color iridescent effect. Net linings always require a secondary lining of satin behind them, and are used mostly for a more dramatic visual effect.
- pile
- The surface texture of certain fabrics, such as velvet, plush, and carpeting. Sometimes called the "loft" or "height".
- satin
- Satin is not accurately a fabric, as satins can be made from many different materials, such as cotton, rayon, polyester, etc. Satin as a term refers to the weave of the fabric, and is characterized by a high sheen on the right side and a slick surface. Satin (especially the non-crepe type,) tends to fray heavily; we serge the edges on all of our satin linings, to reduce the likelihood of tear-out.
- seam
- Where two pieces of fabric are joined together with a stitched line.
- serge
- A machine finishing technique, which encloses a raw fabric edge in thread.
- shantung
- Historically, a rough-finish silk. Most shantung is now made from artificial fibers, ours included. The appearance and feel is very similar to our crepe-backed satins on one side; the other side shows the rough-finish of traditional shantung. We sew with the satin side as the "right" side.
- tear-out
- When a fabric unravels in the seam allowance and splits away from the seam.
- velboa
- Velboa is a heavy fabric and quite dense. Classified as a "faux fur", this material has "waves" of nap that lie in differeing directions from one another.
- velvet
- Although originally made from silk, most velvet available today is produced from rayon or an acrylic/cotton blend. The characteristic feel of velvet is extremely soft with a medium pile. Our velvet is a lightweight fabric, and contains no silk.