From sheer to slub: The importance of fabric terminology
Home Fabrics shares fabric terminology highlighting diverse characteristics, while the team assists with trends and collections, connecting clients to a world of beautiful design.
If you’ve visited a Home Fabrics showroom, you might be familiar with some of the words you’ve heard. “Please”, “Thank you”, and “How can I help you?” are the most commonly heard phrases but there is terminology specific to the fabric sector that offers indications of the characteristics of fabrics.
We want everyone to feel comfortable seeking inspiration and product advice from our knowledgeable team. What better way to do that than by sharing some of our fabulous fabric language?
Flatweave
A flat weave is a fabric without texture or an obvious surface relief. This doesn’t mean the fabric is plain and boring. The variety of flat weave fabrics available is vast as items can range from luxurious and glamorous satins, to dimensional and elegant taffetas, to more natural and casual items such as brushed cotton, or homely linen.
Chenille
The term ‘Chenille’ can refer to the type of yarn itself, as well as the fabric made from it. ‘Chenille’ is the French word for caterpillar and is given this name due to the yarn’s resemblance to the long and fuzzy insect. Chenille fabrics have a soft plush touch and luxurious look – they are velvety in appearance but not velvet.
Fil-coupé
'Fil coupé' literally translated from French means 'cut threads'. This special technique is applied to sheers woven on a jacquard loom. After weaving, loose yarns are clipped by hand to give the design its frayed edge. In most cases, the frayed edge is used as the reverse of the fabric, but we love this technique so much that we sometimes like to show it as the face side of the fabric in all its glory.
Jacquard
A jacquard is a fabric that has a design or motif woven into the construction of the weave. Jacquards come in an array of designs, from dramatic ornamental damasks to florals, stripes, chevrons or geometric patterns. Jacquards are woven on a special and complex loom which operates by lifting and lowering yarns to determine the arrangement of warp and weft yarns creating the desired pattern or effect.
Dim-out
Dim-out fabric is specially woven to ensure that the amount of light penetration is greatly diminished – by up to 98%. Using black warp yarns and a dense twill construction, light is unable to pass through the fabric. This black warp is encased by the weft yarns so that the black is not visible, and the desired face fabric colour can be achieved.
Slub
Slub is a type of yarn that’s thickened in random areas of a finished fabric. Some yarns can be spun at increasing and decreasing levels of tension, and would be described as ‘slubby’. There are two different ways of looking at slubs – on the one hand, they can be valued or deliberately produced for aesthetic effect.
GRS
Global Recycled Standard is a certification awarded to goods that contain genuine recycled content. To ensure compliance the full chain of production, from yarn supply through to finished fabric, is closely audited at each step.
“To be certified GRS fabrics must contain a minimum of 25%. To use the GRS logo, fabrics must contain at least 50% certified content.”
Along with amazing terminology, the team at Home Fabrics can also share the latest trends, and new collections from international brands, and assist you with finding the right fabrics that meet the technical specifications of your design, along with aesthetic and cost considerations. We are always happy to share our passion for fabrics and connect you to our world of beautiful design. As we say in South Africa, great fabrics and wallcoverings are LEKKER!