Burlap is a coarse, plain weave fabric woven from jute fibers. It is often left undyed, but can be dyed or printed. Burlap is called hessian in the UK and Europe. Gunny sack or gunny cloth is coarse burlap used for bagging.
Uses: Bags for commodities such as rice; upholstery lining; when printed, used for draperies and wall coverings. Very rarely used for clothing.
See also:
Hopsacking
The name canvas comes from Latin for hemp—cannabis—as canvas was originally made of hemp or linen. Now it is usually cotton or linen. Canvas is virtually synonymous with duck which is a strong, firm, plain weave fabric. Many grades, weights and qualities are made. A 2/1 weave canvas is also made.
Uses: Sails, artists’ paint surface, workwear, utility wear, sportswear, tents, embroidery ground
See also:
Duck
Originally made from the coarse, thick wool of cheviot sheep (named for the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish-English border), cheviot can now be made of other wool, wool blends, and manufactured fibers. The fabric is heavy, fulled and rough, with a hairy nap. It can be made in various weaves including twill and herringbone.
Uses: Coats, jackets, suits
See also:
Donegal tweed
Harris tweed
Tweed
Doeskin is a medium-weight wool fabric with a short, soft nap and a tightly woven structure. It is similar to duvetyn, but lighter; usually softer and less densely napped than melton; softer and with a shorter nap than fleece. Despite doeskin’s softness it is hardwearing due to its compact weave.
Rayon doeskin is a twilled fabric with one side napped, and there is also a heavy twilled cotton doeskin with one napped side. All three of these fabrics have in common their soft hand, reminiscent of deer skin.
Uses: Coats, riding habits and trousers for the wool; sportswear and suits for the rayon; sport coats and backing on faux leather fabrics for the cotton
See also:
Duvetyn, blanket cloth
Melton
Fleece
A broad category of strong, closely constructed plain weave fabrics. The term duck is often used interchangeably with canvas. It is available in very firm heavy weights, as well as softer, lighter weights. Duck is most often cotton, but can sometimes be a cotton blend or linen. It can be unbleached, bleached, printed or dyed.
There seems to be some discrepancy about the name duck, with various sources claiming it resists water like a duck, or that it is derived from the Dutch doek (linen canvas). The most picturesque explanation for the name is that sails made in England and Scotland, imported to the US before the 19th century, were printed with logos depending upon their weights—lighter sails stenciled with a raven, those heavier with a duck.
Uses: Sails, tote bags, shoes, aprons and other utility clothes, awnings, tents, workwear, sportswear
See also:
Canvas
The name duvetyn comes from the French word duvet, meaning down. Wool or wool-blend commonly, the finish is napped, sheared and fulled. This creates a downy nap which covers its weave which is usually right-hand twill. It is softer and more lustrous, though its nap isn’t quite as long as that of fleece.
Cotton duvetyn is usually called suede cloth.
Uses: Coats, uniforms, suits; the heavier blanket cloth for blankets and Hudson’s Bay “point” blanket coats
Fleece is made of wool, mohair (as well as other specialty hairs) and blends. The nap covers the fabric’s construction which is usually right-hand twill or satin weave. With its soft nap all brushed in one direction, woven fleece has a longer, hairier nap than duvetyn.
Uses: Coats, hats
See also:
Duvetyn
Sweatshirt fleece
All tweed labeled Harris must have the official orb and cross certification mark, and it can not have that mark unless it is “cloth that has been handwoven by the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra in their homes, using pure virgin wool that has been dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides” (from the Harris Tweed Authority website).
For centuries the Scottish islanders produced tweeds, but the Harris Tweed certification mark was first stamped on fabric in 1911. Besides finding the Harris tweed mark on the fabric, it can be found on clothing labels, along with a number associated with the fabric’s weaver.
Harris tweed is seen in an earthy range of colors because the home weavers (crofters) produce dyes from natural plant sources. The fabric is always twill weave, usually right-hand twill and sometimes herringbone.
Uses: Suits, coats, slacks, skirts with relatively new lighter weights used for dresses
See also:
Tweed
Harris Tweed in the VFG Label Resource section
See Burlap
So called because it was originally handwoven from hand-spun wool yarns, homespun is a loose, plain weave fabric characterized by uneven, coarse yarns. In spirit it is much like tweed, and is sometimes sold as tweed, but technically it is a plain weave (while tweed is usually a twill weave). Cotton and cotton blend homespun is also available, with the same basic characteristics but used for drapery and upholstery fabric.
Uses: Coats, suits, lighter weights for dresses and children’s clothing
See also:
Donegal tweed
Tweed
Coarse jute or hemp woven in a basket weave. In Great Britain, where basket weave is called hopsack weave, the fabric was originally used for bagging hops.
Rough basket weave fabric of wool can be called hopsacking, as can fabrics of various fibers that look like hopsacking.
Uses for jute and hemp hopsacking: Bags for commodities, interior decoration
Uses for wool and other fibers: Apparel
See also:
Burlap
Monk’s cloth
Made for a millenium, loden was first (and still) made in the Tyrol mountains of Austria. It is a sturdy woven wool fabric that is heavily fulled for weather resistance. First made of coarse wool from mountain sheep, the name is derived from Old High German loda, hair cloth. Traditionally black, red or white, a deep olive green color more recently popular became known as loden green.
Uses: Outerwear
See also:
Melton
The classic lumberman’s jacket fabric, mackinaw gets its name from Fort Mackinac (the pronunciation is mackinaw), where heavy wool blankets were traded by Europeans with Native Americans. Mackinaw is thick, napped, often twilled fabric, and can be single or double cloth. It is usually wool and reclaimed wool, sometimes with cotton. Quite often mackinaw is in an outsize check or plaid. Buffalo check is a term now used to describe such a big-checked pattern on any fabric.
Uses: Blankets, winter-weight jackets and coats
See also:
Buffalo check
Melton looks much like thick felt with its twill weave or plain weave obscured by fulling and shearing of its nap (although the back of the fabric may show its weave). The dense, thick construction makes it wind and rain resistant and extremely warm. It is almost always dyed a solid color.
The best melton is all wool and almost velvety. Less costly variations can have a cotton warp and woolen weft, and sometimes manufactured fibers are also used. Melton takes its name from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK, where it was first woven and used to make jackets for fox hunting.
Uses: Winter coats, uniforms, riding habits
See also:
Doeskin
1) Long, lustrous fibers from the Angora goat, stronger than wool. 2) Spongy, plain-weave fabric made in a mixture of mohair and wool.
From Fabric Sewing Guide by Claire Schaeffer. Krause Publications, Cincinnati, 2008. Used by permission.
This natural oatmeal cotton fabric is woven in a 4/4 basket weave (there may be more than four yarns in each direction), making for a rough, heavy, coarse and saggy cloth. It may have gotten the name from being used in monasteries as a penitent’s sack cloth garment. It was originally also made of flax, jute or hemp. The fabric is less commonly dyed or woven in stripes or plaids. Also called abbot’s cloth, belfry cloth, bishop’s cloth, cloister cloth, druid’s cloth, friar’s cloth and mission cloth.
Uses: Draperies and other household decorations
See Corduroy
As is apparent from its name, sailcloth was originally designed for use as sails, and as such is practical and sturdy. The traditional cotton sailcloth used for clothing is usually in a 2/1 basket weave. The name is often interchanged with canvas and duck.
Sailcloth is also the name given more generally to any fabric used for sails, which is now often a manufactured fiber with special qualities or treatments for UV-, moisture- and salt-resistance.
Uses: Sails; upholstery; sportswear and workwear
See also:
With origins along the Tweed River bordering England and Scotland, the name tweed now is associated with a long list of fabrics, characteristically woolens, but also wool/manufactured fiber blends. The original tweeds were hairy and rough, now they are usually shaved, flattened and fulled in the finishing process. Still characteristic is the fairly coarse wool from which it is made.
Tweeds are usually in twill or plain weave, also seen is herringbone and basket weave. Their colors may be plain, heathered, marled, checked or plaid. Slubs are characteristic of some tweeds.
The name tweed is said to have originated in about 1840, when a London cloth merchant erroneously noted a consignment of “tweel” (Scottish name for twill) as tweed. Since the fabric was (and still is) made along the River Tweed, the name fits well.
Uses: Coats, slacks, skirts, suits
See also:
Cheviot
Donegal tweed
Harris tweed
Homespun
