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
Butcher cloth is rayon or rayon/cotton, spun and woven to resemble linen with linen-like slubs. Butcher cloth used to be called butcher linen, but that is no longer correct according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
Uses: Dresses, suits, skirts
See also:
Butcher linen
Linen
Sturdy, heavy, bleached linen, with linen’s balanced plain weave and slubs. Butcher linen can now also be made of cotton.
The name butcher linen used to be used (misleadingly) for a linen-like rayon or rayon/cotton blend fabric—but the current name for this type of fabric is butcher cloth.
Uses: Aprons, tablecloths
See also:
Butcher cloth
Linen
The origin of the name crash comes from the Russian _krashenina_—colored linen. Crash is usually a plain weave, sometimes twill, and always made from rough, uneven yarns. It has a coarse and slightly loose look. It was originally woven of linen, jute or hemp, and later also of cotton, wool, blends and manufactured fibers.
Uses: Absorbent, crash makes a good towel; dresses; household. Woolen crash is used for suits.
Linen in a lightweight plain weave. As compared to cambric, it is slightly more textured with slubbing.
Uses: Blouses, dresses, lingerie, baby dresses, unstructured suits
See Burlap
Both a fabric and a fiber, linen is one of the oldest of textiles, with examples dating from many thousands of years B.C.E.
The fabric is made of the fibers of the flax plant, and because of the natural variations in the fibers, characteristic slubs occur in both warp and weft. It is of a balanced plain weave. Linen is coveted for its absorbency, strength even when wet, being lint-free and quick-drying. It is famous for its use in making garments worn in hot climates. The name linen is derived from linon, the Greek word for the flax plant, and linum, the Roman word.
Bedding and table coverings can be called linens, no matter what their fabric.
Uses: Suits, slacks, skirts, dresses, tablecloths, dish towels
See also:
Butcher cloth
Butcher linen
Handkerchief linen
