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
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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
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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
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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. See also: Burlap Linen
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A coarse wool fabric traditionally handwoven in Donegal County, Ireland, the name Donegal tweed is now applied to any fabric that has the same look. Usually in a plain weave, but sometimes a twill, the most common colors are black and white woven to make a heathered earth tone, flecked with colorful slubs. Uses: Irish walking hats, driving caps, golf knickers, slacks, jackets and skirts, heavier weights for coats See also: Cheviot Harris tweed Tweed
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A plain weave, rather lustrous and crisp silk fabric with pronounced irregular ribs formed by slubbed yarns. The slubs are formed by the spinning of silk from a double (from which the name derives) silk worm cocoon, which can’t be unwound evenly in the reeling process, leaving thicker spots in the filaments. The slubbed ribs are usually horizontal (in the weft) but may also be vertical (in the warp). Doupioni silk is naturally an ecru
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The name pongee comes from penchi, the Chinese for “home loom.” The fabric originates from China, where it was hand loomed from wild silk yarns. Pongee is a plain weave and fairly light fabric with subtle irregular slubs most often crosswise (in the weft), but also in both directions. The fabric is usually a natural color (ecru, tan, cream, brown) and left undyed. It has a dull sheen. Honan silk is pongee of excellent quality
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Shantung has a characteristic texture of subtle, uneven horizontal ribs from slubs in the silk yarn. Shantung—originally and still usually silk—is also the name given to fabrics which imitate the texture of silk shantung, whether of manufactured fibers or cotton. It is a plain weave fabric and can range in weight, luster and use. The name shantung originates from the northern Chinese province. Shantung is generally lighter than doupioni silk and heavier than pongee. Uses:
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Made of waste fibers from silk cocoons, silk noil (also spelled noile) is spun from short fibers, instead of reeled, as are most silks. The result is a cotton-like fabric with a nubby texture which is the same on both sides. The fabric is usually plain weave. Uses: Dresses, blouses, skirts, slacks
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Thai silk is a handwoven silk cloth from Thailand. It is made from domesticated moths (often with the filament hand reeled) and with the yarns usually dyed brilliant colors, woven of two colors for iridescence, or printed. It is a plain weave, lustrous fabric of varying weights. It usually has slight slubs in the weft. While silk had been woven in Asia for thousands of years, Thai silk grew into an important industry after WWII
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While most silk fabrics are made from cultivated moths, tussah is wild silk, used to make various fabrics (including pongee). Most notably it is made into a tussah cloth which is coarse and very textured (with thick and uneven weft), and found in a range of natural colors. The domesticated silk moth is from the family Bombyx mori, while wild silk comes from the cocoons of moths mostly of the family Saturniidae. Unlike the domestic
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