Tab Collar
A piece of fabric attached to one side of a jacket collar that can fasten to the other side of the collar.
Taffeta
A plain-weave fabric with a fine, smooth, crisp hand and usually a lustrous appearance. Taffeta fabric usually has a fine cross rib made by using a heavier filling yarn than warp yarn. Although originally made of silk, man-made fibres are now often used in the production of taffeta.
Taped Seam
Seam with stay tape superimposed on the fabric plies and sewn in as part of the seam.
Tenacity
The relative strength of a thread, calculated by dividing the tensile strength by the thickness of the thread.
Tencel®
A cellulose fibre invented by Courtaulds using a non-chemical solvent. It was originally developed to produce viscose fibres without polluting the environment. The end result was a new fibre which was not only environmentally friendly (more than any other fibre) but also featured very high strength and a wonderful touch.
Tensile Strength
The tension at which a thread breaks.
Tension
The stress a sewing machine applies to the thread during stitching to regulate the balance between the top and bottom threads. Generally, a looser tension is desirable to minimize sewing problems and enhance sewing performance.
Terry Cloth
A cotton or cotton blend fabric having uncut loops on one or both sides. Made on a dobby loom with a terry arrangement or on a Jacquard loom. It is used for toweling, beach robes, etc.
Terry Velour
A type of material with uncut loops on both sides. It has a soft, plush feel and is water absorbent.
Tex
A unit for expressing linear density, equal to the weight in grams of 1 kilometer of yarn, filament, fiber, or other textile strand. Tex size is 1/9 the denier.
Textile
Originally, a woven fabric; now applied generally to any one of the following: 1. Staple fibres and filaments suitable for conversion to or use as yarns, or for the preparation of woven, knit, or nonwoven fabrics. 2. Yarns made from natural of man-made fibres. 3. Fabrics and other manufactured products made from fibres as defined above and from yarns. 4. Garments and other articles fabricated wholly from one or more of the above elements and articles made principally from the above when the products retain the characteristic flexibility and drape of the original fabric.
Textile Industry
Derived from the Latin “texere” (to weave), and originally used to describe woven fabrics, textiles has become a general term for fibres, yarns, and other materials that can be made into fabrics as well as for woven or knitted fabrics. Threads, cords, ropes, braids, lace, embroidery, nets, bonding, felting, or tufting are textiles.
Textile Finishing
The non coloring process to make woven or knitted fabric more acceptable to the consumer. Finishing processes include bleaching prior to dyeing; treatments, sizing applied after dyeing affecting touch treatments adding properties to enhance performance, such as preshrinking. Greige fabric is generally dirty, harsh, unattractive and requires considerable skill and imagination for conversion into a desirable product. Italian textile mills are famous as being the best finishers in the world.
Texture
The term that describes the surface effects of a fabric such as dull, lustrous, wooly, stiff, soft, fine, coarse, open or closely woven; the structural quality of a fabric.
Textured
An adjective used to describe continuous filament man-made yarns (and woven and knit fabrics made therefrom) which have been crimped or have had random loops imparted, or which have been otherwise modified to create a different surface texture.
Textured Yarns
Yarns which develop stretch and bulk on subsequent processing. When woven or knitted into fabric, the cover, hand, and other aesthetics of the finished fabric better resemble the properties of a fabric constructed from spun yarn.
Texturing
The process of crimping, imparting random loops, or otherwise modifying continuous filament yarn to increase cover, resilience, abrasion resistance, warmth, insulation, and moisture absorption or to provide a different surface texture.
Thread
A slender, strong strand or cord, especially one designed for sewing or other needlework. Most threads are made by plying and twisting yarns.
Ticking
A durable, closely woven fabric used for covering box springs, mattresses, and pillows. Ticking may be woven in a plain, satin, or twill weave, usually with strong warp yarns and soft filling yarns.
Tinting
A semipermanent dyeing process that produces denim’s broad spectrum of colours. The denim fabric is immersed in a dye, which in turn leaves a vintage tint on the surface of the fabric.
Toile
A broad term describing many simple plain-weave twill fabrics, especially those made from linen. Sheer cotton and linen fabrics.
Tolerance
The difference between the allowable minimum and maximum of a specification or standard.
Topstitching
Visible, decorative stitching done on the outside of the garment; also called accent stitching.
Torque
When twist is applied to thread, torque is created. Torque forces are balanced by using opposite twist in the singles and ply twist. Heat setting helps to minimize the torque forces in thread. Excessive torque can cause the thread to kink excessively.
Tow
A large strand of continuous man-made fibre filaments without definite twist collected in loose, rope-like form, usually held together by crimp. Tow is the form which most man-made fibre reaches before being cut into staple.
Trevira®
A branded type of Polyester, produced by Hoechst Fibres Inc. It offers better pilling performance than regular polyester.
Triacetate Fiber
A man-made fibre produced from cellulose triacetate in the forms of filament yarn, staple, and tow. Cellulose triacetate fibre differs from acetate fibre in that during its manufacture the cellulose is completely acetylated whereas regular acetate, which is diacetate, is only partially acetylated. Fabrics of triacetate have high heat resistance than acetate fabrics and may be safely ironed at higher temperatures.
Tricot
A generic term for the most common type of warp-knit fabric. It has fine wales on the face and coursewise ribs on the back. It can be made in a plain jersey construction or in meshes, stripes, and many other designs. Tricot is usually made of triacetate, acetate, polyester, nylon, or rayon.
Tubular Collar
Collar which is knit in a tube form so it has no seams.
Tubular Knit
A golf shirt style with no side seams. The bottom is rounded all around.
Tuck
Stitched fold of fabric.
Tuck Seam
Decorative lapped seam stitched away from the edge to create a small flap of fabric.
Tuck-In Tails
A shirt constructed so the back hem is longer than the front. This aids in keeping the shirt tucked-in during strenuous activities.
Tufted Fabrics
Cotton sheeting, lightweight duck, or other fabric decorated with fluffy tufts of multiple-ply, soft-twist cotton yarns or man-made fibre yarns spaced at intervals to produce the type of fabric called “candlewick” or closely arranged in continuous lines. Tufted fabrics are used for bedspreads, bath mats, robes, etc.
Tulle
A fine, very lightweight, machine-made net usually having a hexagonal mesh effect. Tulle is used in ballet costumes and veils.
Tweed
A medium to heavy weight, fluffy, woolen, twill weave fabric containing coloured slubbed yarns. Common end uses include coats and suits.
Twill
The term twill designates both a textile weave characterized by diagonal structural designs and the cloth made from that weave. The weave may be varied to produce broken or intertwinning effects. Twill fabrics are usually firm and are used especially in suits and in sport and work clothes. Twill weave fabrics are also used for linings, pockets, and mattress ticking. Serge, gabardine, and cheviot are major types of twill.
Twill Tape Placket Lining
Twill tape is attached to the inside of the placket for a fashion effect.
Twine
A plied yarn made from medium-twist single yarns with ply twist in the opposite direction.
Twist
The number of turns about its axis per unit of length of a yarn or other textile strand.
Twist Per Inch (TPI)
The turns per inch used to spin the singles yarn and ply twist.
Twisting
The process of combining two or more parallel single strands into a plied thread and then winding this twisted thread onto a dye tube. Twist of a single strand (which is generally to the right, or the “S” direction) is balanced by applying a reverse twist (generally to the left, or the “Z” direction). This helps to achieve a balanced twist and eliminate any tendency to kink from excessive torque.
Two Needle Coverstitch Hem
A 406 stitch - 2 needle bottom coverstitch turned down hem used on knit goods or for beltloops.