There are two basic categories that fabrics fall into: knits and wovens. Learn how to better understand and identify these categories.
Woven piqué is traditionally made from cotton yarns, and its surface may appear padded, quilted, or embossed. Early history Developed in England during the 18th century, piqué made a fine addition to the cotton industry.
Unlike a woven fabric, which is composed of a series of warp (lengthwise) yarns interlaced with a series of weft (crosswise) yarns, a knit fabric is made up of one or more yarns formed into a series of loops that create rows and columns of vertically and horizontally interconnected stitches.
I was introduced to a lesser-known plant-based fabric by my Filipina mother and her family. Called piña cloth, it is a lightweight woven textile made by hand from the fibers of pineapple leaves. This cellulosic fiber has unique properties that made it highly prized first in the Philippines and later abroad. Traditionally, it was used for women’s blouses and shawls, and the barong tagalog, a ...
Batiste, voile, and lawn are delicate woven cottons or cotton blends. They’re known for their comfort and breathability.
Faux fur fabrics, with short or long pile, may be woven, knitted, tufted (pile yarns are inserted into a backing fabric with needles), or stitch-bonded (pile fibers are sewn to a backing with a special machine). Like napped fabrics, pile fabrics typically have a pronounced directional appearance and should be cut using a with-nap layout.
Indeed, to create a woven ikat textile, an artisan binds the warp yarns and successively dyes them in different colors to make patterns. When the warp yarns are threaded onto the loom, the designs are woven directly into the fabric. The effect produced is soft, with motifs that have slightly blurred edges.