Carded Cotton: Raw cotton is put into a carding machine
which straightens the fibers by laying them into parallel rows by drawing
the fibers over a revovling cylinder with teeth. They emerge from the
machine as a wide thin web of cotton which is gathered together into a rope
called a "Sliver".
Combed Cotton: A higher quality of cotton is made when the
fiber goes to a combing machine after carding. The fiber is again
straightened by fine tooth combing until all the short length (noils) are
removed. Usually about 8%-12% of the cotton is removed. It is then formed
into combed slivers.
Egyptian Cotton: Known as a fine, lustrous, long staple
cotton. However, the FTC of the United States only requires weavers to show
that they purchased the cotton from Egypt. Therefore, today many unscrupulous
weavers will purchase cotton imported into Egypt from Egyptian suppliers and
represent this as Egyptian cotton. True Egyptian cotton has a slight sheen
to the appearence.
Linen: Woven from fibers produced by the flax plant. Only
natural flax is truely "Linen". Properties include a natural
luster, stiffness, rapid absorbtion of moisture, no fussiness and does not
soil quickly.
Mercerized Cotton: A treatment using heat and streatching to
increase luster, strength and ability to dye. Usually the yarns are soaked
in concentrated sodium.
Tencel: A new fiber from wood pulp processed in a
non-chemical, environmentally safe way. Tencel gives color richness, a
subtle luster, comfort, low shrinkage and good tear resistance.
Warp: The yarn which runs lengthwise through the fabric.
Think of the warp as the skeleton of the fabric.
Weft: The yarn which runs across the fabric or across the
warp.
