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Glossary Of Fabric Terms [34]

F Fabric Fabric is a material made through weaving, knitting, spreading, crocheting, or bonding that may be used in production of further goods. Textile refers to any material made of interlacing fibres. Cloth is a finished piece of fabric used for a specific purpose.
Fabric Simulation The term used for simulating fabric within a computer program; usually in the context of 3D computer graphics.
Fabrics Spreading The process by which plies of fabric is spread in order to get required length and width
Facing A small piece of fabric, separate or a part of the fabric itself, used to finish the fabric edges.
Fade Resistance A material's color's resistance to fading.
Faille A plain weave fabric with pronounced, fairly flat crosswise ribs and a silky, somewhat lustrous surface, faille is the name given to such fabric in a range of weights. The weave is constructed with heavier weft yarns and finer and more numerous warp yarns. The warp fibers are usually filament (silk, manufactured fibers) while the weft is usually cotton or cotton blends, sometimes wool or silk. Used for evening dresses, skirts, under skirts, spring coats and suits.
Fastening An item, such as a hook, used to attach one thing to another firmly.
Fat Quarter Pre-cut pieces of cotton fabric. They are taken from one yard of fabric, cut in half lengthwise, and then in half widthwise. The dimensions are approximately 18" x 22" (46cm x 56cm).
Faux Fur Also called fake fur or fun fur, is any material made of synthetic fibers designed to resemble fur. It is usually used as a piece of clothing, but also for stuffed animals, fashion accessory and home decorations like pillows and bedding. It was first introduced in 1929 and has been commercially available since the 1950s, but its increasing popularity has been credited to its promotion by animal rights and animal welfare organizations.
Faux Leather An artificial leather made of synthetic materials. Intended to substitute for leather in fields such as upholstery, clothing, footwear and fabrics, and other uses where a leather-like finish is required but the actual material is cost-prohibitive, unsuitable, or unusable for ethical reasons.
Faux Suede Faux suede is an animal-friendly material made from polyester microfiber that mimics the look and feel of natural suede. The plastics are much less susceptible to water damage and can be easily cleaned. Because of this particular quality, faux suede is especially suitable for clothing items prone to stains, such as shoes, jackets, and handbags.
Felt A textile that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool, or from synthetic fibers. Felt from wool is considered to be the oldest known textile. Felt is used in a wide range of industries and manufacturing processes, from the automotive industry and casinos to musical instruments and home construction.
Fiber Fiber or fibre is a natural or synthetic substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate fibers, for example carbon fiber and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene.
Filament A very fine thread or threadlike structure; a fiber or fibril.
Filament Count Number of filaments in the cross-section of a fiber bundle.
Filament Yarn Yarn composed of one or more filaments that run the whole length of the yarn
Filet lace General word used for all the different techniques of embroidery on knotted net. It is a hand made needlework created by weaving or embroidery using a long blunt needle and a thread on a ground of knotted net lace or filet work made of square or diagonal meshes of the same sizes or of different sizes.
Filling Filling, also called Weft, or Woof, in woven fabrics, the widthwise, or horizontal, yarns carried over and under the warp, or lengthwise, yarns and running from selvage to selvage. Filling yarns are generally made with less twist than are warp yarns because they are subjected to less strain in the weaving process and therefore require less strength.
Finish In textile manufacturing, finishing refers to the processes that convert the woven or knitted cloth into a usable material and more specifically to any process performed after dyeing the yarn or fabric to improve the look, performance, or "hand" (feel) of the finish textile or clothing.
Fishnet Hosiery with an open, diamond-shaped knit; it is most often used as a material for stockings, tights, or bodystockings.
Fitness for Purpose Being appropriate, and of a necessary standard for fabric's intended use.
Flame Retardant Textiles that are naturally more resistant to fire than others through chemical treatment or manufactured fireproof fibers.
Flammability Tests Tests which determine a fabric's ability to resist ignition with the flame size and duration in the test conditions. The result is a comparative test, which provides a measure of the material's resistance to propagating combustion caused by small scale ignition sources.
Flannel Soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel may be brushed to create extra softness or remain unbrushed. Commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, bed sheets, and sleepwear.
Flat Bed Screen Method of fabric printing which is basically an automated version of the silk-screen process. It is semi-continuous printing process in which color is forced onto the fabric through a series of perforated flat screens, one screen per color.
Flax A food and fiber crop cultivated in cooler regions of the world. The textiles made from flax are known in the Western countries as linen, and traditionally used for bed sheets, underclothes, and table linen. Flax fiber is soft, lustrous, and flexible. It is stronger than cotton fiber, but less elastic. The best grades are used for linen fabrics such as damasks, lace, and sheeting. Coarser grades are used for the manufacturing of twine and rope, and historically for canvas and webbing equipment. The use of flax fibers dates back tens of thousands of years and linen, a refined textile made from flax fibers was widely worn by Sumerian priests over 4,000 years ago. Flax mills for spinning flaxen yarn were invented in England in 1787. New methods of processing flax have led to renewed interest in the use of flax as an industrial fiber.
Fleece A woolen coat of a domestic sheep or long-haired goat, especially after being sheared (but before being processed into yarn or thread).
Flock Printing A printing process in which short fibers of rayon, cotton, wool or another natural or synthetic material are applied to an adhesive-coated surface. This adds a velvet or suede-like texture to the surface. Since the fibers can be dyed, flocking can also add a color to a printed area.
Flocking The process of depositing many small fiber particles (flocked) onto a surface. The flocked area will remain raised from the surface and is generally done in a patterned design. Flocking also refers to the texture produced from this process as well as any material that is used primarily for its flocked surface.
Foulard A lightweight fabric, either twill or plain-woven, made of silk or a mix of silk and cotton. Foulards usually have a small printed design of various colors. Foulard can also refer by metonymy to articles of clothing, such as scarves and neckties, made from this fabric.
Frieze A Middle English term for a coarse woolen, plain weave cloth with a nap on one side.
Fulling also known as tucking or walking, is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker.
Fully fashioned knitting machines Flat and circular knitting machines that produce custom pre-shaped pieces of a knitted garment. Instead of knitting a whole rectangular sheet of fabric, instructions from a knit pattern on a punch card or computer file guide a fully fashioned knitting machine's needles to add or drop stitches to create custom two-dimensional shapes appropriate to the desired finished garment structure. The pieces emerge from the machine ready to be sewn together.
Fustian Variety of heavy cloth woven from cotton, chiefly prepared for menswear.