Glossary of historical fabric types

Fabric types that have been used 19th century and back.

(Swedish words in parentheses.)

 

(Amens– Tuppatyg)- A wool damast with bird pattern, mostly in red. Was produced in England and spread to Sweden through Norway. Used in the peasant clothing.

(Atlassiden)-Silk satin, duchess silk.

(Barkan)- Worsted wool moire. Pressed to make a weavy pattern. Hard, rigid and sharp to the touch.

(Batik)- Printed cotton fabric, originally from Indonesia. In modern time the word batik is in Sweden mostly know as tie dye.

Bobbinet- Bobin lace tulle fabric.

Bombazin(Bombasin/bomersin/bombasäng)- Ribbed silk fabric. Sometimes wool or cotton mix. Various explanations in the sources. Can be different fabrics depending on what country they come from, like Dutch, English or Hamburgian bombasin.

Buckram- Glued linen canvas. The fabric was covered in rubber to make it stiff for stays and hats. Modern buckram can be more of a syntetic net, sometimes with adhesive.

Barathea- Wool twill with very tight weave. Can also be of cotton or silk mix.

Barkcloth(Barkduk)- Fabric made from inner bark. Mostly common in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.

Batiste- Thin fine cotton fabric.

Birds eye(Gåsöga)- Twill pattern (weaving type) where the pattern makes rombs. looks similar to diamond twill but the later patern is one step shifted forwartd so the the rombs look like diamonds.

(Blaggarn)- A heavy rough type of linen with blotches of linen or hemp. Often used in the lower part of a Swedish peasant chemise in the 17th-19thg century, to save the finer linen for the upper part.

(Buldan)- Sailcloth, heavy canvas.

Burlap(Säckväv)- Coarse and sparse jute fabric.

Broadcloth- Felted wool fabric with smooth surface. Medium to heavy weight.

Brocade (Brokad)- Patterned (mostly) silk fabric with one right side. Double sided = damask.

Calamanco- Shiny wool fabric from Norwich, often striped.

Calico- Unbleached domestic/cotton lawn that is used for toiles. Can sometimes be used for printed cottons and sometimes for muslin.

Cambic, (kambrink)- Batiste. A thin fine cotton fabric.

Canvas- heavy stiff cotton or linen, used as interlining and for painting.

Camlet/camlot(kamlott)- Shiny worsted tabby wool fabric. Originally with camel wool.

(Carmosin)- Satin

Cashmere- Goat wool. Very soft.

Chambray- Cotton fabric with blue or gray weft.

Challis- silk or cotton crepe. Norwich- matte, french- glossy.

Cheesecloth-Thin sparse cotton fabric. Used for cheese but also starched as lining in late 19th century collars.

Chiffon(Chiffong)- Thin seethrough and soft silk fabric.

Chintz/zintz- Printed and glazed cotton or linen fabric. Originally from India and was imported for home textiles. later it became popular for cloithing in the 18th century.

Corduroy(Manchester)- Tightly woven cotton velvet with cut stripes.

Cotton duck- Strong tightly woven cotton fabric. Heavier than regular lawn. Can somtimes have double threds in the warp. Duch tape was a cotton tape that today is known as the silver colored tape used for repairs.

Coutil/ticking- Strong tightly woven cotton fabric. Was used for corsets in the 19th century and also things like mattresses to hold theh dune inside, as its to tightly woven.

Cretonne- From the start a strong white cotton/linen fabric, it could also have printed patterns on. Today this is usually a plain cotton lawn.

Damask(damast)- Pattern woven double sided fabric. Kan be single colored or double colored.

Diamond twill (Diamantkypert)- Twill weave where the pattern looks like diamond shapes. Similar to goose eye, but broken pattern.

Diasper/dyasyn- Similar to lampas silk. Brocade like fabric but with double warp.

Domestik- Plain cotton fabric. Historicly it was often a vaxed glossy fabric but today its a plain cotton used for upholstery.

Duchess- Glossy smooth satin silk fabric.

Felt- Felted fabric. Today its usually a non woven fabric.

Flanel- Cotton or wool fabric with a lightly felted surface.

Fustian- Cotton or linen fabric with raised nap or linen with wool insert.

Gabardine- Fine tightly woven twill cotton or wool.

(Gardintyg)- Curtain fabric, a nickname for cottons woven with seethrough patterns.

Gauze- Sparsly woven fabric like cotton or silk.

Gingham- A type of check pattern. Usually cotton fabric.

Grossgrain- Ribbed tabby weave. A heavier weft makes the ribbs. Usually silk fabric.

(Gurktyg)- a Swedish slang for a type fabric with paisley pattern.

Habotai- Thin sheer but glossy silk fabric.

Haircloth, haircanvas(Hårcanvas)- Linen warp with weft in horse hair or wool. Used as a tailoring canvas to stiffen garments in the collar and opening/shoulders.

Cotton/linen mix (Halvlinne)- Linen warp with cotton weft or vice versa.

(Halvsiden)- Silk/wool or silk/cotton.

(Halvylle)- Linen warp with wool weft.

Hemp- Linen like fabric.

Hessian/burlap(Juteväv)- Coarse and sparse jute fabric.

Herringbone (Fiskbenskypert)- Twill weave where the pattern looks like fish bone.

(Kalmink)- Calemanco. Shiny wool fabric from Norwich, often striped.

(Kammarduk)- Batist. Thin cotton fabric.

(Kambrink)- Cambrinc. Thin cotton batist.

(Kamlott)- Shiny worsted tabby wool fabric. Originally with camel wool.

(Kamris)- damask woven cotton, floral for example (Can be found in second hand stores in Schweitz)

(Chintz)Swedish word for chintz- Printed cotton or linen fabric. In sweden mostly red, blue and white ones.

(Kläde)- Broadcloth. Fine smooth felted wool fabric, usually with brushed and cut nap. Can be thin, medium or heavy weight.

Lampas- A type of silk brocade but with double warp.

Lappet weaving- Patterned cotton fabrics in white where the threads are "picked up" to make a pattern. Usually from Scotland.

Lawn- Fine cotton fabric.

Linen- Similar to hemp fabric. Can be in tabby or any twill weave. Mostly used for undergarment like shirts and chemises.

Linon(Linong)- Very thin linen fabric. Later is was refering to a thin cotton fabric.

Loden- Heavy felted wool fabric with brushed nap.

Longcloth- Cotton fabric that was woven in long pieces. Used for underwear.

(Lärft)- Swedish word for plain cotton or linen fabric.

Madapollam- Batist. Thin cotton fabric.

Madras- Thin cotton fabric.

Melton- Heavy felted wool fabric. Vadmal in Swedish.

Mesh- Net fabric, Usually silk. Also see Bobinet.

Moleskin/(Mollskin)- Bruched tightly woven cotton fabric. Used for coats and pants in the 19th century. In Sweden used for breeches..

Muslin- Thin soft and  seethrough cotton fabric..

Nainsook- Thin soft type of cotton muslin.

Nankeen- Cotton fabric made from a very yellow type of cotton. Later it was made from regular cotton and dyed yellow.

Nettle cloth(Nässelduk/nättelduk)- Fabric made from nettle fibers. Similar to linen. Used for underwear.

Oilskin (Oljeduk)- Cotton fabric that is impregnated with linseed oil to be waterproof. Used mostly for coats and camping gear.

Organza- Thin sheer but stiff silk fabric.

Osnaburg- Coarse unbleashed cotton fabric. Sometimes cotton/linen.

(Ostduk) Cheescloth- Thin sparse cotton fabric. Used for cheese but also starched as lining in late 19th century collars.

Oxford- Cotton fabric that is woven so that it lookes like the weave has dots.

Paisley- Drop like pattern from India.

Percale- Tighly woven cotton fabric. Often used for bed spreads.

Pongee- Thin glossy silk fabric

Poplin- Stiff but thin cotton fabric.

(Rask)- Shiny calendered thin wool fabric in twill or tabby.

Samite- A brocade type of heavy silk twill with patterns. Used in the viking  and medieval period.

Satin- Fine glossy weave. Mostly silk or cotton. Can be one sided or double sided.

Silk- Fabric made from the silk worm fiber.

(Schagg)- Wool  fabric with raised nap. Wool velvet.

Seersucker-Thin cotton fabric that is woven with a waffle effekt. Often striped.

Serge/sars- Tightly woven twill.

(Sockerduk)- Batist. Thin cotton fabric.

(Stryväv)- Blaggarn (swedish) a coarse linen fabric.

(Taborett)- Patterned brocade wool fabrics from Norwich.

Taffeta- Stiff silk fabric.

Tartan- Checked wool tweed fabric from Scotland.

Ticking- Tightly woven cotton or linen fabric. Used for cushions etc.

Toile- Test garment, but in some times it is used for printed cottons french motifs.

tryckta bomullstyger.

Tulle(Tyll)- Net or mesh fabric. Originally from the French town Tulle. The tulle machine is invented 1810.

Tweed- Brittish coarse wool twill fabric. Often with melange wool.

Twill- Weaving type that can make diagonal lines or different types of patterns.

Vadmal- Like melton, a heavy felted wool fabric.

Velour- Velvet. Modern velour is usually a stretchy synthetic velvet.

Velvet- Cotton or silk fabric with rased nap that gives a deep colour. It can have cut out patterns in the nap.

(Verken)- Linen warp with wool weft that makes a 2 colored look.

Voile- Thin sheer cotton fabric that is slightly more stiff than muslin.

Whipcord- Strong worsted fabric in cotton or wool with strongly spun  shread.

Zephyr cloth- Thin cotton fabric, usually in tabby weave.

Zephyr yarn- A fluffy type of yarn that got popular in Sweden in the 198th century.

(Wool damask)- Wool damast. In sweden the fabrics from Norwich spread among the peasants in the 18-19th century aswell as the homemade dupes.

Wool muslin- A thin sheer fabric. Sometimes also with a print on or woven print.