 Washable with care. It is advisable to wash furnishing
fabric before cutting to allow for shrinkage. |
 Dry
clean only |
 Washing
not recommended |
| |
| Baize |
|
Dyed green or less commonly red, baize is a flannel-like
cloth. |
| Batik |
|
Created by a distinctive dyeing process. Wax and other substances that resist dye are applied; after dyeing the wax is washed out to leave dramatic patterns. |
| Boucle |
|
Fabric with a curled or looped surface, usually of heavier weight, suitable for upholstery. |
| Brocade |
|
A fine fabric originally made of silk but now produced with man-made fibres. Traditionally patterned with floral and naturalistic motifs, the raised design is woven on a Jacquard loom and distinguished by long horizontal threads along the back. |
| Butter Muslin |
|
A loose woven cotton. |
| Cotton Lawn |
|
A loose woven cotton, with a finish almost as smooth as silk. |
| Calico |
|
A plain-woven cream cotton. |
| Canvas |
|
A heavy woven linen and cotton mix. |
| Chenille |
|
A cloth of heavily textured cotton or synthetic having rather a fuzzy decorative pile. Seen in highly ornamental trimmings. |
| Chintz |
|
Chintzes are made from cotton finished with a shiny glaze. Originally floral chintzes were block-printed and glazed with waxes and starch to brighten the
colours. |
| Corduroy |
|
This hard-wearing cloth is usually made of cotton, but also of synthetic yarns, all with a cotton-backing cloth. The cotton has cut-pile ribs, or cords, running down the length of the fabric which vary in width but are evenly spaced, Makes up well into curtains and upholstery giving a warm, comfortable feel. Interesting piping if texture is wanted. |
| Damask |
|
Cotton or silk damask is a highly traditional fabric, woven with large, abstract leaf and flower designs in contrasting matt and satin textures. Damask is also woven in wool and man-made mixtures. It is similar to brocade but is flatter and reversible. |
| Dupion |
|
Used to describe forms of real or artificial silk. Both have a distinctive slubbed surface. |
| Gaufraged |
|
The French word for embossing or stamping a pattern on cloth by means of heated rollers. Mostly done on velvet for upholstery. Avoid steam as the flattened design may disappear.
|
| Gingham |
|
A checked cotton fabric. Gingham comes in a wide range of primary colours and check size. Usually made of pure cotton. |
| Grosgrain |
|
A cloth recognised by the pronounced ribbed effect across its surface. |
| Holland |
|
Medium weight cloth made from linen or cotton. Ideal for roller blinds as the non-fraying edges can be trimmed to any size. |
| Ikat |
|
Chinese silk fabric tie-dyed to create softly outlined patterns. Can also be made of cotton. |
| Lace |
|
An open work fabric, usually made of cotton. Designs are almost infinite, from tiny repeated floral motif to large-scale designs. |
| Linen union |
|
An inexpensive linen mixture.
|
| Madras cotton |
|
This brightly-coloured fabric is imported from India, woven with checked or stripped designs. |
| Moiré |
|
A watermark effect on silk, a popular finish to man made silk imitations. |
| Muslin lawn |
|
A crisper and more finely woven version of butter muslin. Makes excellent translucent curtains. |
| Ottoman |
|
An increasingly sought-after cloth coming in many yarns - cotton, silk, and synthetic. It has a horizontal ribbed pattern and is suitable for upholstery as it is very hard wearing. Often to be found in stripes of different
colours. |
| Paisley |
|
Fine woollen cloth printed with intricate scroll or pine designs. |
| Plaid |
|
A woollen cloth of check design. |
| Sateen |
|
A weave usually associated with cotton fabrics. The mercerised yarns used give the cloth a smooth, almost shiny finish. |
| Satin |
|
A fabric made out of silk, cotton, or synthetic fibres. It is very smooth, soft and shiny with a matte reverse side, often in lush, sometimes deep colours. Care should be taken when using this fabric, as it tends to spot and be difficult to clean. |
| Shantung |
|
Unevenly textured wild silk. |
| Silk |
|
Regarded as the most luxurious of all fabrics. Coming in many forms, from fine linings to upholstery weight, in prints and colours, silk is soft, strong and has an easily recognised character. |
| Taffeta |
|
A fine crisp silk, but comes in synthetics too. Many colours and smooth on both sides, usually with a sheen and sometimes "shot" in appearance, giving the effect that the fabric slightly changes colour and appearance according to how the light falls on it. |
| Tapestry |
|
A heavy fabric made on a Jacquard loom, in imitation of hand-sewn tapestries. |
| Tartan |
|
A woollen cloth woven with a particular checked pattern of specific colours, each belonging to one of the Highland clans of Scotland.
|
| Ticking |
|
Is a striped cotton material originally used for covering mattresses. |
| Toile de Jouy |
|
A cotton or line fabric printed with scenes of French pastoral life, traditionally in dark red on a cream background. |
| Tussah silk |
|
A wide silk typically a natural yellowy-brown colour as it is not easily dyed. Originally Indian. |
| Velour |
|
A fabric with a thick pile that lies in one direction, made of cotton, wool, or synthetic fibres. Best suited for heavy, warm-looking, lush draperies and curtains or tablecloths. |
| Velvet |
|
A cotton fabric (more rarely silk or wool) whose cut pile gives it a soft surface that absorbs light.
|
| Voile |
|
A white translucent fabric, ideally of cotton, to be used behind curtains or as a window dressing in its own right.
|
| LININGS |
|
 |
Cotton sateen Lining comes in various qualities and prices. A more expensive lining will retain its body after cleaning and will help the curtains or blinds to hand well. Cheap lining has more dressing in the weave, which with age and cleaning leave the fabric limp. Ivory, cream and white are the usual basic shades, although lining is now available in a wide range of colours and patterns. If the curtain is to be tied back in such a way as to show the lining, a co-ordinated colour or pattern should be used. Swags and tails, where the lining is visible, should also be lined in a co-ordinated design. Coloured linings are colourfast but will fade in sunny windows. With patterned linings care should be taken to ensure that the lining design would not show through to the right side of lightweight curtains. |
|
Blackout A layer of opaque material is sandwiched between two layers of cotton fabric. In this way all the light is excluded. Some blackout linings are heavy and difficult to penetrate with a needle, others are softer. Both will add to the weight but will also improve the draping qualities. Usually available in cream or white. |
| INTERLININGS |
|
|
Bump A heavy blank-like interlining, available bleached or unbleached, it is sewn into a curtain between the fabric and lining. Bleached bump is suitable for white curtains or backgrounds, unbleached for other fabrics when a cream cast will not matter. Bump has excellent thermal qualities, it keeps out both the cold and heat. It givens a luxurious look to curtains. It is often too heavy to use with silk or other light fabrics. |
|
Domette A lighter interlining to use inside blinds or to interline silk or other lightweight curtains. Swags and tails are interlined using domette. Hard pelmets are given a soft finish with a layer of bump or domette. It comes bleached or unbleached. |
|
Wadding Wadding is a fluffy man-made fibre, sometimes used for padding leading edges. |
|
Pelmet Buckram An open-weave fabric, made from jute, heavily starched. It is very stiff and is best cut with a heavy-duty craft knife. Used as the base of a stiff
pelmet. |
|
White tieback A flexible cotton buckram that will fold well when used in tieback. |
