textile collection samples 1-5 batiste broadcloth chambray muslin poplin

sample 1 batiste fiber content: Usually made of cotton or blends, but fine batiste, cambric, and lawn are still made of flax; best quality in cotton is long staple; also wool batiste or silk batiste though these are rare yarn: fine yarns, best-quality cotton will be combed, may be mercerized; fabric construction: usually balanced plain weave; finish is usually soft, may be more crisp or may have a slight luster weights, uses: top weight, may be sheer; used for blouses, shirts, dresses, underwear, nightwear, handkerchiefs name: Batiste is recorded as being the name of a Medieval linen weaver in the town of Cambrai, France (cambric); another French linen center, Laon, gives its name to lawn.

sample 2 broadcloth fiber content: cotton—best quality will use long staple—or blends, often with polyester; silk broadcloth also exists yarn: Yarn is fine; best-quality in cotton with be two-ply, combed and mercerized; warp and weft yarn almost the same thickness but nearly twice as many warp as weft fabric construction: close plain weave (good quality—150 thread count; superb quality 230 thread count); fabric is gassed to give a smooth finish; firm fabric with very fine crosswise rib weights, uses: top weight; classic dress shirt fabric, also used for pajamas, dresses; similar to, but finer than, poplin name: once applied to any fabric wider than “narrow” (70 cm or 27 in)

sample 3 chambray fiber content: originally made from flax; now cotton and blends—often polyester though may be rayon yarn: carded or combed yarn fabric construction: fairly balanced plain weave; oxford chambray is 2 x 1 basket weave; warp yarns are dyed, weft yarns are undyed; fabric may be woven in checks or striped as well weights, uses: often top weight—used for shirts, dresses, sportswear, children’s wear, home furnishings; may be bottom weight—used for sportswear, workwear, furnishings name: Chambray is from the French town of Cambria, a linen weaving center near the border with Belgium

sample 4 muslin fiber content: cotton, rayon, cotton blends, usually with polyester yarn: usually carded only (not combed) yarns; not particularly refined yarn or finishing fabric construction: close, balanced plain weave, heavier and more coarse than other sheetings; historically muslin has been applied to a wide range of cotton fabrics from coarse to very fine weights, uses: most top weight, can be bottom weight; used for sleepwear, shirts, dresses, sportswear, sheeting, drapes, slipcovers name: Muslin from Mosul, a city on the Tigris River in what is now the northern tip of Iraq; by 12th century it was a textile center in what was then Mesopotamia

sample 5 poplin fiber content: originally made of silk or silk/wool blend; now usually made of cotton or cotton/poly blends yarn: may be carded only or combed; there are more warp yarns that weft; weft is usually heavier fabric construction: quite firm (close) plain weave, with fine crosswise ribs that are easily visible when weft yarns are thicker than warp weights, uses: sturdy fabric, top or bottom weight, used for shirts, dresses, pajamas; also raincoats, slacks, sportswear & furnishings name: French papeline; originally made in Avignon, a papal town from 1309-1791