Fabric Glossary
Weaves, fibres, finishes and units: the essential vocabulary to choose the right fabric for your project.
D
Dupion
Dupion (dupioni in the US) is a silk woven with a weft reeled from double cocoons, spun by two silkworms at once, hence its irregular slubs. Classic or slub, the shop’s dupion weighs 110–115 g/ml, about 82 g/m². Its dry, slightly crisp hand gives it body: it holds a fold, but it creases quickly and frays.
Read the article: Dupion or slub dupion: what’s the difference? Shop: Silk Dupion
F
Fabric width
Fabric width is the measurement of a fabric from one selvedge to the other, called laize in French. Shown on the Width line of each fabric, it falls between 130 and 150 cm for nine fabrics out of ten, and often drops below a metre for Calais lace. Width links the two ways of giving a weight, since dividing a weight in g/ml by the width in metres gives g/m².
Read the article: g/ml or g/m²: how to convert a fabric’s weight
G
GSM (grams per square metre)
GSM, or grams per square metre (g/m²), is the weight of a fabric brought back to one square metre. From silk chiffon to the heaviest tweeds, our selection runs from about 25 to over 400 g/m², and the little i next to each fabric’s weight shows the figure. It is the right number for comparing fabrics of different widths, but it tells you the weight, not the drape.
Read the article: g/ml or g/m²: how to convert a fabric’s weight
L
Linear metre (g/ml)
A linear metre is one metre of fabric taken along its length, across its full width, so a weight in g/ml is the weight of that metre. As fabric is sold by the metre, it is the unit on our product pages: silk dupion, for example, shows 110–115 g/ml on a 137 cm width. To compare fabrics of different widths, divide that weight by the width in metres to get g/m².
Read the article: g/ml or g/m²: how to convert a fabric’s weight
M
Momme
Momme (mm) is the unit of weight specific to silk: one momme equals about 4.34 g/m². On the silk shelves, weights run from about 5 momme for organza to around 40 for satin-backed crepe, with plain crepe de Chine at about 15. It measures weight, not quality, and you get it by dividing the weight in g/m² by 4.34.
Read the article: Silk momme: what is it, and how do you calculate it? Shop: Silk
S
Selvedge
The selvedge is the narrow edge running along each side of a fabric, parallel to the warp and woven more tightly so it does not fray. The metre you order is cut across the full width, from one selvedge to the other. It follows the straight grain, so it guides pattern placement, but it is best kept out of your pieces, as it can shrink differently from the rest in the wash.
Read the article: g/ml or g/m²: how to convert a fabric’s weight
Slub yarn
A slub yarn is a yarn whose slubs, thicker lengths along the thread, are made on purpose for the effect they give the fabric. Woven as the weft, it gives slub dupion its pronounced ribs. The slubs fall at random, so they never match from one piece to the next: you only choose where they go when cutting.
Read the article: Dupion or slub dupion: what’s the difference? Shop: Silk Dupion
W
Warp
The warp is the set of threads stretched along the length of a fabric, parallel to the selvedges, which the weft crosses during weaving. When you order a metre, it is measured along the warp; the weft gives the width. The straight grain follows the warp, the least stretchy direction, which is why pattern pieces are laid along it.
Read the article: Dupion or slub dupion: what’s the difference?
Weft
The weft is the set of threads crossing a fabric from one selvedge to the other, interlacing with the warp according to the weave. In dupion, the weft carries the slubs, which therefore draw short strokes across the width of the fabric. When warp and weft are different colours, the fabric takes on a changing sheen, as in shot or changeable taffeta.
Read the article: Dupion or slub dupion: what’s the difference?
Y
Yardage
Yardage is the length of fabric a project needs, counted in metres here despite the name. It depends on the pattern, the size and above all the width: the same design takes more fabric at 115 cm than at 150 cm, and more again for a print that needs matching. Our team helps you work it out for free, and multiplied by the g/ml on the product page, it gives the weight of the fabric you will receive.