TextileGlossary.com

A blouse most commonly refers to a woman's shirt, although the term is also used for some men's military uniform shirts. Blouses are often made of cotton or silk cloth and may or may not include a collar and sleeves. They are generally more tailored than simple knit tops, and may contain "feminine" details such as ruffles or embroidered decorations. Blouses have buttons reversed from that of a men's shirts. That is, the buttons are normally on the wearer's left-hand and the buttonholes are on the right. The reasons for this are unclear, however. Some suggest this custom was introduced by launderers so they could distinguish between women's and men's shirts, and could thus charge more for women's blouses, supposing women are more gullible and submissive. Another theory purports that the tradition arose in the middle ages when one manner of manifesting wealth was by the number of buttons one wore. Female servants were in charge of buttonning their mistresse's gowns (since the buttons were usually in the back). Tiring of attempting to button the buttons backwards, they started reversing the direction of the buttons, therefore, easing their jobs considerably.

In woven fabric, one series of ribs, cords, or raised portions. In corduroy fabric, wales per inch are counted to distinguish broad- from fine-textured cloth. The higher the wale number, the finer...

A batchwise dyeing process used for dyeing pile fabrics or those with very high elastane content. Fabrics are rolled onto perforated beams like giant toilet rolls and dye liquor is forced through....

The resulting opening of the weave when fabric lacks the tensile strength to prevent shifting at the seams. When you apply force, the yarns in the fabric slip to open up the weave, but not the seam...

A hydrophilic compound applied to a fiber or fabric which results in superior breathability and a moisture management system within the fabric that helps to maintain a comfortable body temperature...

Results when a fiber or fabric will neither stretch or shrink. Relaxation shrinkage is when fibers, when elongated during weaving or finishing relax to their natural size after being washed....