TextileGlossary.com

Mercerization is a treatment for cotton fabric and thread mostly employed to give cotton a lustrous appearance.

A wet finishing process for cotton yarn or fabric, which results in a stronger and more lustrous yarn that takes dye better with brighter, deeper colors.

Mercerized cotton is cotton thread (or cotton-covered thread with a polyester core) that has been treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The thread is given a caustic soda bath that is then neutralized with an acid bath. This treatment increases strength, luster, affinity to dye and resistance to mildew, and also reduces lint. Long staple fibre lengths respond best to mercerization.

A treatment using heat and streatching to increase luster, strength and ability to dye. Usually the yarns are soaked in concentrated sodium.

Continuous filament synthetic yarns that have been altered through special treatments or modification to give them elasticity. Techniques include: twisting and untwisting, use of air jets, stuffer...

A fabric whose weave is made up of 2 or 3 warp yarns or threads to every one weft. Weave with diagonal ribs and large number of variations. Diagonals may be set at sharp or blunt angles, may be...

A rayon that is spun to look like cotton or wool. It is made with staple fibers in a continuous strand to give this effect. It wears well and is washable. Made in different weights and comes in plain...

A yarn that has been so processed as to introduce durable crimps (q.v.), coils, loops or other fine distortions along the length of the fibres or filaments. NOTE: a) The main texturing processes...

Mordants are after-fixing chemicals essential to impart some degree of colour fastness performance to most natural dyes and some synthetic ones. They are typically metal salts and therefore decidedly...