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.

A long crease mark (q.v.) in a dyed or finished textile and that runs approximately in the length direction. NOTE: The marks are caused during wet processing in the rope form and may be the result...

The way the fabric feels when it is touched. Terms like softness, crispness, dryness, silkiness are all terms that describe the hand of the fabric. A good hand refers to shape retention without...

The removal of dye from a fabric by rubbing. Crocking can be caused by insufficient dye penetration or fixation, the use of improper dyes or dyeing methods, or insufficient washing and treatment...

A manufactured fiber that uses cellulose refined from cotton and/or wood pulp. Characteristics: fast drying, wrinkle- and shrinkage-resistant, crisp or soft depending on end use, luxurious in...

A type of carpet where the pile is inserted one row of tufts at a time, each row representing a section of the overall pattern. The tufts are `U'-shaped, and are anchored at the bottom into the...