Calico
Similar to broadcloth, made of cotton or cotton/polyester and usually printed in small "country" design all-over with multi-colored floral patterns. Also often used for toiles.
Cashmere
A luxury fiber obtained from the soft fleecy undergrowth of the Kashmir goat of Tibet, Mongolia, China, Iran, Iraq, and India. Most commonly used in sweaters, shawls, suits, coats, and dresses.
Canvas
Medium to heavy weight cotton fabric woven closely in plain or twill with relatively large threads. Available in variety of colors, stripes and few printed designs. It is also referred as "duck" or "sailcloth". It has many uses.
Challis
A lightweight, soft plain weave fabric with a slightly brushed surface. The fabric is often printed, usually in a floral paisley or abstract pattern. Challis is most often seen in fabrics made of cotton, wool, or rayon.
Chantilly lace
French elaborate floral lace on hexagonal mesh ground outlined in heavy silk thread. Usually made with black threads and in strips which are later stitched together with an 'invisible' stitch called racroc to give the illusion of a large, continuous piece of lace. Originated in Chantilly, France in the 17th century.
Chambray
A plain woven fabric that can be made from cotton, silk, or manufactured fibers, but is most commonly cotton. It incorporates a colored warp (often blue) and white filling yarns.
Charmeuse
Satin silk weave with a crepe back.
Chevron
A regular and repeated zigzag pattern formed by reversing the twill weave. It is also known as herringbone.
Chenille
A specialty yarn, characterized by a pile protruding on all sides, resembling a caterpillar. The yarn is produced by first weaving a fabric with a cotton or linen warp and a silk, wool, rayon, or cotton filling. The warp yarns are taped in groups of tightly woven filling yarns, which have been beaten in very closely. After weaving, the fabric is cut into strips between the yarn groups. Each cutting produces a continuous chenille yarn, which is then twisted, creating the chenille yarn, and giving the pile appearance on all sides of the yarn. The chenille yarn is used mainly for decorative fabrics, embroidery, tassels, and rugs.
Cheviot
A soft, fine wool heavier than serge.
Chiffon
A plain/printed woven lightweight, extremely sheer, airy, and soft silk fabric, containing highly twisted filament yarns. The fabric, used mainly in evening dresses and scarves, can also be made from rayon and other manufactured fibers
Chintz
A plain-weave fabric, which has been glazed to produce a polished look. Usually made of cotton, this fabric is most commonly used in blouses, dresses, draperies, and slipcovers.
Cloqué
A compound or double fabric with a figured blister effect, produced by using yarns of different character or twist which respond in different ways to finishing treatments.
Colourfastness
A term used to describe a dyed fabric's ability to resist fading due to washing, exposure to sunlight, and other environmental conditions.
Converter
A person or a company which buys grey goods and sells them as finished fabrics. A converter organizes and manages the process of finishing the fabric to a buyers' specifications, particularly the bleaching, dyeing, printing, etc.
Corduroy
A fabric, usually made of cotton, utilizing a cut-pile weave construction. Extra sets of filling yarns are woven into the fabric to form ridges of yarn on the surface. The ridges are built so that clear lines can be seen when the pile is cut.
Cotton
A unicellular, natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant. Fibers are typically 1/2 inch to 2 inches long. The longest staple fibers, longer than 1 1/2 inch, including the Pima and Egyptian varieties, produce the highest quality cotton fabrics.
Count of Cloth
The number of warp ends and picks per inch in a woven fabric. If a cloth is 68 X 72, it means there are 68 ends and 72 picks per inch in a woven fabric. A cloth that has the same number of ends and picks per inch in woven goods is called a square cloth. 80-square percale, for example, has 80 warp ends and 80 picks per inch.
Crêpe
A light soft fabric with a crinkled surface that is created by the way it is woven. It is made from silk, cotton, wool, or another fiber either in plain or satin weave.
Crêpe de Chine
Woven of hard spun silk yarn in the natural condition. The fabric has a somewhat crimpy or crepe surface created by the highly twisted fibers.
Crêpe-back Satin
A satin fabric in which highly twisted yarns are used in the filling direction. The floating yarns are made with low twist and may be of either high or low luster. If the crepe effect is the right side of the fabric, the fabric is called satin-back crepe.
Crinoline
A lightweight, plain weave, stiffened fabric with a low yarn count (few yarns to the inch in each direction). Often used to structure under garments