Weaves: this generally means type of fabric, by how the fabric is woven. I will also include knits because it is also a way to make fabric although it is NOT a weave.

1. Plain weave. The most generic weave you can have. Weft, warp, weft, warp. Many fabrics you wear are plain weave.

2. Basket weave is a variation of plain weave, only it will go weft weft, warp warp to create a "basket" like pattern.

3. Twill weave. This is your jeans. It usually has a diagonal "pattern" to it. Corset material is also a twill. Herringbone and houndstooth are twills. It is a very strong weave.

4 Satin weave. This is the shiny stuff, which is the plain weave except that instead of going weft, warp, weft, warp, it might go warp weft weft weft, in order to skip a step to bring fiber more to the surface to create a shine. This also includes brocades. Brocades are just satins but woven to create a picture or shiny pattern on the face fabric.

5. Velvet. This is a weave that creates pile. Real velvet is not flock, where the surface is coated with adhesive and then sprinkled with fiber. Real velvet is a pile woven into the fabric. Faux fur is a very long velvet. Cordouroy is a velvet with stripes cut into the pile. Terrycloth is a velvet whose pile has not been cut, creating loops.

There are many, many other types of weaves out there, but these are the basics.

Knitting is a type of fabric that is derived from one single yarn that is looped and pulled through itself. It is not made on a loom or with warps and wefts. Laces are usually knit or crochet.  Many of today's garments are knit by machine. Seams must be serged/overlocked or zig zag to discourage being pulled apart. T shirts are knit on a round machine, which is why there are no side seams. You can tell a knit from a woven as a knit usually has 4 way stretch, a woven usually has 2 way stretch, despite fiber type.

Felting is fabric made by using heat to get wool fibers to interlock. It is not woven or knitted at all. Because of it's pliable nature, it is used for hats.

Pellon/interfacing is also a non-woven material much like felt. Here's trivia: the interfacing in Nazi coats was made from the hair of prisoners of death camps. D:

FIlm, like latex and pvc, or "raincoat material" is like a big extruded (will explain later) fiber, but in one big sheet.


Now, onto fiber types. Many people confuse fibers with fabrics. This is my point of contention right here so just...bear with me. The best way to tell what a fabric is made out of, is to check the fiber content on your garment. Just because it is denim doesn't mean it's cotton. You can have cotton denim, poly denim, even silk denim if you want.

Fibers are the building blocks of fabric. They are taken from nearly anything and spun into yarns that are therefore woven or knitted into fabrics.

1. Cotton. Plant derived, comes from a cotton boll. It is a cellulosic fiber. It is used to make basically anything. It is very absorbent. The boll must be separated from the seeds with the cotton gin, washed, sometimes bleached. Takes dye readily.

2. Linen. Comes from fibers found in the flax plant, known for it's natural "classy wrinkles". Just because they call your blankets and sheets "linens" doesn't mean they are made from linen. It is usually expensive because of the processing needed to create the fibers that often includes long periods of time in tanks and a lot of handling in comparison to cotton. Usually linen is left the color it is.

3. Rayon is a plant derived fiber that is synthetically processed. It mostly comes from wood, but without the man made processing, could not be a fiber.  Rayon has many characteristics of silk but is generally not a monofilament.

4. Wool. Comes from a sheep, but sometimes llamas and goats. Has scales, which is why when you heat up wool, it shrinks and never goes back to the original size. The scales interlock, like a trash bag tie, and cannot be undone. A by-product of wool is lanolin, the natural oil of sheep that also makes the wool itch. Wool is very warm, very good for recycling sweat, but breaks down easily. It is ideal for felt, sweaters, underoos, army blankets, etc.

5. Silk is a protein monofilament fiber. This means it is one continuous long strand. It comes from...you guessed it...the ass of a silk worm. A silk worm spins a cocoon to turn into a silk moth, and when the cocoon hardens, it is boiled to kill the worm inside, then soaked to loosen the fiber. It is untangled and usually woven as is with little yarn spinning involved. No fabric is just called "silk".

6. Asbestos. This is a mineral derived fiber, just so you know what it is. This is the stuff used in many pre 1970's buildings as a major building material, used in everything from carpets to ceiling tiles. When disturbed, it can float undetected in the air and get inhaled in the lungs, where it causes major respiratory problems. If a building is old, asbestos abatement should be used.

7. Polyester. This is a very common fiber and many people don't realize just how much polyester makes up their wardrobe. It is an extruded monofilament fiber that does not take dye whatsoever. It must be extruded the color it will be. A major weakness of polyester is that it breaks down and "pills" on the surface of the garment, making those nasty lint balls on your sweater. It can be blended with other fibers, usually as a cheap filler.

8. Nylon. Your stockings are made out of it, so are many ropes and parachutes. It is light but durable, but melts instead of burns. It mimics other fibers better than polyester and can be dyed.

9. Elastic. Oh, the world without elastic. Elastic gives stretch to your garments, either by elastic bands sewn into your underwear or blended into your polyester to make stretch jeans, or alone to make speedos. Takes dye rather well, breaks down in heat. Lycra is the Dupont name for it. Spandex is a fabric made from it. Replaced rubber.

10. Acetate. I hate this fiber. A bitch to sew, but great for creating those fabrics that shine. It melts, puckers, frays. And yet everyone puts it in their Halloween costumes.

11. Metallic fibers. These are...from metal, and are usually paired with other fibers to give sparkle to fabrics cheaply.

12. Fiberglass. Comes from optical glass fibers. Very resilient, but not practical for clothing purposes. Used for car bodies, etc.

There are other fibers like hemp and jute and ramie, but these are not used as much as the others, although hemp is growing in trend. Jute is used mainly for a backing of carpets and linoleum but is steadily being replaced by synthetics. There is also olefin, which is used in Tyvek, a Dupont property known for being very waterproof and hard to tear: your FedEx envelopes are made from it.


Basic Fabric Names
Please keep in mind that fabrics, fibers, and weaves are all separate things and terms.

alpaca, refers to fabric made from fibers obtained from...an alpaca, but many people confuse some goat and llama fiber for alpaca

astrakhan, refers to fabric made from a type of sheep from central Asia.

baize, is the fabric covering pool/billiard tables. It is not a felt, as it is actually woven, intended to have a rough surface to increase friction.

brocade, shiny fabric with a picture woven into it. If you look on the back, you will see a version of the front with the floating yarns, but of course in the wrong colors. Used from upholstery to tapestries, if it has a woven (as in, not embroidered) picture or pattern that is not solely geometric, it is most likely a brocade.

camel hair, fabric made from...camtels D: Either very course, or very soft; coarse camel is made from the stiffer guard hairs, the softer from the under down.

cashmere or pashmina, is fabric obtained from the cashmere goat. Pashmina can also mean the wrap or stole garments from the middle east/Indian area with patterns woven into it.

chenille, is fabric made from the chenille yarn. The yarn is wound with pile, creating the fuzzy pile that is characteristic of chenille.

crepe de Chine, is a silk fabric with a crinkled texture, usually woven from silk fiber that is in it's original state. The bobbin threads are twisted, and then the gum of the silk is removed, creating the crimpy texture.

felt, again, heat and pressurized wool fibers to create an unwoven fabric.

flannel, is a plain weave and sometimes twill woven wool or cotton fabric with a nap on one or both sides. You can usually characterize flannel by plaids, but sometimes it is printed.

fur, fur is not a fabric. It comes from the treated hides of animals with the fur left on the skin.

gabardine, a twill woven fabric used for suits, usually made out of worsted wool.

horsehair, horsehair is a fabric made from, yes, horse hair, originally. Usually now if you ask for horse hair you will get a synthetic version of it. It's usually for interfacing, or hems of skirts to make them stand out more.

jersey, this is a very common fabric. Many of the knit shirts you wear are jersey. It is a thin knit, if you are wearing it, it's usually cotton, but can also be made of wool, and if you're rich, silk.

lambswool, sheepskin.

leather, is not a fabric. It is the hide of an animal, usually a cow, ostrich, sometimes reptiles, deer, even horses, that is treated in numerous ways and has the hair scraped off. It is a by-product of the meat industry. Protesting it won't stop production of it. Ever.

loden, an Austrian woolen fabric, usually green.

mohair, fabric made from the fibers shorn from a goat.

sheepskin, skinned sheep. Wool is shorn harmlessly. Sheepskin requires the death of the animal. A by product of the meat industry.

silk, silk is a fiber, not a fabric. Comes from the ass of a silk worm.

snakeskin, the preserved and treated hide of a snake.

taffeta, a crisp fabric used in more higher end or fancier garments. It is usually made of silk, but can also be synthetic.

tweed, a twill weave fabric of wool usually for outerwear.

wool, fiber obtained from the shorn hair of a sheep.

worsted is very fine woolen yarn/fabric. This comes from the longest, straightest fibers of a sheep, spun in a way to force the fibers to lay parallel to each other. Used for very fine suits.

calico, cotton fabric, also called muslin, usually printed on one side. Very cheap, used in quilts, prairie dresses, etc. This fiber is made from cheaper cotton that is not processed fully, and may contain seed or husk parts in it.

canvas, a heavy duty plain weave fabric, usually made from cotton, although originally it was made from hemp.

cheesecloth, a loosely plain woven fabric, originally used for...making cheese. Nowadays the most you'll see it is in crafts and hobbies. Very frail, not very good for much.

chintz, flower printed calico.

corduroy, a velvet fabric with stripes shorn into the pile.

cotton, fiber from the cotton plant.

denim, a rugged cotton twill textile with a diagonal pattern to the weave. Used mostly in jeans. Although Levi's are American, jeans are European in origin, deriving from France and Italy and denim was originally dyed with Indigo to create the blue.

drill, safari jacket, martial arts uniforms, and "khakis" are made from drill, a plain weave cotton fabric.

flannelette, similar to flannel.

gauze, a loose, translucent fabric, originally made of silk. Used in the fashion industry and also in the medical industry for..you guessed it, gauze bandages.

gingham, a plaid or checked fabric, usually of carded cotton, with the weft yarns being of color and the warp being white. Yes, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz wears gingham.

linen, fabric derived from the fibers of the flax plant.

moleskin, originally, the silky fur of a mole. Now it is a dense cotton fabric, usually velvet in nature, with a short pile.

moire, a fabric confused with taffeta, it is usually recognized by it's "wood panel" surface pattern. It is created through prints (not aligned) or by crushing fibers/yarns.

muslin, unfinished, minimally processed cotton plain weave fabric. Muslin is the term used for the fabric used for draping garments, or may refer to the first garment drape.

organdy and organza are a stiff, plain weave fabric group, very sheer and very crisp, full of body. Used in eveningwear.

poplin, a plain weave fabric with silk warp and either worsted or cotton weft. This creates a distinct rib to the fabric.

sacking, jute, or any fabric associated with creating sacks.

tarpaulin, or a tarp, is usually a woven fabric like duck, but coated with pvc or latex to create weatherproofing. Is usually blue.

terry a velvet related fabric used in robes and towels, is very absorbent.

ticking, a striped duck fabric, where the stripe is usually woven into the fabric and used for upholstery and other "linen" items.

velvet, woven fabric with a pile on one side.

winceyette cotton flannel

chiffon, can be made of any fiber content, but usually refers to a very drapy, sheer and lightweight fabric. It is a plain weave and used mainly in eveningwear.

crepe, see crepe de chine.

fleece, is usually referred to nowadays as a synthetic, fluffy material "polar fleece". it has a springy soft pile on both sides, and if you cut it, you can see the interior fabric to which all this fluff is attached. Used for clothing and blankets. Thickness varies.

lamé, is fabric of a woven nature made with metallic threads, i.e. tissue lame.

liquid lame is a stretch fabric usually with a foil or synthetic coating to create shine or mimic shiny PVC, giving it a "liquid" look.

moquette, carpet

nylon, a synthetic fiber used in lightweight fabrics such as...

ripstop, a nylon fabric woven in such a way to stop rips. Usually for windbreakers and hot air balloons, it is recognizable for its crosshatch surface pattern.

percale, a closely plain woven fabric usually with a 200 yarn count (per square inch) used mostly for bed linens.

polyester, a polymer based monofilament synthetic fiber.

PVC, polyvinyl chloride, PVC fabric is either a sheet on it's own, or laminated onto a knit fabric. Most faux leathers are PVC.

rayon, a fabric derived from fibers from wood, synthetically produced.

sateen, satin fabric made with cotton.

satin, a fabric woven to have float yarns on the surface to create shine.

tulle, is a woven netting made from cotton, nylon, or silk. It is used for tutus, gowns, veils, and some petticote/crinoline applications.

viscose, also rayon.

georgette, similar to chiffon, with a crepe texture.

boucle, a yarn that comes from three plies of yarn with one yarn looped or looser than the others. The three yarns are generally all different colors. Gets knitted.

batik, is fabric that is covered with wax designs and then dyed. The wax is then melted off as a resist pattern.

damask is a jacquard fabric with reversible designs.

embroidery is surface design embellishment using threads. It is not woven into the fabric and is done after the fabric is woven and dyed.

flock is a fabric that is coated with adhesive and then sprinkled with a pile of fiber to create a velvety look.

dupioni is a crisp fabric usually made from slub silk. Slub refers to the uneven texture of a yarn, i.e. it's thin, then thick, then thin again. This creates a distinct uneven rib on the surface of the fabric. Now it's usually synthetic. Known for it's "color change", i.e. it appears red but in the folds look orange.

velour today usually refers to a knit, stretch velvet.

microsuede is a faux suede that is woven.

ultrasuede is a non woven faux suede

microfiber is a fiber that is less than one denier. It is a knit, and very soft, used for many applications. Usually synthetic.

eyelet is a lace or fabric made from a woven fabric with holes punched in it and embroidery to keep the holes from fraying.

lace is a variety of open work fabrics made in many different ways to create holes and usually patterns.

Ok that is it for right now. There are literally thousands of fabric types, but I think I covered the basics.