Basic Understanding of Upholstery Blends & Weaves for Interior Fabric in Contemporary design

SIMPLE WEAVE DISTINCTIONS

Plain weave is over, under, over, under / construction of threads interwoven one to one.

Basket weave is 2 or more warp yarns used as one,

Any combination:

2-5 /2-3/2- 4/ 4-1, 4-2…

Fabric Upholstery Qualities : Weave , Yarn Texture & Finish for Interior Products

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Loom Weaves Illustrated

• Plain weave • Basket weave • Crepe / Waffle weave • Leno /Casement/ Lace • Twill weave • Rib / Faille/ Satin

• Satin / Damask • Dobby / Jacquard • Brocatelle / Brocade • Doublecloth /Matelasse • Pile / Cut or Uncut Pile

Simple Basket Weave Poly Boucle – Texture Yarn

Poly Chenille 4 harness chenille adds texture & looks more costly

Boucle / Chenille

NOVELTY YARN TYPES are specialty or complex yarns. SPECIALTY yarns are designed for their stretch & recovery potential. COMPLEX yarns are made for their uneven appearance with deliberate irregularities built in. SLUB, Thick & Thin & Flock Yarns are types of SINGLE YARNS. SLUB is a staple yarn that has a twist interrupted at intervals to have a bulky section.

Types of PLY YARNS / Names for BOUCLE RATINE & GIMP yarns are finer types of Boucle yarn. Then BOUCLE’ yarns are 3 ply with projecting loops. LOOP or curl yarns are larger than boucle loops. NUB yarns are 2 ply with a base yarn & an effect yarn. SPIRAL has a bulky & a fine yarn PLIED TOGETHER.

CHENILLE yarns are historically a leno weave fabric constructed then slit lengthwise as yarn. The weft are the fuzzy pile on the chenille yarn. Now it is any heavy textured soft yarn.

4 Blends- Rayon, Si, Co, Poly in a simple basketweave

3 Blend- Co, Rayon, Poly yarn in a simple, 4 harness Rib weave

with a chenille float yarn for texture effect

Textures with Chenille Yarns

The textures of a fabric will change with use.

Fabrics with a nap, such as velvet, look different in varied lighting and show wear as it is abraded, or sat on.

Silks are delicate but are usually strengthened with manmade fiber blends.

Highly textured fabrics like nubby tweeds can fray after much use and usually pill fairly quickly.

Fabrics that stand up best are flat weaves, like cotton, jacquard and damask weave but texture yarns add softness to a durable weave.

Poly Simple Weave 2-4 harness less production costs

2007 Residential Design

Simple Weave Distinctions continued

Twill weave always has diagonal slanted lines (you can draw a pen line) Example: 50% of Jeans are twill or modified twill Crepe is a pebbly or crinkly texture with excellent recovery & elongation , so very durable. Example- office chair upholstery Waffle weave crepe is an unbalanced W weave with irregular slanted lines where the shapes vary.

Twill Weave

Zefron Finish Nylon with acrylic adhesive backing for cleaning

Twill Design for stretch & durability

Poly Crepe

Poly simple 4 harness weave

Poly Texture made with a crinkle- chemical plisse finish

on a crepe weave

MIXTURE FABRICS (Manmade & Natural fibers combined)

Provide Many Advantages: They

1. Improve soil resistance

2. Increase bulk & cover

3. Have a smoother feel

4. Reduce pilling

Blends use 2, 3 or 4 yarn types

• Cotton absorbents for texture & comfort

• Manmade / Poly for durability & lower cost

Poly, Co, Rayon

Mock Leno + Bedford Cord Modified Basket weave with 8 harness

Compound Simple Weaves more costly, more pattern , more colors

• Satin- lustrous front face with long floats

• Damask- reverse satin structures in a traditional design (Ex. tablecloth)

Compound Basket Weave = 8 harness weave with polyester & recycled texture yarns

Satin & Damask From History Collections

New Harmony, IN Satin Ribbon & W. H. Harrison Damask in CMC, Cincinnati, OH collections

1836 Damask from Tredwell NYC Interior

Satin & Damask from B. B & Beyond retail drapery

Residential Design with damask, satin stripe,

Complex / Compound Weaves Discussed

Dobby -bird’s eye, dotted swiss, weft dots evenly spaced in design Damask - satin weave ground with a reverse patterned floral design Jacquard - is any 8 harness complex weave: damask, brocade, tapestry. Brocade - jacquard with supplementary design from long floats seen on back Brocatelle - complex jacquard with tight 1-1 weave / short threads for design. Doublecloth - Two layers linked. Matelasse is a quilted look doublecloth Pile - velour, velvet, plush, corduroy, velveteen, terrycloth, loop carpet

Most Common Complex Weaves medium cost, more pattern , more colors

• Pile - extra set of yarns added to the ground to create a 3D effect

• Dobby- fabrics with small repeat patterns, dots, geometric shapes…

• Leno- paired warp yarns crossed over or twisted between the weft/ filling.

• Jacquard - elaborate multicolor designed patterns

Pile = extra set of yarns added to the

ground to create a 3D effect

Pile names = velour, velvet,

plush, corduroy, velveteen, terrycloth

PILE/ TRIAXIAL / 3 Element Weaves Use: carpet / upholstery depends on yarn content

Cut-Pile / Plush / Velvet / Loop Carpet- Cut or Uncut

Corduroy /Bedford Cord – usually cotton

Terrycloth / Uncut Pile / Looped Boucle

Wool, Poly, Nylon

70%Cotton-30% Poly Cotton for softness, Poly for strength

90%Wool & 10% Nylon fiber content Wool for warmth, softness & nylon warp for strength

Jacquard pattern for durability & design

Durable Airport Design Dobby Jacquard & multi color loop/ uncut pile carpet

REASONS to choose Fiber Blends or Mixture Fabrics in Interiors are

a)To obtain cross-dyed effects

b)To improve uniformity in manufacturing &

finishing

c)For economic reasons (COST)

d)To extend the effect of expensive fibers by

adding less costly ones

e)To improve the appearance or hand (touch)

f) To produce fabrics with improved

performance.

Complex Weaves / 8, 16 & 32 Harness Loom Construction

Jacquard - elaborate multicolor designed patterns Brocade – historic jacquard with design and long wefts floats on reverse with unused yarns Brocatelle - contemporary complex jacquard design that can be seen on reverse, tight weave that is more durable and less costly than brocade Pile / Carpet - extra set of yarns added to the ground to create a 3D effect with a loop

Brocade/ Brocatelle

Trevira Poly

Tapestry Design Brocatelle Weave

Desired but costly weaves

• Tapestry - pictorial jacquard weave with a “picture” design.

• Doublecloth - 8-32 harness to create 2 layers that mix & separate, which you can see as pockets when cut.

Zefron Finish applied to a Nylon fiber in a

Compound Twill Weave

75%Poly, 25%Cotton Poly-strength, Co- soft hand

Acrylic, Poly, Cotton fiber blend contents in a double cloth weave with

2 layers interchanged (16-32 harness loom)

Knits & Non Wovens Are Economical & Durable

WEFT KNITTING - Ex: pile (uncut/ cut) fabrics Use: casement & drapery fabrics Characteristics of new knits: heavy, firm, less stretchable WARP KNITTING - Ex: Raschel Knit Lace, Tricot Use: Lace tablecovers / sheers Characteristics: economical KNIT VARIATIONS - Ex: Knit-weave, Use: draperies, bedspreads, blankets Characteristics: easy drape, comfort, great recovery from stress,

Non-woven - felt, needlepunch, bonded fabric furniture filling or lining Non-textiles- foam cushions, or padding for carpet

Non-wovens

• Knit / Net

• Example- knit socks

• Interwoven/ braid, tufted

• Non-woven / needlepunch, web

Poly Knit

MicroNylon- New Tech

Hotel lobby, Cleveland, OH