Weave construction: A warp faced weave. Fabric: Traditionally made of silk, satin has a smooth, lustrous, unbroken surface texture.

Weave construction: A weft-faced weave. Fabric: A smooth fabric, free of any twill direction, where the weft thread is usually coarser than the warp. A fabric made with this weave is often referred to as a sateen fabric.

A fine plain weave fabric often used for linings, it has high lustre and a soft finish. A derivative of lute and lustring.

A raised cord or ridge extended throughout the length of the cloth, running in the direction of the warp.

A closely spaced raised cord or ridge running in the direction of the weft.

The reed determines the arrangement or spacing of the warp threads across the width of the fabric. When the weft is placed into the fell of the cloth the reed beats it into position evenly

Rayon (viscose rayon) is the oldest of all the man-made fibres and was originally produced by dissolving nitro-cellulose into a solution which could be extruded through a nozzle and made into a filament. Trade name for viscose by Samuel Courtauld in 1920s.

Continuous filaments of silk, with no twist, which have been reeled from cocoons but as yet, unprocessed and still containing sericin.

A rigid or flexible rod or steel tape that carries the yarn across the shed in a shuttleless rapier loom.

A power-driven loom operated by an electric motor or by a belt driven by a central power source. This is the standard form of loom used in the commercial production of fabrics.

Silk yarn or fabric which contains no metallic or other weighting agents except those essential ones used in dyeing. A silk thread reeled directly from the cocoon in a continuous filament.

The term poplin comes from the French word popeline, which is a fabric used for church vestments originally made in the papal city of Avignon in southern France. Poplin is a lightweight, closely woven cotton or silk fabric with very fine ribs across the width of the cloth.