Fabric guides
What woven fabrics are, how they are made and how to specify them, written by the team that stocks them and checked against our own catalogue.
Sections
Fabric WikiWhat each fabric is, how it is made, how heavy it runs and what it is used for — cotton, linen, dobby, blends and the finishes applied to them.2 guidesWeave & Construction GlossaryPlain-language definitions of the weaving, dyeing and finishing terms that appear on a fabric specification sheet.2 guidesSourcing GuidesHow to choose, specify, sample and order woven fabric for a collection: GSM, width, MOQ, lead times and what to ask a mill.3 guidesCompliance & CareShrinkage, colour fastness, testing standards and care instructions for the fabrics in our catalogue.1 guidesLatest guides
- Cotton Fabric Shrinkage: How Much to Expect, How to Test It and What to Allow
Woven cotton shrinks mostly on the first wash, because the yarns relax from the tension of weaving and finishing. Measure it by marking a square on the cloth, washing it and measuring again. Cut the marker on the washed size, or buy a pre-shrunk cloth, whose residual shrinkage is held under one per cent.
- Fabric Weight Explained: GSM, oz/yd² and Grams per Running Metre
GSM is the weight of one square metre of cloth in grams. Divide it by 33.9 for ounces per square yard, the unit American buyers quote. Multiply it by the width in metres for the weight of one running metre, which is what a mill weighs when it sells by the kilo.
- How to Read a BTCPL Swatch Card: Shades, Count, Construction and Stock
A page in a BTCPL swatch book is one design. A large swatch shows the base cloth and smaller pinned swatches lettered A to G show the other shades it is stocked in. The printed header gives the design number, count, construction, quantity and finish, and the design number is what you quote in an enquiry.
- Seersucker Fabric: What It Is, How the Pucker Is Woven and What It Is Used For
Seersucker is a lightweight cotton cloth with permanently puckered stripes. The pucker is woven in, by weaving with two warps held at different tensions, so it does not iron out and does not need ironing. The crinkle holds the cloth off the skin, which is why it is a summer fabric.
- Yarn Count Explained: Ne, Nm, Tex and Denier on a Fabric Specification
Yarn count tells you how fine a yarn is. Cotton is usually given in English cotton count (Ne), where a higher number means a finer yarn: a 40s yarn is finer than a 20s. Metric count (Nm) works the same way, while tex and denier run the other way, with a higher number meaning a thicker yarn.
- Dobby Fabric: What It Is, How It Is Woven and What It Is Used For
Dobby fabric is cloth with a small pattern woven into it by a dobby loom, such as dots or a fine surface texture. The pattern is part of the weave, so it does not wash off, and the cloth can be dyed either as yarn or as a finished piece.
