Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Textile and Dress Designing flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Moisture regain

Percentage of moisture a dry fibre absorbs from standard atmosphere and holds under specified conditions; cotton is about 8.5 per cent, wool higher, synthetics low.

Thermoplastic fibre

Fibre that softens and can be shaped by heat, such as polyester, nylon and polypropylene; this property allows heat setting and thermal bonding of non-wovens.

Burning test

Fibre identification test judging flame behaviour, odour and ash: cotton burns like paper with grey ash, wool smells of burnt hair, synthetics melt into a hard bead.

Carding

First major yarn-manufacture operation that opens, cleans and individualises fibres into a parallel web, then condenses it into a sliver for further processing.

Cotton count (Ne)

Indirect yarn numbering: number of 840-yard hanks in one pound. A higher Ne means a finer yarn, so 60s cotton is finer than 20s.

Tex

Direct yarn numbering system giving the mass in grams of 1000 metres of yarn; a higher tex value indicates a coarser, heavier yarn.

S twist and Z twist

Direction of yarn twist: in S twist the visible spirals lean like the middle of the letter S; in Z twist they lean the opposite way.

Ply yarn

Yarn made by twisting two or more single yarns together; plying improves strength, evenness and smoothness, and ply twist usually opposes single yarn twist.

Warp and weft

Two yarn sets in woven fabric: warp runs lengthwise, is stronger and more twisted; weft runs crosswise and is inserted over and under the warp.

Plain weave

Simplest weave where each warp yarn alternately passes over and under each weft yarn, giving maximum firmness and interlacement; examples are muslin and poplin.

Twill weave

Weave producing diagonal lines on the surface because warp or weft floats progress by one end each pick; denim and gabardine are twill fabrics.

Weft knitting

Knitting in which a single yarn forms successive loops across the fabric width; produces stretchy fabrics such as single jersey and rib.

Non-woven fabric

Sheet made directly from a fibre web bonded by mechanical, chemical or thermal means, without spinning yarn or interlacing; used for interfacing and disposables.

Mercerising

Treatment of cotton with strong caustic soda under tension, which swells the fibre and gives increased lustre, strength, dye uptake and dimensional stability.

Sanforising

Mechanical compressive shrinking process that pre-shrinks cotton fabric so that residual shrinkage after washing stays within a small, controlled limit.

Reactive dyes

Dye class that forms a chemical covalent bond with cellulose fibres, giving excellent washing fastness and bright shades on cotton.

Disperse dyes

Fine dye particles used mainly on hydrophobic synthetic fibres such as polyester, often applied at high temperature or by transfer printing.

Colour value

One of the three colour dimensions; it describes the lightness or darkness of a hue, ranging from tints made with white to shades made with black.

Complementary scheme

Colour scheme using two hues opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as red and green; it gives strong contrast and should be balanced by area.

Rhythm in design

Principle of design that creates a sense of movement through repetition, gradation, radiation or transition of lines, colours, shapes or trims.

Stoop figure

Irregular figure with rounded, forward-sloping shoulders and a sunken chest; needs a longer front bodice, wider back shoulders and a raised back neckline.

Prominent abdomen

Figure irregularity where the abdomen projects; the pattern is altered by adding length and fullness at the front waistline and adjusting the front dart.

Facing

Shaped piece of fabric attached to a garment edge such as a neckline or armhole to finish it neatly and prevent stretching, usually interfaced for support.

Placket

Finished opening in a garment that holds fasteners such as buttons or a zip; common types are the continuous, flat and tailored plackets.

Basic block (sloper)

Plain pattern of bodice, skirt or sleeve drafted to body measurements without seam allowance or design details, used as a base for creating styles.

Seam allowance

Extra width added beyond the stitching line to join pieces; typically 1 cm for straight seams and up to 5 cm for hems.

Grain line

Straight line marked on a pattern parallel to the lengthwise (warp) direction; it must align with the fabric grain to prevent twisting and poor drape.

Slash and spread

Pattern alteration technique in which the pattern is cut and opened to add fullness, used for gathers, flares and dart manipulation.

Pinking shears

Cutting tool with zigzag blades that trims raw edges into a saw-tooth shape, reducing fraying on firmly woven fabrics as a quick seam finish.

Feed dog

Toothed metal part under the machine needle plate that moves fabric forward by a set stitch length during sewing; it can be lowered for free-motion work.

French seam

Seam in which the raw edges are enclosed inside a folded seam, sewn twice; neat and strong, suitable for sheer and lightweight fabrics.

Flat fell seam

Strong seam with both raw edges enclosed and two parallel rows of stitching on the outside; used on jeans, shirts and other hard-wearing garments.