UPMSP Vocational Textile Design flashcards

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

Micronaire value

A measure of cotton fibre fineness and maturity obtained by air-flow testing. Low values indicate fine, immature fibres; high values indicate coarse, mature fibres that dye less uniformly.

Tex count

A direct yarn numbering system giving the weight in grams of 1000 metres of yarn. Higher Tex means a coarser yarn. Tex equals 590.5 divided by cotton count Ne.

Twist multiplier

Twist multiplier (TM) relates twist per inch to yarn count by TM = TPI ÷ square root of Ne. It predicts yarn character: low TM gives soft yarns, high TM gives hard, lively yarns.

Combed versus carded yarn

Combed yarn has short fibres and impurities removed by combing, giving smoother, stronger, more lustrous yarn. Carded yarn retains short fibres and is cheaper but rougher and less uniform.

Plain weave

The simplest interlacing where each warp end passes alternately over and under each weft pick, producing a firm, reversible fabric with maximum interlacing and good stability.

Twill weave

A weave with diagonal lines formed by interlacing yarns in a step pattern, such as 2/1 or 3/1. Twills are softer and more drapable than plain weave and hide stains well.

Crimp percentage

The waviness of yarn in fabric, calculated as ((yarn length minus fabric length) divided by fabric length) × 100. Crimp affects extensibility, cover and fabric weight calculations.

GSM

Grams per square metre, the areal density of fabric. It is calculated from yarn count and sett, and determines fabric weight category, cost and suitability for garments.

Shedding motion

A primary loom motion that separates warp ends into two layers to form a shed through which the weft is inserted. Shed type is crank, dobby or jacquard.

Dobby versus jacquard

Dobby controls small geometric weaves using a limited number of healds, while jacquard controls individual warp ends via hooks, allowing large, complex pictorial motifs without repeat limits.

Course and wale

In knitted fabric, a course is a horizontal row of loops and a wale is a vertical column of loops. Their counts per centimetre indicate stitch density and fabric quality.

Warp knitting

A knitting method where each needle is fed by its own warp yarn running vertically. Warp knits such as tricot and raschel are fast to produce, dimensionally stable and resist laddering.

Half-drop repeat

A repeat layout where the motif in alternate columns is shifted vertically by half the repeat height. It gives a diagonal visual flow and hides pattern joins better than a block repeat.

Colour wheel schemes

Complementary colours lie opposite on the wheel; analogous colours sit adjacent; triadic colours are evenly spaced. These schemes guide harmonious colourway selection for textile design.

Motif and repeat

A motif is the single design unit; a repeat is its systematic arrangement so the pattern tiles seamlessly across fabric width and length without visible seams.

Chikankari embroidery

A traditional white-on-white embroidered style from Lucknow using fine shadow work and stitches such as bakhiya, murri and jaali on light cotton or silk fabric.

Appliqué

A surface ornamentation technique in which a cut fabric shape is stitched onto a base fabric. Reverse appliqué cuts the top layer to reveal contrasting fabric beneath.

Couching

An embroidery technique where a thick or metallic thread is laid on the fabric surface and secured with small stitches of a finer thread, common in zari and gold work.

Reactive dyes

Dyes that form covalent bonds with cellulose fibres such as cotton in alkaline conditions, giving excellent wash fastness and bright shades. They require soaping after dyeing.

Disperse dyes

Fine dye particles dispersed in water, used mainly for hydrophobic synthetic fibres such as polyester. They are applied at high temperature or by sublimation transfer printing.

Crock fastness

Resistance of a dyed fabric to colour transfer by rubbing, tested dry and wet against white cloth and rated on a 1-to-5 grey scale. Low wet crock indicates poor fixation.

Mordant

A metal salt such as alum or iron that binds natural dye to fibre, improving colour depth and fastness. Different mordants shift the shade obtained from the same dye.

Fusible interlining

A coated fabric bonded to garment parts by heat and pressure to give shape and support. Bonding conditions of temperature, pressure and time must be tested to avoid bubbling.

Lyocell fibre

A regenerated cellulose fibre made by dissolving wood pulp in an amine oxide solvent that is recovered in a closed loop. It is strong, soft and drapes well.

Overlock machine

A machine forming an overedge stitch that trims the seam allowance and wraps the raw edge with multiple threads, preventing fraying and providing stretch in knit garments.

Stitches per inch

The number of lockstitch loops per inch of seam, usually 10 to 14 for garment sewing. Too few cause seam slippage; too many cause puckering and needle damage.

Needle size selection

Sewing machine needle size is chosen to match fabric weight, for example 70/10 for fine silk and 100/16 for denim. A wrong needle causes skipped stitches, holes or thread breakage.

Four-point inspection

A fabric defect grading system assigning 1 to 4 penalty points according to defect length, then comparing total points per 100 square yards against an acceptance limit.

AQL sampling

Acceptable Quality Limit sampling defines the maximum percentage of defective units allowed in a lot for a given sample size, following standards such as ISO 2859.

Sanforising

A compressive shrinkage finishing process that reduces residual shrinkage of cotton fabric to about 1 percent, giving dimensional stability in washing.

Break-even quantity

The number of units that must be sold for total revenue to equal total cost, calculated as fixed costs divided by selling price minus variable cost per unit.

MSDS

Material Safety Data Sheet supplied with chemicals, listing hazards, handling precautions, first-aid measures and disposal. It must be available wherever dyes and solvents are stored.