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Damask
A glossy jacquard fabric, usually made from linen, cotton, rayon, silk, or blends. The patterns are flat and reversible. The fabric is often used in napkins, tablecloths, draperies, and upholstery.
Damask
A fabric with elaborately woven patterns of silk, linen, or wool.
Darn
To repair a hole by using stitches going back and forth that fill the hole. Most commonly referred to when repairing socks. Some people use special darning tools and balls to keep fabric taut while they make the repair with needle and thread. Some sewing machines come with darning attachments and stitches.
Dart
A V shaped, tapered adjustment to a pattern to allow for more fullness in the bust area or less fullness in other areas (waist, back). Darts can be creatively placed for fit or design elements.
Denier
A system of measuring the weight of a continuous filament fiber. In the United States, this measurement is used to number all manufactured fibers (both filament and staple), and silk, but excluding glass fiber. The lower the number, the finer the fiber; the higher the number, the heavier the fiber. Numerically, a denier is the equivalent to the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of continuous filament fiber.
Denim
True denim is a twill weave cotton-like fabric made with different colored yarns in the warp and the weft. Due to the twill construction, one color predominates on the fabric surface.
Diaper
A type of cloth which was widely used during the period. Its distinction as a cloth to wrap around the behinds of babies grew from its soft and absorbent character, being a cloth typically ornamented with small figures (most commonly diamonds). Because of its almost universal application to babies' behinds, the cloth and the baby undergarment came to own the same name.
Dimity
A finely ribbed fabric. While the most popular dimity was white or colored, it was also made in prints.
Directional Stitching
Stitching with the grain in woven fabrics. In knits, stitching all seams in the same direction.
Dobby Weave
A decorative weave, characterized by small figures, usually geometric, that are woven into the fabric structure. Dobbies may be of any weight or compactness, with yarns ranging from very fine to coarse and fluffy. Standard dobby fabrics are usually flat and relatively fine or sheer. However, some heavyweight dobby fabrics are available for home furnishings and for heavy apparel.
Doeskin
Generally applied to a type of fabric finish in which a low nap is brushed in one direction to create a soft suede-like hand on the fabric surface. End-uses include billiard table surfaces and men's' sportswear.
Donegal Tweed
A medium to heavy of plain or twill weave fabric in which colorful yarn slubs are woven into the fabric. The name originally applied to a hand-woven woolen tweed fabric made in Donegal, Ireland. End-uses include winter coats and suits.
Dongle
A small security device or key for your computer that attaches to the printer port/cable. It is used between embroidery machines and computers, protecting from theft of designs, keeping track of converted images, etc. It may also be used in cybercafes to keep track of time on a computer for which you're paying in time increments.
Dotted Swiss
A lightweight, sheer cotton or cotton blend fabric with a small dot flock-like pattern either printed on the surface of the fabric, or woven into the fabric. End-uses for this fabric include blouses, dresses, baby clothes, and curtains.
Double Cloth
A fabric construction, in which two fabrics are woven on the loom at the same time, one on top of the other. In the weaving process, the two layers of woven fabric are held together using binder threads. The woven patterns in each layer of fabric can be similar or completely different.
Double Fullness
When each of a pair of curtains are the measured width of the window enabling curtains to drape in folds.
Double Hem
Folding the fabric over twice in equal amounts i.e. a 2" double hem would need 4" of fabric.
Double Knit
A weft knit fabric in which two layers of loops are formed that cannot be separated. A double knit machine, which has two complete sets of needles, is required for this construction.
Double Weave
A woven fabric construction made by interlacing two or more sets of warp yarns with two or more sets of filling yarns. The most common double weave fabrics are made using a total of either four or five sets of yarns.
Dowelling
A circular or oval length of wood or plastic attached to the back of a blind to keep the fabric flat.
Drape/Drapes
Drape describes the way fabric hangs and falls from the body. Drapes are a formal window covering hung from drapery rods.
Drapes
Another name for curtains.
Drugget
A heavy wool fabric that was often used for coats.
Duck
A tightly woven, heavy, plain-weave, bottom-weight fabric with a hard, durable finish. The fabric is usually made of cotton, and is widely used in men's and women's slacks, and children's playclothes.
Duct Tape Double (DTD)
A body form made out of primarily duct tape and other materials that conforms exactly to one's body because the tape is wound around the body and then removed as a whole.
Durability
The ability of a fabric to resist wear through continual use. Durable Press
A treatment applied to the fabric in the finishing process in which it maintains a smooth attractive appearance, resists wrinkling, and retains creases or pleats during laundering.
Dust Skirt / Ruffles
Another name for a bed valance.
