Woven fabrics

Woven [woven: made from warp and weft yarns interwoven at right angles. ] fabrics are made up of a weft - the yarn going across the width of the fabric - and a warp - the yarn going down the length of the loom. The side of the fabric where the wefts are double back to form a non-fraying edge is called the selvedge.

There are two types of woven fabrics:

Plain-weave fabric

In plain-weave the warp and weft are aligned so that they form a simple criss-cross pattern. It is strong and hardwearing. It is used for fashion and furnishing fabrics.

Twill-weave

In twill-weave the crossings of weft and warp are offset to give a diagonal pattern on the fabric surface. Twill weave is strong and drapes [drapes: hangs or behaves when pleated or folded ] well. It is used for jeans, jackets and curtains.