Identifying Textile Types and Weaves 1750-1950 - Dress and Textile ...

Identifying weaves
Plain Cloths – Checks
Houndstooth
The cloth is normally produced using
worsted yarn and is achieved by a
combined colour and weave effect. The
twill structure can be produced by
either four and four or eight and eight
contrasting threads in the warp which
are crossed with a similar weft thread
arrangement. This structure forms a
jagged edge check cloth which is often
found in suiting. During the late 19 th
and 20 th centuries the cloth was also
referred to as Shepherd‟s Check.
Image courtesy of Private Collection
Diaper
Image courtesy of Private Collection
houndstooth
The term used to describe woven cloths with small
all over repeated geometric patterns such as
Gingham
diamonds, rectangles or square. The cloth has been
used for many applications including dress and
furnishing.
Usually an all cotton cloth, which is a tabby (plain) weave
fabric, woven from dyed yarns in stripes and checks. In each
case there is the same number of coloured warps and wefts as
there are white. The widths of the formed checks can be many
sizes, the cloth differing qualities and nearly all checks of this
structure can be placed under this heading. This cloth is hard
wearing, cheap to produce and is often used for work clothes
or upholstery cloth. Several origins of the name gingham have
been suggested including Guingamp in Brittany where
gingham was once manufactured extensively. However, the
Oxford English Dictionary derives the word from Malay „ging-
gang‟ meaning striped.
Image courtesy of Private Collection
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