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

Identifying Weaves
Sheers (Cellular)
Image courtesy of Private Collection
Image courtesy of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Aertex
A trade name for a cloth
patented in Britain in 1886,
which was first manufactured
in 1888. The cloth traps air in-
between its structure, keeping
Image courtesy Private Collection
the body cool in summer, and
warm in winter and I was
Image courtesy of Private Collection
Leno
Mock leno
A fabric in which an open effect is created
by causing certain thread ends or doup
threads to cross over. Two threads or ends
act as one thread; when a weft thread
passes between them, the doup ends twist
catching the weft and holding it tightly in
place. Very fancy and beautiful cloths can
be produced by combining the cross
weaving with other weave structures. The
term leno is generally applied to all light
weight fabrics in which the cross weaving principle is used. A mock leno is where there is no crossing of the
warp threads. The gauze is obtained by the warp being reeded to allow for open spaces on the cloth, the weft
is then loosely woven to produce a net-like effect. This type of cloth is recognisable by the ease in which both
the warp and the weft can be moved about, whilst in leno weaving it cannot be moved so easily.
See leno. The illustration also features within the weft
of the net a brightly coloured yellow silk floss and metal
thread. Such effects were very common during the late
19 th and early 20 th century.
originally used for under garments, sportswear, corsetry and as a cloth to protect early space equipment.
The product of the Cellular Clothing Company who invented and manufactured aertex, were ideal for
extreme weather conditions. The structure is referred to as a cellular cloth type and is made with two
warps: one leno and one tabby which interweave, the pattern is formed in a mirror fashion.
with aertex cloth. The structure is referred to as a cellular cloth
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