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Fabric Fundamentals

Fiber, yarn and construction. Understand what your textiles are made of—and what that tells you.

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9 articles

Close-up photograph of a pale woven textile

Cotton vs linen: what changes in everyday use?

Fabric Fundamentals

Choose between cotton and linen by structure, handling and care rather than fiber slogans.

Knitted cloth with visible loops beside yarn and needles

Woven or knit? Read the structure before the label

Fabric Fundamentals

Identify interlaced yarns and loops and infer useful limits for stretch and repair.

Close view of crossing yarns in a pale woven cloth

Plain, twill and satin: three weaves to recognize

Fabric Fundamentals

Compare interlacing, diagonals and floats without confusing fiber and weave.

Close-up of a blue textile surface

What a fiber blend can—and cannot—tell you

Fabric Fundamentals

Interpret percentages separately from fabric construction and finishing.

Skeins of wool yarn arranged by color

Why wool felts, and why shrinkage is not one thing

Fabric Fundamentals

Distinguish felting from relaxation and avoid promising reversal.

Pale flowing fabric arranged in soft folds

Viscose, modal and lyocell: reading regenerated-fiber labels

Fabric Fundamentals

Explain regenerated cellulose names and separate fiber identification from sustainability claims.

Fabric falling into broad overlapping folds

Fabric weight is not thickness: judging drape and body

Fabric Fundamentals

Use weight, opacity and bending behavior as separate observations.

Blue denim jeans hanging together on a rack

What makes denim different from other cotton cloth?

Fabric Fundamentals

Recognize twill, yarn color and elastane differences without universal washing rules.

Different garments arranged on clothes hangers

Fiber label or care label? They answer different questions

Fabric Fundamentals

Separate composition disclosure from finished-garment cleaning instructions.