Weft

The series of threads that pass from selvedge to selvedge of the fabric and are known as picks.

A part of the weft stop motion, the function of which is to stop the loom on weft breakage or exhaustion. Side weft forks are usually made with three prongs which are bent at right angles to the main portion of the fork and contact with the weft every pick or every alternate pick. If the weft is absent the rear hooked end of the fork engages with a lever to stop the loom. Centre weft forks are situated in the centre of the cloth and operate every pick.

The practice of weaving simultaneously two or more cops or pirns of the same kind or colour of weft. The object is to destroy any tendency to shadiness when weaving dyed weft, or when weaving grey weft for subsequent piece-dyeing; or to so mix up the weft that variations in twist, colour, etc., do not show in the finished fabric. The commonest method of weft mixing is to take two picks in alternate succession from two different cops of the same kind. The same method is practised when weaving alternate pairs of S and Z twist. One firm makes a box motion adapted to weave with three shuttles with the same kind of weft and to insert one pick only from each shuttle in regular succession.

Clockwise spun yarn, termed weft-way because weft is usually spun in the reverse direction to warp yarn. Weft-way spun cotton is S twist.

Mechanical devices on looms adapted to automatically detect substantial exhaustion of weft in the active shuttle, and at the appropriate time automatically replenish the weft supply. There are two types of motion in use, those in which the same shuttle runs continuously to which full pirns are supplied as required, and those in which a full shuttle is substituted for an empty one.

Cloths that have a preponderance of weft on the face due to the weave, as in the case of weft-faced satins, or to having a greater number of picks per inch than warp ends as in the case of imperials, swansdowns, moleskin, beavcrtcen and like fabrics.

A knitted texture capable of being formed from a single thread forming a succession of loops horizontally, each successive horizontal row of loops being drawn through the previous row of loops one stitch at a time. The simplest kind of weft-knit fabric is the plain knitting done by hand needles in the home.

Mostly velvets or velveteen in which the pile is formed by the weft. (See Velveteen)

A weft-faced satin weave cloth.

" Super weft " may mean anything today. The original meaning of the term was that the weft was really the highest class of weft that could be spun and from the best cotton, usually combed.

Instead of being fixed at the side of the loom, which is the usual method, the centre weft fork is placed in the middle of the sley, thus enabling it to operate on every pick that passes. The side weft fork operates once every two picks.

A term to indicate that the weft in rayon and other fabrics is woven from two or more shuttles on box-looms. This is done to obviate weft bars or shadiness in the cloth.

Single-cotton yarn, spun with fewer turns per inch than ordinary warp yarn, but more for weft than for weaving. It is used for doubling into two or more folded yams.

A method of adding ornament to a fabric. In this case, as in extra warp figuring, removal of the extra figuring threads leaves a complete woven structure. Extra weft may interweave with all the fabric ground threads, or only in parts, in which case the floating portions may be removed by cropping. There may be one, two or more extra wefts used and only one warp.

A weaving fault that is due to insufficient tension on the weft as it leaves the shuttle, or rebounding of the latter as it enters the box.

A cotton cloth woven with jacquard designs and used for table covers, napkins, curtains, upholstery cloth, etc. They can be reversible or one-sided only. Designs may be floral or geometrical. Yams 8's to 40's warp and weft. The ground and figure are bound by uniform weaves, generally twill or satin. The figure is developed by interchanging the warp and weft and the pattern so made up that the reflection of light on the threads brings out the effect. Linen and silk damasks only differ in material, as cotton damasks are made in very fine yarns. ———————— A fabric of single structure formed by two satin weaves with figure developed in warp and ground in weft satin weaves resulting in a design that shows very clearly as a warp figure on a weft ground. The figure can be made more prominent by using coloured yam. For table damasks a cotton warp with linen weft is often used. Damasks are made in numerous qualities, but all are figured in the five- or eight-shaft satin weaves. As early as the reign of Henry VIII a damask was a rich figured satin or linen and a damask was known in England as early as the 13th century. The name is derived from Damascus and is presumed to refer to the design and not the material. The finest linen damask is woven about 126 ends and 188 picks per inch from superior flax yarns. The finished sizes vary up to 90-in. wide, 6 yards long, and as a rule damask napkins and table tops can be obtained to match. Standard cloths of single damask are made: - Five-end satin, 60-ends and 56 picks per inch, 50's T., 35's lea W., boiled; 8-end satin, 80 ends and 76 picks per inch, 50's T., 60's lea W., boiled (see Double Damask) ———————— Originally an all-silk fabric with large designs developed in many colours. It was a heavy cloth with satin ground and weft figure. Imitations are now made with cotton warp and cotton or rayon weft. Used for dresses, and when very heavy for curtains, furnishings, dancing shoes, etc. The brocade effects are developed in colour or fancy weaves. Damasse Arabesque has arabesque designs. Damasse Brocat has gold and silver weft for figuring. Damasse Broche has flowered designs. Damasse Cachenir has palm leaf designs. Damasse Chine has printed silk warps. Damasse Egyptien has Egyptian designs. Damasse Jardinier is an expensive damask made with silk warp and fine mercerised cotton weft. The design is of detached flowers in colours. Many coloured wefts are used.

The principal types are Axminster, Brussels and Wilton, and brief particulars of each are given below. A more detailed description is given under each name. Axminster is a cut fabric made any width and with any number of colours. It is not produced on a jacquard, therefore the pile does not show on the back. The design is developed by a series of tufts which are bound into the fabric, every tuft is on the surface and only the foundation cloth is seen at the back. There are two principal varieties of these carpets, the Chenille Axminster and the Machine tufted Axminster. The Chenille type is made by two distinct operations, that of manufacturing the chenille weft and that of weaving the carpet with this weft. The " fur or chenille is first woven on an ordinary loom (see chenille) and when cut into the strips is used as weft with a linen, jute or folded cotton warp. The chenille is made preferably with the leno way of shedding in order to bind the wool yarn more firmly. All the figuring weft is on the surface and not embedded in the fabric. The chenille weft is often inserted by hand, but several mechanical methods for doing the work are now in use. From three to six tufts per inch are usual. The chenille Axminster Carpet is also known as the Patent Axminster carpet. The machine-tufted type or Royal Axminster is also formed from pile tufts previously prepared and afterwards woven in the ground warp and bound into the fabric with a binding weft. The tufts may be inserted by hand and the pile is all on the surface of the fabric. This pile is a warp product, whereas for the chenille variety it is weft. Axminster carpets are a product of skill and patience and any number of colours can be used. There are several varieties of machine-made axminster carpets. Wilton is a cut pile fabric woven 27-in. wide from not more than six colours, the yarns are fine counts and design produced by jacquards. Brussels is made almost in the same way as a Wilton, but the pile is not cut and this shows as loops on the face. The yarn is much coarser than for Wiltons. Kidderminster - A carpet made from two or more plain cloths woven together. Each cloth is brought on the face for figuring as required. Turkish - These are hand made. The pile is put into the ground warp by hand as tufts and knotted round them according to pattern. There are two picks of ground weft between each row of pile. Tapestry - Carpets woven from printed warps. The pile is cut or left uncut as required for the design. Persian - Carpets similar to Turkish, being hand made. See also Axminster, Brussels, Kidderminster, Persian Tapestry, Turkish, Wilton Carpets, Body Brussels, Brusselette, Ingrain.

A style of crepe, plain, figured or printed, exceedingly soft or drapy, woven with a fine silk warp, and open band and cross band tightly twisted worsted weft, which shrinks to a permanent crinkled effect when finished. A lustre is always visible owing to the fine silk warp. The weft is twisted the reverse way to the warp. Some crepe-de-Chines are made from ordinary hard-twisted warp, in these styles the weft used is usually two picks weft way, and two picks twist way spun. Also a plain weave all-silk fabric made from very fine yarns, about 26 to 30 denier. The warp is raw silk, ranging from 200 to 300 ends per inch, with 72 to 90 picks of hard-twist crepe weft. The weft is two right and two reverse. A 44-in. cloth will give 39/40-in. finished. Turns per inch in the weft range from 40 to 70. A cotton crepe-de-Chine is made 41-in. wide, 104 ends and 64 picks per inch, 2/80's T., 80's crepe weft. Its appearance and draping quality are much inferior to a silk crepe-de-Chine.

The real pongee is woven in Northern China on hand looms from the silk of wild cocoons. Almost always of pale or dark ecru, but sometimes dyed in colours to meet a fashion. The warp is always finer than the weft and more even, the weft having nubs characteristic of wild silk yarn which forms a crossrib effect with the many nubs scattered in the fabric. The name means " own loom " in Chinese, signifying that the piece was woven on a house's own loom in guarantee of which certain Chinese characters are stamped on the cloth. Another explanation of the name is that it derives from pang-chih (Cantonese, " pung-che ") which is the name of the wheel on which the silk is reeled from the cocoon. A very fine cloth is also made by the natives of many parts of India from natural coloured silk warp and weft, plain weave, very fine sett, such as 150 ends and 150 picks per inch. The Lancashire pongee is made from the best of cotton and mercerised, dyed and schreinered. A variety is 35-in., 120 yards, 98 ends and 104 picks per inch, 80's warp, 120's weft. British silk pongees are "woven from yarn in its gummed state and degummed after weaving. When dyed and finished the handle and brilliance of the cloth are excellent. A typical cloth is made 80 ends and 80 picks per inch, 26 denier singles warp, 90 denier singles weft. Pongees are very fine fabrics, but many muslins are called pongees and the quality varies according to the market, such as 98 ends and 104 picks per inch, 80's warp, 120's weft, all Egyptian, home trade; 74 ends and 74 picks per inch, 60's warp, 60's weft, all Egyptian, South America; 60 ends and 60 picks per inch, 34's warp, 32's weft, all American, Java and China.

Cotton fabric with a short full pile made by weft tufts, and frequently referred to as cotton velvet. A better definition of velveteen would be weft pile velvet to distinguish the fabric from warp pile velvet, more particularly since the practice has grown of making velvets with rayon weft pile on the same principle as cotton weft pile velveteens. The weaves vary, but all conform to the principle of floating the weft which is to form pile over five or more ends. The pile weft in cheaper velveteens floats over five warp ends and under one, the weave being complete on 6 ends and 6 picks as shown at A. After weaving, the pile picks are cut in the centre of the floats, e.g., along the arrows, in order to make a uniform length of pile. With this construction the weft tufts have only one intersection with the warp by which they are held, and stability in the fabric can only be obtained by mutual support through the tufts, the binding picks, and the warp ends, being present in sufficient number. Another weave for velveteen is shown at B on 6 ends and 8 picks. A method of weaving fast pile velveteen is shown in weave C, where the weft tufts make three intersections and are held by two warp threads. See diagram under Velvet, showing single and fast pile tufts.