OT word of the day

Downunder they are also called French seams

Dee in Oz

"Sally Sw> But here in England they are French!!

My czech grandma called them french seams too. Taria

Dee > Downunder they are also called French seams

What about other things that have nationalistic names?

Is broderie anglais called something different in England? I must admit that it took a while for me to figure out what it was because here in the boondocks of the USA I had mostly heard it called Madeira work. I imagine in Madiera that they either call it broderie anglais or something else entirely.

What about Irish Lace? Do they call it that in Ireland? The number of place names and ethinic groups used in the names of various kinds of lace is just staggering.

Hey! Is English paper piecing called something else in England?

NightMist does not call American cheese, back cheese. Though it is tempt>My czech grandma called them french seams too.

Broderie Anglais is called that here; but isn't it funny that these are French words used to describe 'English embroidery' (translation), but that we use the French version?

I think Irish lace would be called by its regional names within Ireland eg Limerick lace.

English paper piecing is called English paper piecing. The patchwork blocks, though, are, in general, called American piecing.

In message , NightMist writes

Bast Fibre

Strong, soft, woody fibres such as flax, jute, hemp and ramie which come from the inner bark of plants

Sanforized

A trademarked finishing process which compresses the fabric to reduce its residual shrinkage to not more than 1 percent.

Clo Value

The insulation value of clothing and bedding is measured in Clo units. Much like the insulation of your house is measured in R units.

At it's most basic, 1 unit of clo value is what a person can comfortably wear in a 70 F (21C ?) room.

Naked skin has a clo value of 0, a high loft down comforter with a closely woven top and back has an approximate clo value of 5.

To get the clo value of a given set of clothes, you simply add the values together. For example a T-shirt (.09) plus jeans (.25) gives a value of .34, add socks (.02) and sneakers (.02), and at .38 clo units you might be a little underdressed for October.

If you want to play with the math, additional basic info and a handy dandy chart is here:

Bombazine

The best known version is a fabric with a silk warp and woolen weft. Very durable, easy to wear, and suitable for most weather. It rose to popularity during the elizabethan period as a mourning fabric, due to these qualities, and stayed in fashion for such until the last century which saw the rise of synthetics and a change in mourning customs.

At some points in history, and currently, a silk warp with a weft of cotton or linen are also called bombazine.

Bombazette is a lightweight woolen fabric. I have personally seen the term incorrectly applied to a rayon warp with a woolen weft. I suspect that other such odd labling is probably also out there applied to similar combinations.

"Bombazine" conjures such interesting pictures--"Bambi in Bombazine," "Bombay Bombazine," "Bimbos in Bombazine." Here is the deriviation of the word, from Merrian-Webster.com: Middle French, bombasin; from Medieval Latin bombacinum (silken texture); from bombyx (silk).

Nann

Denier

A unit of weight for measuring the fineness of threads of silk, nylon, rayon, etc., equal to .05 gram per 450 meters or 1 gram per 9000 meters.

I know this varies with nylon, but does it with silk? Do you get large- and small-calibre silkworms?

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

Jack, Denier is a measure for threads, not fibers or filaments. Most threads are spun with several fibers/filaments and the number used, as well as their size, helps to determine the denier of the thread. How tightly they are spun also influences the finished denier of the thread.

Pati, >> Denier

Hong Kong Finish

Commonly described as simply finishing seams with bias tape, it is a bit more than that. An adequete explanation may be found at:

A couture touch that was popular in the 50's and 60's, and still a sharp looking finish for unlined garments.

Yarn Dyed

Fabrics which have had the yarns colored before the fabric is woven. Usually used to produce stripes plaids or tapestries.

ok, this one is definitely cottons and quilted. a scrappy way to cover a basket that is in need of jazzing up a bit maybe. good use of scraps too. j.

Dupion or Dupioni

Irregular rough silk reeled from twinned or interlocked cocoons. Also refers to the fabrics woven from this uneven silk, or made to imitate it.

Plain weave

The most basic of weaves using single alternate warp and weft yarns. Any type of yarn made from any fibres can be manufactured into a plain weave fabric. Examples are muslin, traditional challais, and most flanels.

Dobby

The type of novelty weave that results in repeating small geometric shapes woven across the surface of the fabric. Or, the loom attachment that allows for the weaving of these fabrics.