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Glossary Of Fabric Terms [27]

R Raising The technique used to produce the nap of cloth. Originally, only woolen cloth was raised, but now flannelette and other cotton fabrics are also raised. Raising is one of the last steps in the finishing process for cloth.
Rakematiz Thick silk fabric embroidered with strands of gold. It was extremely rare and valuable. Apparel that incorporated rakematiz was popular in Europe in the Middle Ages.
Ramie Ramie is one of the strongest natural fibers. Ramie fiber is known especially for its ability to hold shape, reduce wrinkling, and introduce a silky lustre to the fabric appearance. It is used to make such products as industrial sewing thread, packing materials, fishing nets, and filter cloths. It is also made into fabrics for household furnishings and clothing, frequently in blends with other textile fibers.
Rapier Loom Shuttleless weaving loom in which the filling yarn is carried through the shed of warp yarns to the other side of the loom by finger-like carriers called rapiers.
Raschel Knit Type of a knitted fabric. A common type of machine made lace. Raschel knits have a lacelike, open construction, with a heavy, textured yarn held in place by a much finer yarn. Raschels can be made in a variety of types, ranging from fragile to coarse, and usually have limited stretch.
Raw Fiber Textile fiber, as cotton or wool, or textile filaments, as silk or nylon, that has received no manipulation or treatment.
Raw silk Also known as noil, it is the short fiber left over from combing wool or spinning silk and used as a decorative additive for many spinning projects, like rovings and yarns.
Rayadillo Blue and white striped cotton fabric used to make the military uniforms worn by Spanish colonial soldiers before and during the Spanish–American War.
Rayon Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fibre. It is made from purified cellulose, primarily from wood pulp, which is chemically converted into a soluble compound. It is then dissolved and forced through a spinneret to produce filaments which are chemically solidified, resulting in synthetic fibres of nearly pure cellulose.
Ready to Wear (RTW) The term for factory-made clothing, sold in finished condition, in standardized sizes, as distinct from made to measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a particular person's frame.
Reed Part of a loom, and resembles a comb. It is used to push the weft yarn securely into place as it is woven, it also separates the warp threads and holds them in their positions, keeping them untangled, and guides the shuttle as it moves across the loom. It consists of a frame with lots of vertical slits. The reed is securely held by the beater.
Regenerated Cellulose (Rayon) It is a regenerated cellulose fiber, made from purified cellulose, primarily from wood pulp, which is chemically converted into a soluble compound. It is then dissolved and forced through a spinneret to produce filaments which are chemically solidified, resulting in synthetic fibers of nearly pure cellulose.
Rep Cloth woven in fine cords or ribs across the width of a piece, usually made of silk, wool, or cotton. In silk it is used for dresses, neckties, and to some extent, for ecclesiastical vestments. In wool and cotton it is used for various upholstery purposes.
Resist Dyeing Dyeing technique used in many areas of manufacturing and art. An object is added to parts of a product to create a pattern by protecting these parts from being affected by a subsequent stage in the process. Often the resist is then removed. For example in the resist dyeing of textiles, wax or a similar substance is added to places where the dye is not wanted. The wax will "resist" the dye, and after it is removed there will be a pattern in two colours. Batik, shibori and tie-dye are among many styles of resist dyeing
Reticella lace Needle lace dating from the 15th century and remaining popular into the first quarter of the 17th century. Reticella was originally a form of cutwork in which threads were pulled from linen fabric to make a "grid" on which the pattern was stitched, primarily using buttonhole stitch. Later reticella used a grid made of thread rather than a fabric ground. Both methods resulted in a characteristic geometric design of squares and circles with various arched or scalloped borders.
Rib Knit One of the four primary weft-base knit structures. It is a pattern in which vertical stripes of stockinette stitch alternate with vertical stripes of reverse stockinette stitch.
Rib weave Variation of plain weave and is created very similarly to a plain weave piece of fabric. The basic construction follows the same pattern of the weft yarns going under and over the warp yarns in the pattern of one under, one over and so on.
Rinzu Japanese silk satin damask. It was the preferred fabric for kimonos in the Edo period.
Rip-Stop Nylon Ripstop nylon is a light-weight nylon fabric with interwoven ripstop reinforcement threads in a crosshatch pattern. The material comes in many different colors and sizes, including thickness. It is woven with coarse, strong warp and filling yarns at intervals so that tears will not spread. Ripstop nylon may be waterproof, water resistant, fire resistant, or have zero porosity, and comes in light, medium and heavy weights. Textures range from a soft and silk-like material to a crisp or stiff fabric that sounds like a paper bag when moved.
Ripstop Ripstop fabrics are woven fabrics, often made of nylon, using a special reinforcing technique that makes them resistant to tearing and ripping. Fibers used to make ripstop include cotton, silk, polyester, and polypropylene, with nylon content limited to the crosshatched threads that make it tear-resistant.
Rolag a roll of fibre generally used to spin woollen yarn. A rolag is created by first carding the fibre, using handcards, and then by gently rolling the fibre off the cards. If properly prepared, a rolag will be uniform in width, distributing the fibres evenly.
Roll Goods Fabric rolled up on a core after it has been produced. It is described in terms of weight and width of the roll and length of the material on the roll.
Roller Printing The method of applying a coloured pattern to cloth, invented by Thomas Bell of Scotland in 1783. A separate dye paste for each colour is applied to the fabric from a metal roller that is intaglio engraved according to the design. The technique can be used with almost any textile fabric.
Roving A long and narrow bundle of fiber. Rovings are produced during the process of making spun yarn from wool fleece, raw cotton, or other fibres. Their main use is as fibre prepared for spinning, but they may also be used for specialised kinds of knitting or other textile arts.
Rubber Also called India rubber, natural rubber, gum, gum elastic, caoutchouc, it is a highly elastic solid substance, light cream or dark amber in color, polymerized by the drying and coagulation of the latex or milky juice of rubber trees and plants.
Rug A thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design.
Russell cord Finely corded fabric, generally constructed with a cotton warp and worsted weft. It is usually woven using 40% cotton and 60% wool (or similar compositions depending on the weaver). It is mainly used in the making of quality black academical dress, as well as clerical dress and legal dress in the United Kingdom.