Mackinaw. Heavy woolen fabric, napped. Two sides may differ in color and design. Usually contains large percentage of reclaimed wool. May have cotton warp or cotton mixed in yarns. Stock-dyed. Usually plaids or dark colors. May be cravenetted. Very durable. Uses: lumberman's jackets, overcoats. Weave—twill or double construction. Width, 54", 56".
Maco. See Egyptian cotton.
Madras. First made in Madras, India for sailors' headdresses. I. Soft, cotton fabric for shirts. May be white, yarn-dyed or printed. Usually mercerized. May contain rayon. Many fancy effects in weaving as corded stripe or small figure. Uses: shirts, blouses, pajamas. Weave—plain or fancy. Width, 27", 32". 2. Thin drapery fabric of cotton or rayon woven with figures on a leno foundation. Long floats between figures are sheared away. Shaggy effect produced by ends of floating yarn
Madras (shirting) Typical corded effect. Many variations
Madras (curtain) Note shaggy effect where float yarns are cut colored figures. Use: curtains. Weave—leno with Jacquard pattern. Width, 36", 50".
Maline (pr. mah-leen). Origmally spelled malines. Similar to bobbinet net only thinner and very stiff. Made of silk. Some of it is treated chemically to withstand moisture. Unless so treated it becomes gummy when wet due to stiffening used. White and colors. Uses: veils, millinery, dress trimming. Weave—net. Width, 24", 27".
Marquisette Leno or gauze construction
Manila hemp. Fibrous strips from long fleshy leaves of plant. Used in cordage and for millinery braid called Tagal.
Marquisette. Open loose fabric of leno construction. Often incorrectly applied to scrim and voile which have plain weave. Marquisettes may be woven from cotton usually mercerized, silk, rayon, wool. White, piece-dyed and printed. Use: curtains. Weave—leno. Width, 36", 50".
Marseilles.
Originally made in Marseilles, France. Heavy, double-faced white cotton cloth with a raised woven pattern. Formerly used for men's vests, dresses, etc. Now seen only in bed spreads. Matelasse (pr. mat-las-say). French, meaning to cushion or pad, hence a quilted surface produced on the loom. A figured or brocaded cloth having a raised pattern as if quilted or wadded. Mechanical fabrics. Manufactured for use as an intermediate product in the making of some mechanically constructed article, as rubber belt, duck, tire cord fabric, hose duck. Melton. Named for Melton, England. Thick, smooth woolen fabric, heavier than broadcloth or Kersey. Resembles felt. May contain cotton warp and woolen yarns. Much felted, napped, shorn close, and dull finished. Like kersey except in finish, very strong fabric, often cravenetted; piece-dyed. Uses: uniforms, overcoats. Weave—twill. Width, 54". 60".
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Mercerizing. Chemical process which renders cotton permanently more lustrous, stronger and more susceptible to dye. Named for its originator, John Mercer, an English calico printer. Cotton, yarn or cloth, held in a state of tension to prevent shrinking and treated with caustic soda.
Mercerized dyed fabrics. Two-toned effects produced by weaving mercerized cotton yarns of one color with warp of another color. Often called "sunfast" or "sunproof" because they have been advertised as "fadeproof". Use: hangings. Weave—plain or leno. Width, 50". Some of the trade names are as follows: Sunfast, Stafford, Diana* Orinoka*. Many of these fabrics carry a guarantee from the manufacturer.
Mercerized lisle. Lisle yarns when mercerized are smooth and lustrous. It is incorrect to say "silk lisle".
Merino. I. Name of a breed of sheep. 2. Name of a fabric, no longer made. 3. In knit goods, term may refer only to all wool. Ruling of Federal Trade Commission.
Merveilieux (pr. mer-vay-lew). Lining fabric used principally in men's coats and overcoats. All silk, or silk and cotton. Weave—twill. Width, 32", 36".
Mesh fabric. Knit garments of open honeycomb effect usually made for men. See Linen mesh.
Messaline. Named after Messalina, wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Light-weight satin, yarn-or piece-dyed. Wears well if pure silk yarns arc used and if relation of warp to filling is suitable. Uses: dresses, blouses, trimmings. Weave—satin. Width, 36".
Metal cloth. Decorative fabric used for trimmings and millinery. Made of cotton warp and metal filling yarns. These yarns are produced by winding a strip of tinsel around a cotton yarn. All colors and figured effects, woven and printed. When metal cloth becomes creased or wrinkled the creases can not be removed. Weave—plain or satin. Width, 24", 36". Metalline. An imitation of metal cloth. Warp of silk in gum and filling yarns of slightly twisted rayon which reflects light as if they were metallic. White and colors. Weave— plain. Width, 36". Middy twill. White twilled fabric of cotton or mercerized cotton, similar to drilling or jean. Softer, than denim, wears and launders well. See Duretta* Uses: middies, children's clothes. Weave—twill. Width, 36".
Milanese (pr. mil-an-ees). Knitted fabric so constructed that it does not ravel easily. Made on a warp knitting frame (called a Milanese loom). Most cotton fabric gloves made of warp knit goods. Silk fabric known as glove silk, tricot, jersey silk. See Italian silk* Uses: underwear, gloves, hosiery. Width, 32" or 14 feet wide. Mill ends. Remnants or short lengths from the mill.
Milled. Same as fulled or felted.
Mirror velvet. See velvet.
Mock seam. Hose knitted in tubular form but seamed up the back to imitate full-fashioned garment. Fashion marks are often added at the back to make resemblance greater.
Mohair. 1. Hair of the Angora goat, long and silky; when manufactured, called mohair. 2. Fabric, practically the same as brilliantine. Also called alpaca. 3. Pile fabric with back of cotton or wool and pile of mohair. Cut and uncut loops. See Frise. Two-toned effects due to pile of one color, back of another. Embossed effect by different depths of pile or pressing. Printed patterns.
Moire or watered silk silient of all pile fabrics. Uses: upholstery, Teddy bears. Weave—pile. Width, 27", 50", 54". Braids, fringes and tassels often made of mohair.
Moire (pr. mwar-ay). French meaning watered. Finish on silk or cotton cloth. Engraved rollers, heat and pressure applied to corded silk or taffeta flatten the surface at intervals, leaving the original roundness in other places. Moire' antique was originally produced by folding the cloth lengthwise, face in and pressing with moisture and heat. This gave a natural watered effect in a design which repeated on either side of the centre. Now, engraved rollers imitate the pattern by a quicker process. Moire finish is not permanent. Steaming or wetting will destroy the pattern. Uses: coats, suits, trimmings. Width, 22", 40".
Moleskin. Heavy cotton, napped fabric used for foundation for some artificial leather and for lined sports coats,
Momme. Japanese unit of weight. Quality of pongee and habutse is estimated on this basis. Twelve momme represents average pongee. Above fourteen is extra heavy.
Monk's cloth. Rough canvas-like drapery material, made of heavy cotton yarns often containing some flax, jute, hemp. Wears well. Uses: hangings, couch covers, upholstering. Weave—basket. 2 by 2, Friar's 4 by 4. Druid's is coarser, 6 or 8 yarns in each square. Width, 50".
Moquette. Originally a French hand loom pile carpet. Modem power loom Moquette has deep pile. Resembles Axminster.
Mordant. Certain chemicals, example, copper sulphate, which cause dyes to be fixed with fibres otherwise unresponsive to those dyes.
Mosquito netting or mosquito bar. Coarse cotton net, heavily sized, plain or barred. Uses: canopies for beds or baby carriages, particularly in the South; also to screen windows. Described by number of mesh to the inch—as twelve or fourteen, the larger number being desirable. White, green, black. Weave—leno. Width, 36", 63", 72".
Mourning crepe. See Crepe.
Mouseline de Soie (pr. moo-sa-leen-de-swa). Means silk muslin. Firmer than chiffon. Stiffer than silk voile. Not much used in recent years. Now largely replaced by organdie. White and colors. Weave—plain. Width, 40", 48".
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