DENIM Glossary from different sources.

The Essential Denim Glossary

We won't waste your time listing terms like "buttons" or "coin pockets," but we will help shed some light on the terms denim heads love tossing around.

Back Cinch (aka Buckle Back)

A buckle used to tighten the waistband on denim, before belts (and belt loops) were commonplace. A renewed interest in vintage styles have ushered in a resurgence of the the cinches on modern jeans.

Abrasion

The physical process of making jeans look worn or faded by scraping, sanding and rubbing the surface—thus causing abrasion. Pumice stones are often used commercially.

Anti-Twist (aka Skewing)

A finishing technique that corrects denim's natural tendency to twist in the direction of the diagonal weave of the fabric. This occurs before sanforization. 

Bartack

Stitching sewn into stress points on jeans to reinforce places like zippers and pocket openings.

Broken Twill

The diagonal weave of the twill cloth is intentionally interrupted to form a random design.

Bull Denim

A heavyweight cloth weave, weighing in at 14oz./sq yard or more.

Caste

A term used to describe the underlying coloring of a cloth. Depending on the dyes and washing, indigo denim can have a black, brown, gray, green, red, or yellow caste to it.

Chain Stitching

A sewing procedure that uses loop-like stitches which form a chain pattern. Pulling the fabric at slightly different tensions on either side, it produces a distinctive, twisted roping pattern at the hem.

Cone Mills

One of the world's largest denim manufacturers, Cone Mills began producing denim in 1895 at their plant in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Crock

A item used to describe how the dark denim dye rubs off or bleeds onto skin or other fabrics.

Enzyme Wash

A more environmentally conscious way of softening jeans. Organic proteins are used to speed up the chemical processes and eat away at the indigo. The finished jeans tend be stronger than those treated with with pumice stones and harsher chemicals.

Garment Dyed

Dyeing a finished garment, instead of dyeing the yarn before it's woven.

Indigo

The dye used to color denim, it was initially taken from the indigofera tinctoria plant, but was later synthesized in the early 20th century. Indigo continually fades because of its inability to penetrate fibers completely.

Left-Weave

Fabric woven to the left. This is a more intricate process that produces a suppler product than right-hand twill.

Mercerized

An industrial process to increase luster as well as keeping dye on the surface of the fabric so that dyes do not fully penetrate the fibre.

Raw (aka Dry)

Denim that has not been rinsed or prewashed and thus is more rigid, stiff and durable than pre-aged or chemically softened jeans.

Ring Spun

Woven on older looms, this denim is more rugged and is a less refined than modern jeans. This yarn adds character to the denim because of the tiny knots, or "slubs," running randomly throughout the yarn.

Rivet

A small metal tab used to reinforce stress points. While it prevents the fabric from tearing, it's also used for non-functional ornamentation.

Rope Dying

Thought to be the best way to dye yarn. Cotton threads are twisted into a rope and then dipped into an indigo bath several times—the more dips, the darker the yarn.

Sanforized

A process that prevents shrinking by stretching and manipulating the raw denim fabric before it's washed. Developed in the 1920s by the Sanforize Co. and patented in 1928.

Selvedge (aka Selvage, Red Line)

Originally called 'self-edge', the selvage is a slim woven band on either edge of the denim fabric. This prevents the edge of the denim from unravelling. Mills used various colors to distinguish manufactures. Vintage Levi's jeans had a single red stripe along both selvages, Lee's was blue or green and Wrangler's was yellow.

Whiskering

The horizontal creases and fading in the crotch, back of knees and hems caused naturally from wear (or artificially by designers).

Yoke (aka Riser)

The V-shaped section on the back of a pair of jeans, which gives curve to the seat.

Denim basics part two: Denim terminology

Here is a basic list of terms you should know if you’re interested in denim. Take note that this isn't a comprehensive list, but it should be enough to help you get a decent pair of jeans.
Acid Washing
Soak pumice stones in bleach and tumble them with denim. Avoid this.

Avoid acid washed jeans like this.

 Arcuate stitching
A thread pattern stitched on the back pockets.

Some people don't like this, you can remove it if you don't.

Boot cut
Jeans with a flare towards the bottom so they will fit over boots. Avoid these unless you’re actually wearing boots; I don’t suggest wearing them even then.
Chain stitching
An alternate kind of stitching that makes the stitches have a rope look to them.
Honeycomb
Folds in the jeans behind your knees. If you’re wearing raw denim, you’ll get some nice wear in this area.
Indigo
The traditional dye used in jeans that produces that familiar blue color. Indigo dye was originally created by using various sorts of plants, but synthetic lab-made indigo dye is commonly used now.
Pre-distressed
Jeans that are pre-distressed have fake wear (and sometimes tear) on them to give them a worn look before they even reach the store. You wear jeans in different ways and pre-distressed jeans will not always match the way you move, resulting in an odd look.
Raw/rigid denim
Denim that has not been through any sort of wash. Raw denim will fade in interesting, unique ways depending on how you wear them. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER put raw denim in the washer and dryer.
Rivets
Copper tabs used to hold denim together.

Yeah, those help hold your jeans together.

Sand blasting
Jeans that have literally had sand sprayed on them at fast speeds to produce wear on the jeans.
Sanforizing
A process to prevent denim from shrinking. Sanforized jeans will typically shrink around 1-5% when washed. Non-sanforized jeans will shrink 7-10%. This usually only applies to raw denim, so before you buy a pair of raw denim jeans in your size check to see if they are Sanforized or not.
Selvedge
Denim that was made on an old-style loom instead of mass produced. Selvedge jeans have a different seam from normal jeans which is visible if you cuff your jeans.

This is the only way you can tell the difference. The seams are much stronger though.

Straight cut
Jeans that are almost perfectly straight from the knee down.
Tappering
This means the jeans slowly get closer to your leg going down.
Wash
The amount of dye in a pair of jeans. Lighter washes have less dye while darker washes obviously have more dye.
Whiskers
Whiskers are the creases that form on your lap. They will look good if you produce this wear yourself; this will take quite a while though.

Jeans --- a little history.

What is a jeans? Jeans are pants or trousers conventionally made from fabric, called denim, but may also be made from a large variety of fabrics particularly including corduroy. Originally intended for work, they became popular among teenagers starting in the 50s. Historic brands include Wrangler, Jordache, and Levi's. Nowadays jeans are a very popular style of casual dress all around the world and come in many varieties and colours.

The Indian export of a thick cotton cloth, in the 16th century, known as dungaree, is widely regarded as the earliest known precursor to jeans. Dyed in indigo, it was sold near the Dongarii Fort near Bombay. Sailors cut it to suit them.

Denim fabric, the material to make jeans, was made in an Italian town, Chieri, already in 1600s. It was sold through Genova, that was the capital of an independent republic, and a naval power. The first were made for the Genoese Navy because it required all-purpose pants for its sailors that could be worn wet or dry, and whose legs could easily be rolled up to wear while swabbing the deck. These jeans would be laundered by dragging them in large mesh nets behind the ship, and the sea water would bleach them white. According to many people the jeans name comes from blue de Genes, i.e. blue of Genoa. The raw material was coming from the city of Nîmes de Nîmes i.e. denim.

Washing Effects

Washing is the most important feature of jeans wears. Most of the terminology of washing techniques are only known to the professionals of denim traders and manufacturers. For start-up fashion entrepreneurs and anyone who is new to denim world, it is utmost important to get familiariezd with all the jargons. The washing terms can be classified as follows:

* Colours

* Simple wash / Enzyme wash

* Stone / Sand wash

* Handbrush

* Bleech

* Over-dye

Reference guide for DIESEL washing and back-pocket designs.

* Vintage / Monkey / Monk

There are many special techniques used during washing process, which are explained in the section Trim and Techniques

Trims & Techniques

Trims and techniques are the most important feature of jeans wears. Most of the terminology of washing techniques are only known to the professionals of denim traders and manufacturers. For start-up fashion entrepreneurs and anyone who is new to denim world, it is utmost important to get familiariezd with all the jargons. The trims and techniques terms can be classified as follows:

* Crinkles / Wrinkles

* Rip / Destroy

* Hand-stitch

* Hand brush

* Over-dye 

* Vintage / Monkey / Monk \

* Needle-works

* Embroidery / Appliqué

* Print / Paint

* Diamond / Bead / Bling Bling

Pocket Designs

Pocket design is an important part of jeans /denim styling, which is also used as one of the features to distinguish the designs from each other.

* Front pocket

* Back pocket: 

* Coin pocket

* Flap

* Fake pocket

Design Galleries

We collected more than 2000 pictures and photos of jeans and denim designes from various sources, and we keep adding more. There are pictures of designer jeans, close-up denim details, fashion shows and window shows.

Carding

CARDING

In Spinning, it is a process of separating individual fibers.  carding process is used to lay the fibers in  parallel direction and removing most of the remaining impurities from Blow room making cleaning and uniforming as a function of carding.  Cotton, wool, waste silk and man-made staple are subjected to carding. Carding produces a thin sheet of uniform thickness that is then condensed to form a thick, continuous, untwisted strand called SLIVER. When very fine yarns are desired, carding is followed by COMBING, a process that removes short fibers, leaving a sliver composed entirely of long fibers, all laid parallel and smoother and more lustrous than uncombed types. Carded and combed sliver is then spun.

Flow Chart:

Spinning Summery Chart 

Spinning

Textile Fibers:

The act or process of conversion of staple, filaments or short length fibers  of into continuous yarn or thread
Blow Room Functions

Blow room is the starting of the spinning operation where the fibers is opened, cleaned, mixed properly , dust is removed  then passed to carding machine without increasing fiber rupture, fibers neps , broken seed particles and without removing more good fibers. The basic function of blow room is opening, cleaning, and dust removal, blending and evenly feeding the material on the card.

Functions of Blow Room

Opening:

• Opening is the first operation within the blow room in which the goal is always a high degree of openness of material with gentle treatment and a fiber loss as less as possible.
• Opening is the first operation it means, tearing apart the compressed and matted cotton until it is very much loosened and separated into small tufts with a gentle treatment, and a fiber loss as small as possible.
• Opening is also related to cleaning as where is opening there is also cleaning.

Cleaning:

• Cotton contains up to 18% trash in most cases. To clean the material it is unavoidable to remove as much fiber as much waste.
• Therefore it is necessary to measure the amount of the waste removed and its composition. As it is of high importance also called cleaning efficiency.
• The cleaning efficiency always has to be optimized and not maximized, since the fiber quality (short fibers, neps) as well as fiber loss is always negatively affected by maximum trash removal.

Dust removal:

• To extract the contamination in the cotton such as leaf, stone, iron particles, jute, poly propylene, colored fibers, feather and other foreign material from cotton by opening and beating.
• An often underestimated task of the blow room line is the removal of dust. However, it is as important as the removal of impurities.
• De-dusting in the blow room happens by air suctioning only, either between the machines, e.g. by dust cages, dust extractors, etc., or within the machine by normal air separation.
• Every blow room machine must be capable of extracting dust, so that special dedusting machines should be needed.
• The efficiency depends not only on the devices but also on the size of the flocks. The smaller the flock, the higher is the efficiency.

Blending\Mixing:

• Mixing: It is generally meant as the intermingling of different classes of fibers of the same grade
• Blending: IT is meant as the intermingling of different kinds of fibers or different grade of same fibers e.g. polyester & cotton, Viscose & cotton.
• Blending of fiber material is an essential preliminary in the production of a yarn.
• Fibers can be blended at various stages of the process. These possibilities should always be fully exploited, for example, by transverse doubling.
• However, the starting process is one of the most important stages for blending, since the components are still separate and therefore can be metered exactly and without dependence upon random effects.
• A well-assembled bale layout and even (and as far as possible, simultaneous) extraction of fibers from all bales is therefore of paramount importance.

Objectives of mixing or blending

• Economy
• Processing performance
• Functional properties

Even feed of material to card:

• To uniform feeding to the next stage such as carding machine.

Recycling of Waste material:

• The above processes are again passed from  the same process to get maximum output.

Textile fields:

Welcome Reader,

We have started This page to guide you step by step on the processes involved in making of  any textile items, we will try to cover all the fields of Textile Study.

Starting from Basic there will be

> Spinning.
> Weaving
> Dyeing
> Washing(Denim Articles)
>Apparels (Garments Manufacturing)

We will Focus all the above areas and will try to cover all areas. If any suggestion plz feel free to ask.

Textiles

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Infinite field of textile.
In this era of science and technology every field is getting advanced so is textiles. its involved from dressing a person on earth and on moon.
though it is not possible for one to cover complete area in one span of life but we will try to collect the basic information and make it available on one page, where any one can get help when needed.

Hope you will find it interesting.

Regards,
Mian Mushtaq
Textile Engineer
Specialization Garments Manufacturing

Contact#+923339925313.
mushtaq.mian87@gmail.com
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