Dyed in the Piece or Piece-dyed.—These terms virtually explain themselves. When a fabric is impregnated with a uniform colour over its whole surface it is said to be dyed in the piece or piece-dyed.
Piece-dyeing is open to produce cloud spots, stains, etc., which would not appear if the yarn had been dyed previously to being woven, for in that case even if the yarn had in parts got stained it would not show as a clearly defined stain in the fabric once woven. Piece-dyed fabrics may sometimes be distinguished from yarn-dyed fabrics by unravelling threads of each kind. In the case of yarn-dyed fabrics, the dyestuff has penetrated through the yarn, while in the case of piece-dyed fabrics the dye-stuff has not the same chance of penetrating yarn as completely. The term "dyed in the grey" ([see under Union Cloth]) has a similar meaning to "dyed in the piece" or "piece-dyed."
Dyed Lawns are plain-woven light-weight cotton fabrics of soft finish which have been piece-dyed, i.e., impregnated with a uniform colour over their whole surface after leaving the loom. They vary in weight from 1¼ to 2¼ ounces per square yard and in width from 27 to 46 inches. They answer to descriptions of White Lawns (which see), and differ from them only in regard to the fact that they are piece-dyed.
Dyed Lenos.—This fabric or class of fabric is an all-cotton material woven with a gauze and Leno weave and subsequently piece-dyed. The description of Leno fabrics given in a United States Government publication reads: "A term frequently used where various weaves or combination of weaves also have warp threads crossing over one or more warp threads instead of lying parallel to one another throughout the fabric. The warp threads which thus appear in a zig-zag way either on the surface or closely interwoven in the fabric, are, in addition to interlacing with the filling threads, also crossing their neighbouring warp threads that continue in a parallel line with the selvedges."
Leno fabrics generally show stripe effects, the exception to this being the All-over Leno, which resembles in weave the ordinary Cellular Cloth.