Italian Cloth.—A plain cloth generally made of standard materials, i.e., fine Botany weft and a cotton warp. Italian cloth is usually a weft-faced fabric. Like all fabrics woven with a weft-faced satin weave, the weft or filling threads are practically all on the surface of the cloth, producing an even, close, smooth surface capable of reflecting light to the best advantage. Italian cloth is generally cross-dyed, that is to say, woven from a black warp and grey weft, afterwards dyed in the piece. It may be woven either as an all-cotton, a cotton and worsted, a cotton and wool, or a cotton and mohair fabric. Its chief characteristic is its smooth, glossy, silky appearance obtained by various processes of finishing given to the cloth after it is woven. All finishes have the same tendency and purpose, which is to improve the appearance and enhance the value of the cloth. Whilst Italian Cloth may be either plain, figured, embossed, printed, etc., or a combination of these varieties, the name is applied to a "plain dyed cotton fabric."
Italian Cloth, Figured, Cotton Warp and Wool Weft.—This fabric, in addition to the characteristics of the plain Italian Cloth woven from cotton warp and wool weft, has had its surface ornamented by the introduction of figures or floral or geometrical designs produced either by combination of weave or by means of certain extra threads known as "figuring threads." These figures may be produced by means of either extra warp or extra weft threads. In this class of material, where the weft is wool, the extra figuring thread is generally a weft thread. The figuring thread, after having served the purpose of ornamenting the face of the cloth, is allowed to lie loosely or "float" underneath the ground cloth structure. Where the figuring is produced by combination of weave no such floating threads appear.
Italian Cloth, Plain, Cotton Warp and Wool Weft.—Under the heading "Italian Cloth" it will be seen that such a fabric is essentially a weft-faced satin-weave material having practically the whole of the weft or filling threads on the surface. When it is woven from a wool weft and a cotton warp the material shows the face of the cloth as a wool face, the main bulk of the cotton warp showing on the back of the fabric. When woven with cotton warp and wool weft, Italian Cloth still retains the characteristic smooth surface of all weft-faced satin-weave fabrics. Very simple tests by burning will show the nature of both warp and weft, and this class of fabric illustrates clearly, by contrast between the two sets of threads, the nature of weft-faced satin or kindred weave fabrics. Such Italians are generally cross-dyed, i.e., woven with dyed warp and grey weft, and then piece-dyed.
Jaconet.—There are two varieties of Jaconets, both of which, however, are all-cotton fabrics. One is a hard-finished fabric similar in weight to Victoria Lawn, having a smooth, lustrous, Cambric finish. The other is a soft-finished material which can hardly be distinguished from a heavy soft-finished Nainsook. Jaconet is a plain-woven fabric which has been variously described as a "thin, soft Muslin," or as a "plain-woven cotton fabric lightly constructed, composed of light yarns." Bleached, dyed, or printed in the grey piece length, similar to Mulls, Nainsooks, Cambrics, etc. It is also spelt Jaconettes.
Jacquards is a loose term applied to elaborate designed fabrics produced by means of a machine called a Jacquard, the distinctive feature of which is an apparatus for automatically selecting warp threads and moving them independently of each other. Jacquards are the produce of what is termed figure weaving, in which complicated figures are woven into the fabric.
Jaeger.—This name is used to designate the products of a certain manufacturer whose material is described as being an "all-wool" material. Generally applied to underwear and fabrics into whose composition camel wool is said to enter largely.
Jean.—A Jean is an all-cotton fabric woven as a three-shaft twill similar to a Dungaree. Good-quality Jeans, woven from coloured warp, are often used as sailors' collars and for children's clothing. Woven in the grey as a weft-faced twill and subsequently dyed, they are used for lining cloths. The weave of a Jean fabric, which is its salient characteristic, is described under "Grey Jeans," which is the kind of Jean most often met with.
Jeanette.—A three-shaft weft twill fabric having warp and weft threads about equally proportioned in number and thickness.