Resist or Reserve Printing.—This style of printing is a process used to obtain white figures on a coloured ground by means of printing the designs in substances that are impervious to the dye into which the cloth so printed is subsequently placed. The cloth is dyed, but all parts of it which were covered by the resist agent remain white.
Reversible Cretonnes.—The salient features of Cretonnes are the bold type of highly coloured designs with which the fabric is ornamented through printing. The weave employed for this style of fabric is either plain, twill, satin, or oatmeal weave; the width of the material varies from 25 to 50 inches. Sometimes, though rarely, a small brocaded effect of fancy weave is introduced. Reversible Cretonnes differ from ordinary Cretonnes in that they are printed on both sides of the fabric. A recent variety of Reversible Cretonne, called a Shadow Cretonne, is purely a warp-printed fabric, sometimes containing yarn-dyed threads. A Cretonne printed with the same design on face and back would be known as a Reversible Cretonne, whilst the same fabric printed with one pattern on the face and a different pattern on the back would be known as a Duplex Printed Cretonne.
Rib.—The name given to any kind of cord effect or to a weave in which either, owing to the interlacing or to the yarns used, warp or weft is the stronger and remains comparatively straight while the weaker does all the bending. Thus, in warp ribs the weft is the stronger and causes the warp to bend and form a warp surface rib running from selvedge to selvedge, while in weft ribs the warp is the stronger and develops a weft surface rib running lengthways of the piece.
Rib Crape Effect.—This term is used to designate the effect produced by breaking up the regular order of weave so as to produce a warp-rib effect on a fabric which is of the Crape variety, the crape weave being distinguishable by the interlacing of warp and weft in a more or less mixed or indiscriminate order, so as to produce an appearance of a finely broken character. Rib crape effect is found in fabrics known as Crepoline.
Richelieu Rib.—Applied to women's plain stockings having a single drop-stitch at intervals of three-quarters of an inch running the full length of the stocking.
Right and Wrong Side of Fabrics.—In certain goods it is difficult to tell the right from the wrong side. In plain worsteds the diagonal ought always to run from right to left, that being the right side. In all textiles which are not reversible, but are similar on both sides, the right side can be detected by the quantity of down, which is less on the right side than the wrong side. To determine this it is often necessary to hold the cloth under examination to the light. When both sides are well finished, but with different patterns, it is the neater of the two which is generally the right side. In a comprehensive way, shaving and neatness indicate the right side.
Ring-spun Yarn.—Ring-spun cotton yarn is generally a harder spun thread than mule-twist, which is more fibrous and more elastic. Ring-spun yarn will not take up as much "size" as the more fibrous and softer spun thread of the mule.
Ring-spun yarn is rounder than a mule-spun thread. Ring-spinning differs from mule-spinning in this essential: the former is spun on the "continuous system" upon spindles that are fixed, whereas in mule-spinning the spindles are mounted on a carriage which moves backwards and forwards for a distance of some 5 feet. When the spindles reach their greatest distance the rolls producing the yarn are automatically stopped, and the thread that has been spun during the outward move of the carriage is wound on the spindles while the carriage is being moved back toward the rolls.
Robes.—A name given to printed twill cotton fabrics made from 64-square printing cloth. Originally made for use as wraps, they were made in Cashmere effects. Now, although made in large bright-coloured furniture coverings, curtains, etc., they still retain the name Robes when made from 64-square printing cloth.
Russian Cloth (Woollen).—An all-wool fabric, plain woven from a wool weft and wool warp, the weave being a plain one-over and one-under weave. Owing to the finish of the cloth, the weave is non-apparent. It varies in width from 54 to 74 inches and in length from 19 to 36 yards. It does not differ materially from Broad, Medium, and Habit Cloth. Average value for period 1904 to 1914, 4s. 3d. per yard.