Worsteds.—Speaking generally, worsteds may be divided into two classes, distinguishable according to the luster of their surface, or to the softness of their feel. They are used both for ladies’ and men’s wear. Worsted coatings may also be classed as worsteds. The coatings are woven in both single and double cloths in fancy weave effects for piece dyes, marketed in variety of finish, according to fashion.
Under this heading may be classified staple cloths, such as serges, clays, and fancy weave effects without any illumination. They can be finished in three ways:—Clear, undressed, and cheviot, used for ladies’ dress goods or men’s wear, according to weight.
The finish of the cloth varies according to the fashion, but there is always a certain demand for clear and undressed worsteds, for men’s wear.
Examine a number of worsted fabrics and classify them.
Suitings.—The term suitings covers various manipulations of manufactured goods.
1. Tennis suitings, composed of all wool, or all worsted, white or cream ground, decorated with solid color, silk and weave stripe effects.
2. Piece-dyed worsteds, such as a blue ground with white silk line, cable cord, and fancy weave stripe effects, or any other ground shade color with its complementary decoration applied.
3. Mixture wool or mixture worsted yarns made into fabrics, decorations applied in color; cable, silk, and weave effects in stripes or overline color checks, suitable for men’s wear, or decorated suitable for woman’s wear. The darker shades for fall and the lighter shades for spring.
General weight of fabric for men’s wear, 12 to 14 oz. per yd., 56 in.; general weight of fabric for ladies’ wear, 8 to 12 oz. per yd., 54 in.
4. As a rule, when one speaks of a suiting, you expect to see a fancy effect, in the form of a fancy stripe, check, or a colored mixture, in loud or quiet tones of decoration. Long naps in fancy effects are sometimes fashionable, and at other times the cloth finish is popular.