Many kind fabrics and its combinations can be used as the base cloth for machine embroidery such as Cambric, Calico, Chiffon, Damask, Jersey, Linen, Net, Non-woven, Organza, Satin, Silk, Tulle, Voile.
| Fabric | Fiber | Weave | Characteristic | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambric | Cotton, linen | Plain | Characteristics: Soft, closely woven, light. Either bleached or piece dyed. Lower qualities have a smooth bright finish. Similar to batiste but is stiffer and fewer slubs. Has good body, sews and finishes well. Originally made in Cambrai, a city in north France. | Handkerchiefs, underwear, slips, nightgowns, children’s dresses, aprons, shirts and blouses. |
| Calico | Cotton cloth imported from India, a plain white cotton fabric that is heavier than muslin, any of various cheap cotton fabrics with figured patterns. Originated in Calcutta, India and is one of the oldest cottons. Rather coarse and light in weight. | |||
| Chiffon | Silk, rayon, cotton, synthetics | Plain | A light diaphanous fabric of silk, nylon etc. Lightweight, sheer, transparent. Made with very fine tightly twisted yarns. The tightly twisted yarns could be either in the filling or the warp or both. It is very strong, despite filmy look | |
| Damask | Linen, silk, rayon, cotton, synthetics, wool, worsteds | Originally made of silk, that came to us from China via Damascus. Very durable, reversible fabric. The firmer the texture, the better the quality. The quality depends on the yarn used and the thread count | ||
| Jersey | Wool, worsted, silk, cotton, rayon, synthetics | Knitted on circular, flat-bed or warp knitted methods | Right side has lengthwise ribs (wales) and wrong side has crosswise ribs (courses). Very elastic with good draping qualities. Have special crease-resistant qualities due to its construction. Can look very much like woven fabric. First made on the island on Jersey off the English coast and used for fisherman’s clothing. Stretch as you sew. | |
| Linen | A fabric made from linen fibres obtained from inside the woody stem of the flax plant. Linen fibres are much stronger and more lustrous than cotton. Linen fabrics are very cool and absorbent, but wrinkle very easily, unless blended with manufactured fiberes. | |||
| Net Fabric | Synthetics, particularly nylon | Knotted, made on a lace machine. Mesh fabric made in a variety of geometric-shaped meshes of different sizes and weights. It is very open and light. | An open fabric, which is created by connecting the intersections in a woven, knitted or crocheted regular construction to form a mesh-like appearance that won’t ravel. | It forms the foundation for a great variety of laces, curtains, trims, evening and bridal wear |
| Nonwoven fabric (water soluble) | Typically non-woven material applied beneath material being sewn prior to switching to increase fabric stability and support stitches (chemical laces and net fabrics). | |||
| Organza | A thin stiff transparent silk or synthetic fabric. Fine sheer, lightweight, crisp fabric. It has a very wiry feel. It crushes or musses fairly easily, but it is easily pressed. Dressy type of fabric sometimes has silvery sheen. | Trimmings and underlining for other fabrics that require bit stiffness without weight. | ||
| Satin | Fabric with brilliant surface in atlas or satin weave. Satin weave can be recognized by the irregular distribution of the weave points which do not touch each other. Made in many colours, weights, varieties, qualities and degrees of stiffness. A low grade silk or a cotton filling is often used in cheaper clothes. | Evening dresses, coats, capes and jackets, lining fabrics covers and pillows trimmings etc. | ||
| Silk | It is obtained from cocoons of certain species of caterpillars. The cocoons of the silkworm consist of a single long thread which can be unwound to supply the raw silk. From this silk, the actual silk threads are obtained by treatment with soap solutions. Silk is soft and has a brilliant sheen. It is one of the fine textiles and is also very strong and absorbent. Silk is weakened by sunlight. | |||
| Tulle | A lightweight, extremely fine, machine-made netting, usually with a hexagon shaped mesh effect. | Dance costumes and veils | ||
| Voile | cotton, wool or silk | Plain loosely woven | A thin semi-transparent dress material. To obtain a top quality fabric, very highly twisted yarns are used. Has a hard finish and crisp sometimes wiry hand |