20 Types of FABRIC WEAVES {An

overview
it is important to know more about fabric weaves, because
when you choose fabric for your project, you should know
that the types of the weave of the fabric can determine
the smoothness, comfort, thickness, durability, tear
strength and even drape of the fabric. In effect, the whole
success of your hard work and dreams about a sewing
project hinges on the weave of your fabric -how’z that!

A fabric weave refers to the way warp and weft yarns are
interlaced in a fabric. In the most basic of fabric weaving,
the threads (lengthwise warps and crosswise wefts) go
criss-cross in the simplest of pattern, at right angles to
each other. But in others, they are woven in so many
interesting patterns – artistically, decoratively.

But the basic weave types that mix and match to form all
the others are – plain, twill and satin weaves. They are
given interesting variations or they are combined with
each other to form different other woven patterns

Different Types of fabric weaves

 1 Plain weave
 2 Rib weave
 3 Basket weave
 4 Twill Weave
 5 Herringbone weave
 6 Satin weave
 7 Sateen weave
 8 Leno weave
 9 Oxford Weave
 10 Bedford cord weave
 11 Waffle Weave
 12 Pile weave
 13 Jacquard weave
 14 Dobby weave
 15 Crepe weave
 16 Lappet weave
 17 Tapestry Weave
 18 Striped weaves
 19 Checquered weaves
 20 Double cloth weave

1 Plain weave
This is a weave with the most simple interlacing but it
makes for a very strong and firm fabric because these
interlacings are more frequent than for any other weave. 

In this weave, the warp thread is interlaced over the weft

thread by alternately lifting and lowering of the yarns. ie
each and every weft thread goes under and over the warp
threads across the width of the fabric.

The advantage of this weave is that it is quite strong and

durable and produces very fine good quality fabrics. 

It is also called tabby weave or taffeta weave or linen

weave.Also called Panama weave.

Hopsack is a plain weave with two or more threads in weft

and warp interlaced instead of one. Also called Celtic
weave
Percale is a type of plain weave which produces a very
smooth high thread count fabric by the same name.

Poplin weave is an unbalanced plain weave in which two

weft-threads and one warp-thread of the same colour
cross each other. As weft threads are more than the warp
thread there is a ridge on the weft thread creating a
ribbed weave. In this weave cotton polyester and nylon
fibers are used.

In most of the plain weave fabrics the weft thread and the
warp thread are of the same colour resulting in an even
coloured fabric but for some fabrics like end-on-end poplin
and cambric the weft thread will be white or some other
colour while the warp thread will be coloured – this results
in a subtle shade of the colour.

Fabrics with a plain weave: About half of the woven fabrics

are in this weave. It includes most of the different types of
cotton like muslin, organdy, canvas; linen, rayon, silk,
Chiffon, organza, voile, wool, crepe and a whole lot of
other fabrics

2 Rib weave

A variation of the plain weave.  Here, either weft yarn or

warp yarn is woven raised because it is a thicker yarn ie
the warp and weft yarns are of different weights. Usually,
it is the weft yarn which is thicker in which case there is
an appearance of prominent ribs in the horizontal
direction.

Fabrics with a rib weave : Broadcloth, Faille, Poplin,

grosgrain
3 Basket weave

This is a variation of the plain weave but with more than

one thread. Two or more warp fibers alternately interlace
with two or more weft fibers. Instead of the over under
pattern in a plain weave we have a over over under under
pattern.

The resultant fabric has a matt weave and flexibility and a

looser construction. It is not as durable as plain weave,
though and may shrink in the wash. It is difficult to sew.
Another name is a hopsack weave

Fabric with this weave: Canvas, Duck cloth, Monk’s cloth.

4 Twill Weave
In this weave, one or more warp fibers alternately weave
over and under two or more weft fibers repeatedly (Weft-
faced)or one or more weft fibers alternately weave over
and under two or more warp fibers repeatedly (warp-
faced). This results in a strong and soft fabric which
has more drape than all other weaves with a self-design
effect, with parallel diagonal ribs formed left-to-right or
right-to-left but the fabric has a smooth surface. 

There are clear diagonal lines on the surface of the fabric.

The back side of this weave is rough and will show the
opposite pattern of the front. Fabrics with twill weave are
more durable, heavy and wrinkle resistant than ones with
plain weave
In denim, inarguably the most famous twill fabric, the
weft-thread is white or off-white and the warp-thread is
indigo-dyed. 

Fabrics with Twill weave: Denim, flannel, Velvet, Drill,

Jersey, Gabardine etc has this weave.

Twills have a wale. Wales can be S or Z.  If the wales run

from upper right to lower left the weave is called right-
hand twill / z twill; 
If the wales run from upper left to lower right the weave
is called left hand twill / s twill. When there is a
combination of right-hand and left hand twill it is called a
broken twill

Variations : One and one (Pick & Pick) has light and dark
warp and weft. 3 by 1 twill has three threads crossing over
one weft thread. This is a common denim weave. 2 by
1 twill has two warp thread crossing over one weft thread.
Gabardine is a fine steeply set twill weave. Cavalry twill is
a slightly broader steeply set twill; Whipcord is another
bold and steep twill. Diagonal twill has a pronounced
diagonal twill weave. Double diagonal twill weave has two
or three differently wide and bold twill lines.

Twilled hopsack weave looks as if twill is running both left

and right. Pinhead has one ligt and one dark warp and a
solid dark weft. Barleycorn is a twill way arranged to look
like barley corn.Pepper and salt is a variation of the one
and one with highly contrasted twist in the warp and weft.

5 Herringbone weave
This refers to a broken twill weave which gives a 
herringbone (zig zag) pattern with right and left twills
appearing alternatively side by side , both having the
same width. 
The herringbone weave is also called feather twill or
arrowhead twill. Other than the attractiveness of its design
it has all the qualities of a twill weave. This is similar to
other broken twill designs like the chevron pattern

Shell weave has a combination of right and left-hand twills

– looks like a shell

Corkscrew weave has the herringbone pattern but at a

very low angle.

Fabric with the herringbone weave: Tweed

6 Satin weave
This is a variation of the twill weave but with continuous
warp yarn, with as few interruptions of weft as possible ie
it has fewer intersections of warp and weft threads – weft
yarns are floated over warp yarns, which results in a
smooth and shiny surface.

The fibers used are filament fibers like silk or nylon. The
fabric in this woven pattern will be very smooth and
lustrous and has a flexible structure, because of the long
floats. The greatest luster will be in the lengthwise
direction.

The disadvantage is that the fabric fibers will easily snag

so this weave is not considered as strong as the other
weaves.The advantage of this weave is its own
disadvantage – it is the long floating yarns that snag.

Fabrics with this weave: Many types of satin fabric like

peau de soi, charmeuse.

7 Sateen weave

This is a satin weave with short staple yarns like cotton.

The floats will be in the weft direction ie continuous weft
yarn, with as few interruptions of warp as possible. The
fabric is not as lustrous as the satin weave fabric but they
are more durable.

8 Leno weave
In this weave, wrap yarns do not lie parallel to each other
as in other weaves; the adjacent warp fibers (two or
more) are twisted around consecutive weft fibers (one or
more)to form a spiral pair (figure 8). It results in a sheer
open weave fabric which is at the same time strong. It is
also called gauze weave

Fabrics with Leno weave : Gauze, net, tulle.

9 Oxford Weave
In this two, thin warp yarns are woven to each very soft,
thicker yarn in the weft direction. This results in the thin
warp yarns to break leaving holes. The resultant fabric is
very fine and soft. In a similar Pinpoint weave weft-thread
alternatively pass over and under two warp-threads

Fabrics with oxford weave : Oxford cloth, shirting.

10 Bedford cord weave

This is a characteristic weave found in the fabric Bedford

cord with lengthwise ridges. The weave has prominent
lengthwise ribs with sunken lines in between. This is a
combination of a plain weave and whipcord twill weave.
Wadding threads are introduced in this weaving to bring
more prominence to the cords.
11 Waffle Weave

This is also called honeycomb weave because of the

pattern it creates on the face of the fabric. The warp and
weft threads are interlaced and floated in a manner that
produces a regular pattern of small square ridges and
hollows in the fabric. This weave has a 3D effect but
makes for a rough surface because of the raised areas on
the face of the fabric. The shapes formed on the fabric
surface maybe square or diamond.

12 Pile weave
This is a weave that is used to make a soft pile fabric
which is very absorbent and insulating . You will find
cut/uncut piles on one side or either side of the fabric as a
result of this weaving. The uncut or loop piles has loops
on the face and back of the fabric. Ground yarns and
additional yarns for the pile are used in the fabric
construction

Fabrics with a pile weave: Velvet (Cut pile), terrycloth ,

Corduroy, Velveteen (Uncut/loop pile).

13 Jacquard weave
This is a beautiful weave with intricate and colourful
designs woven into the fabric. This weave is produced on
a jacquard loom. 

The weave results in a fabric which is strong and lustrous

and has a luxurious look and feel. Jacquards can be made
one color or a mix of colors and can be used to create
simple as well as complex patterns. Often the back side of
a jacquard is the mirror image of the pattern on the front.
The weave is named after the Frenchman Joseph Marie
Jacquard who invented the jacquard loom.

Fabrics with this fabric weave : Brocade, Damask,

Brocatelle, Matelasse are fabrics with this weave and
these fabrics are typically used for bedding, upholstery,
draperies etc.
14 Dobby weave

This is a patterned plain weave with small

designs/geometric patterns. You need special dobby
machines to create this weave. The machine selectively
raises some warp threads and selectively depresses others
with the help of a dobby card. The fabric which is woven
this way is comparatively flat and fine.

Fabric with Dobby weave : Moss  crepe.

15 Crepe weave
A type of weave that results in a broken irregular pebbled
appearance by the use of high twist yarns and a special
method of weaving.

Fabric with this weave : Crepe fabric

16 Lappet weave
Lappet weave is a method of creating machine-made
embroidery-like figures on a fabric ground, by introducing
warp threads. Swivel weave a similar weave in which weft
threads are introduced. It is very similar to how
embroidery is done.

17 Tapestry Weave
This is also done by the jacquard loom but it is mostly
based on handlooming techniques and has very elaborate
designs made usually of a single repeat. The complex
designs characterized by numerous colour changes are
formed by weft yarns and warp yarns. It is used
interchangeably with jacquard weave. You will find wall
hangings and flatweave rugs made in this technique

18 Striped weaves
A pinstripe patterned weave has a single fine striped
thread that looks like a  line made up of pinhead shots

Eton stripe is a Plain weave variation with light and dark

warp and weft – resulting in a straight vertical line of light
and dark alternatively. Also called Hairline.

Chalk stripe weave results in light lines like the one made
by a tailor’s chalk.

You can check out the names of more striped patterns on

fabric here.

19 Checquered weaves
This weave makes beautiful checks on the fabric. Think
tartans and plaids
Block check weave has blocks of check patterns in light
and dark yarns

A diamond weave is a twill weave with right and left twills

looking like a diamond pattern

Two and two glen stripe with overcheck has one and one
base with a two and two stripe

Three and Three has a twill base with three light three

dark weft and warp

Shepherds check has a twill weave with five or more light,

five or more dark warp and weft

Glenurquhart check has a twill weave with dark and light

warp and weft coloured yarns to give a chequered effect.

Dog’s tooth has a twill weave with four or more light, four

or more dark warp and weft
Gun club check has four or more light, four or more mid,
four or more light, four or more dark, warp and weft.

You can check out the names of more chequered patterns

on fabric here.

20 Double cloth weave

In this weaving technique, two fabrics are held together

with another set of yarns. Sometimes, they are separated,
as in the case with velvet

Fabric with this weave : Velvet.

Choosing Fabric according to weaves

If you want a durable strong fabric you will choose a twill
weave fabric or a plain weave fabric than a basket weave
or jacquard weave. If you want a drapeable and lustrous
fabric you will go for a satin weave than a twill weave. If
you want a see through fabric you will now know a leno
weave fabric serves you better than any other weaves. For
a kitchen towel you would want one with a waffle weave
with better absorbency.

What are the properties of textile?

Textiles are specific types of materials characterized by a unique

combination of properties including strength, flexibility, elasticity,
softness, durability, heat insulation, low weight, water
absorbency/repellence, dye ability and resistance to chemicals.

 What is Fibre in textile?

 Textile fiber is a material mainly made from natural or synthetic sources.

This material will be converts into the making of textile yarns and fabrics;
woven, knitted, nonwoven, and carpets. It may be in a form of a pliable hair
like strand or as the smallest visible unit of textile production.

Characteristics of Cotton Fibers and Products

 Comfortable to wear
 Natural, cellulosic fiber
 Made from the cotton boll
 Absorbs water and “breathes”
 Slow to dry
 Resists static electricity build-up
 Wrinkles easily
 Can withstand heat, detergents, and bleach
 About 20% stronger when wet than dry
 Will shrink unless treated
 Can be damaged by mildew
 Can be damaged by prolonged exposure to sunlight
 Long staple cotton (such a Supima, Pima, Egyptian, and Sea Island) can
be woven into smooth, almost silky fabrics.

 Spinning process of cotton

 Cotton Yarn Spinning Process. ...


 The process of making yarns from the textile fiber is
called spinning. Spinning is the twisting together of drawn out strands of
fibers to form yarn, though it is colloquially used to describe the process of
drawing out, inserting the twist, and winding onto bobbins.