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Glossary
General Textile Terms
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access a listing of general textile terms, click on a letter above. |
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Magic®:
Refers to A&E's air entangled
sewing thread that is made by blowing a continuous
filament "effect" yarn into a continuous filament
"core" with high pressure air to form the thread. The
thread is then stretched and heat set to achieve the desired modulus
and entanglement. Magic is flat and ribbon like giving it a low seam
profile and very good loop strength.
Magic is less expensive that corespun threads and is ideal as a looper
thread on jeanswear to minimize thread
cost. Registered trademark of
A&E. |
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Maxi-Lock®
Serging Thread: Refers to A&E's brand of serging thread
for consumer use. Registered trademark of A&E. |
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Mercerizing:
Refers to a process where 100% cotton thread is treated under
tension in a solution of caustic soda, which removes some of the
sugars and makes the cotton fibers more uniform. This allows the
fibers to accept dyes more readily, enhances luster, and increases
the thread strength or tenacity.
Mercerization was originally done to make 100% cotton threads look
more like silk threads. (See Thread
Finishing.) |
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Merrowing:
A term sometimes used for overedge stitching
that is
primarily used in the northeast portion of the United States. |
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Mettler©
Thread: A brand of sewing thread imported by A&E and for
consumer use. (Trademark of Arova Mettler.) For their web site, see http://www.mettler.eu. |
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Mildew
Resistent Finish: Refers
to a special finish put on 100% cotton threads to enhance its mildew
resistance. At A&E, this finish is the MRT finish and it must be
specially requested for our customers. Synthetic
threads naturally are very resistant to mildew. |
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Modulus:
See initial modulus. |
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Monocord
Thread
Construction: Refers to a thread construction made from continuous
filaments of nylon, which have been bonded together. They have very
little twist so that they look like a single
cord of yarn. Because of the way these threads are made, they appear
to be flat and ribbon-like which provides a high degree of
resistance to abrasion. Monocord threads are
exceptionally strong for their size so they are used in the
manufacturing of furniture, shoes, and other heavy-duty
applications. A&E's Nylon monocord thread brand is
Anecord®.
A&E's polyester monocord thread used for blindstitching is Teryl
B™. |
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Monofilament
Thread Construction: Refers to a thread construction produced from
a single nylon continuous filament
resembling fishing line. Usually, monofilament
threads are used because the thread is translucent and blends in
with many colors. Because it has a tendency to be stiffer than other
filament products, it is not recommended for seams that may lay
adjacent to the skin. Also, because it is a single filament, it may
unravel easily if the thread is not locked in the seam adequately.
Monofilament threads have been used in quilting operations on quilts
and bedspreads, as well as, in blindstitch operations on drapery and
apparel. A&E's monofilament thread brand is Clearlon®. |
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Multifilament
Thread
Construction: Refers to a thread construction produced from continuous
filaments of polyester or nylon, which are twisted
together into a cohesive bundle and then plied to make the thread.
They are then dyed, stretched, and heat set to achieve the desired
physical characteristics. Twisted Multifilament threads are
available either soft or with an additional bond for better ply
security and abrasion resistance. They are
exceptionally strong for their size and they have excellent
resistance and durability. These threads are used for seaming
everything from bathing suits and intimate apparel to automobile
upholstery. A&E's multifilament brand is Anefil Nylon® and
Anefil Poly®. |
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Natural
Fibers: Fibers whose origin is from plants or animals. The most
common natural fibers used for sewing thread include cotton, rayon
& Tencel® /Lyocell®.
Other natural fibers that are sometimes used for seaming include
silk, wool, linen, and jute. (See Fiber
Science.) |
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Needle: The primary
stitch-forming device used on all sewing machines to carry thread
through a seam. Needles have nine basic parts including butt, shank,
shoulder, blade, groove, scarf, eye, point, and tip. Needles come in
a variety of types and sizes depending on the type of sewing
machines and the sewing application. |
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Needle
Cooler: Refers
to a device used to direct compressed air on to the needle to reduce
needle heat. Needle coolers may be necessary on high-speed sewing
machines. |
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Needle
Cutting: Refers
to the damage of the fabric by the needle. This is usually more of a
problem when sewing knit
fabrics. (See Technical Bulletin, Reducing
Needle Cutting.) |
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Needle
Heat: A problem that can cause synthetic threads to break when
the needle temperature exceeds the melting point of the thread.
Needle heat is generated by the friction between the fabric and the
needle blade as the needle moves up and down during sewing. The
prime contributors to needle heat include the thickness of the seam,
the density of the fabric, and the machine speed. Synthetic threads
are wound with thread lubricants to help protect the thread against
needle heat. The larger the thread size,
the more lubricant that is wound on the thread. Cellulosic threads
are not affected by needle heat. A cotton wrapped core thread has
superior needle heat resistance to poly wrapped core threads. (See
Technical Bulletin, Minimizing
Needle Heat.) |
Needle
Size: Refers
to the diameter of the needle measured at the needle eye. Today the
most common needle sizing system used around the world is the metric
system. The metric number represents the percent of a millimeter.
Common needle size application are as follows. (See Thread
Selection Guide, Needle
Applications.)
- Light weight,
60 - 70, shirts, blouses, tops
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Medium
weight, 75 - 110, pants, jackets
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Heavy weight,
120 - 160, jeans, overalls, parkas
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Needle
Spacing: A
term that refers to the distance between the needles or the distance
between the rows of stitch where more than one row of stitch is
being produced simultaneously. |
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Neps:
Small yarn imperfections caused by immature fibers or fibers
that have not been straightened properly. Neps do not cause thread
breakage but detract from the appearance of the thread. |
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Nomex®
(DuPont™ Nomex®):
Spun thread of Aramid material from DuPont™. Has excellent long-term resistance to heat. Common
applications include fireman uniforms and military applications.
(DuPont™ and Nomex® are registered
Trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and are used under
license to A&E®.) |
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Nominal Weight
Package: Refers to packages of yarn or cones of thread
that are sold by their actual weight. If the price for the yarn
or thread is $10.00 per lb. and the yarn or thread weights .9 lbs.,
excluding the weight of the cone, then the price for the yarn or
thread on the cone would be $9.00. The purpose of having nominal
weight packages is to minimize knots and waste. |
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Non-migrating
Finish: Refers
to a silicone-free finish that is applied to sewing thread to
minimize migration of the sewing lubricant along the seam line that
might cause a stained appearance. This "NT" or "Part
555" finish does not have the superior frictional
characteristics of a silicone lubricant, but minimizes migration.
(See Thread Finishing.) |
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Non-wicking
Finish: Refers to a finish that can be put on thread to impede
liquids from migrating through the seam. Quarpel
is the name of one of these finishes that can be put on thread.
However, Quarpel will adversely affect the frictional
characteristics of the thread, particularly when sewing fabrics that
require minimum thread tension. (See Thread
Finishing.) |
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Non-woven
Fabric: Non-woven
fabrics are extruded fabrics that are not produced on knitting or
weaving machines. They can include homogeneous type fabrics like
vinyl or leather, or they can be produced from other synthetic
materials. |
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NWT: Refers to
new wash technology. Applied to Perma
Core®
thread that is designed to minimize repairs after harsh finishing
processes like enzyme and stone-washing, hand sanding, and sand
blasting on denim and twill garments. |
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Nylon:
A synthetic fiber that has good strength and excellent abrasion
resistant properties. A&E uses Type 6.6 Nylon from DuPont™ and
Solutia (Monsanto) because of its superior heat resistance and tenacity.
A&E brand names for Nylon threads include: Anefil™,
Anecord® , and
Best Stretch®. |
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Overdyed
Garments: See
garment dyeing. |
Overedge:
Refers to stitch formations where the stitch forms a triangle of
thread around the edge of the seam. The three categories of stitches
found in the 500 Stitch Class include those below. Most
manufacturers are using spun or texturized threads on overedge
operations.
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Overlock: See overedge above. |
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Other Information |
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Technical Information
Links
to technical resources that answer your sewing problem questions... |
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Specialty |
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Thread
Science |
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Internet Sites |
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AAFA:
American Apparel and Footwear Association
www.apparelandfootwear.org
AATCC:
American
Association of Textile Chemist and Colorists.
www.aatcc.org
IAF: International Apparel
Federation http://www.iafnet.com |
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