Glossary of Embroidery and Apparel Terms

50/50 (or similar notation)- 50 percent cotton/50 percent polyester fabric; also referred to as polycotton

Baseball shirt - a shirt style that features a crew collar, white body, and three-quarter-length raglan sleeves in a contrasting color.

Broadcloth - a close plain-weave fabric made of cotton, rayon or a blend of cotton or rayon with polyester.

Denim- a basic or cotton or blended fabric with right- or left-hand twill constructions. The wrap is usually dyed blue with a white filing.

Coach's jacket - style of jacket, comparable to a basic windbreaker, with fold-over collar and slash pockets.

Cool knit - a variation of pique that results in a different texture and surface appearance. It resembles a "waffle" pattern.

Crew neck - a rounded, ribbed collar cut loose to the neck.

Cross grain - this term is used for heavyweight fleece fabric. The fabric is sewn between ribs or panels on the side part of the garment for extra thickness and durability.

Enzyme wash - washing process that uses a cellulose-based solution to obtain garments that appear to have been stonewashed or acid washed. The solution physically degrades the surface of the cotton fiber. The appearance and hand of the garment are identical to stonewashed and acid washed garments. However, the fabric surface is not damaged to the extent of a stonewashed or acid washed garment.

Football jersey - a jersey shirt with a slight v-neck, stitched yoke and one-half to three-quarter-length sleeves.

Fleece - a fabric with a pile or napped surface, sometimes of a unit construction; commonly used in sweats.

Grommet - an eyelet of firm material to strengthen or protect an opening.

Henley-A henley shirt is characterized by a slit beneath the collar which has 2-5 buttons but unlike a polo shirt, has no raised collar. The sleeves may be either short or long sleeve. Henley shirts have recently become particularly fashionable in western co

Heavyweight - fabric heavier than 10 ounces per linear yard, equal to 1.60 yield. Standard weight in the industry is 8 ounces (2.0 yield) or lighter.

Hoodie-A hoodie (sometimes also spelled hoody) is a sweatshirt with a hood. Some pullover hoodies also have a large pocket across the front called a kangaroo pocket, and many feature a logo. Some hoodies also have strings that can be pulled to tighten or loosen the hood.

Interlock - a fine-gauge knit fabric produced by interlocking or interlocking stitches on a circular knit machine. Similar to a jersey, except both front and back of fabric look identical. Interlock is a variation of rib knit construction. The fabric is extremely soft, firm and absorbent.

Jersey Knit - a type of fabric with a flat appearance, knit on a circular, single-knit machine; its principal distinction is that it is not a fabric with a distinct rib.

Low profile - determines the look of a cap. A low-profile cap’s arch begins at 2 to 3 inches.

Mock turtleneck-A shortened version of the turtleneck where the neck of the garment does not fold over.

Microfiber - very fine fibers, which give a unique appearance and soft hand. Microfiber fabrics are generally lightweight, resilient and resist wrinkling. They have a luxurious drape and the body retains its shape and resists pilling. They are also very strong and durable.

Oxford - soft, somewhat porous, cotton shirting weave that creates a soft, nubby texture.

Peruvian Pima Cotton - Peruvian Pima Cotton is often referred to as the "cashmere of cotton"- the softest, smoothest, "silkiest" fabric you can wear. Shrinkage standard for Peruvian Pima fabrics is a maximum of 5 x 5 if the garment is washed following directions on the label.

Pima cotton - high-quality yarn made by plying yarns spun from long combed staple

Pique - a knit fabric that is characterized by its waffle-like appearance.

Polar fleece - knitted using 100% fine denier polyester yarns. The pile is napped on the front and back to promote a very soft hand with exceptional loft. This is a fine denier knit that also allows the fabric to dry quickly.

Polo shirt-a pullover sport shirt of knitted cotton.

Reglan-a raglan sleeve is stitched under the arm and in two parallel lines leading from the armpit to the neck; it makes for ease of arm movement.

Ringer tee - a shirt, usually white bodied, featuring ribbed crew neck and sleeve bands in a contrasting color.

Sandwich hat - a hat where there is contrasting trim between the upper and lower part of the visor.

Twill - characterized by a diagonal rib. Twill weaves are used to produce a strong, durable, firm fabric.

Wicking-a wicking material is design to draw moisture away from the body.

Woven - fabric constructed by the interlacing of two or more sets of yarns at right angles to each other.

Yoke - contoured portion of a garment, usually at the shoulder or hip.