LINENS

Linen :   Cloth woven from flax. 

Flax: This fiber is taken from the stalk of the Linum usitaatissimum plant. It is a long, smooth fiber and is cylindrical in shape. its length varies from 6 to 40 inches but on average is between 15 and 25 inches. its color is usually off-white or tan and due to its natural wax content, flax has excellent luster. It is considered to be the strongest of the vegetable fibers and is highly absorbent, allowing moisture to evaporate with speed. It conducts heat well and can be readily boiled. It's wash ability is great, however, it has poor elasticity and does not easily return to its original shape after creasing. Uses: Apparel fabric. When processed into fabric it is called linen. 

COTTONS

Cotton :  A natural vegetable fiber of great economic importance as a raw material for cloth. Its widespread use is largely due to the ease with which its fibers are spun into yarns. Cotton's strength, absorbency, and capacity to be washed and dyed also make it adaptable to a considerable variety of textile products. It is one of the world's major textile fibers. Conventional cotton crops are also one of the heaviest users of toxic pesticides and fertilizers which pollutes the environment and our health.

FORMALS

Cashmere :  Cashmere is a  luxury fiber from the Kashmir goat found in Kashmir India, Tibet, Iran, Iraq, China, Persia, Turkistan and Outer Mongolia. Characteristics: Fiber is cylindrical, soft and silken. A luxurious fiber more like wool than any other hair fiber it has a very soft silky finish; very light in weight. Cashmere is one of the finest natural fibers known to man.

Chiffon :   Fiber: Silk, rayon, cotton, synthetics. Weave: Plain Characteristics: 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. Wears very well. It is very difficult to handle when sewing and it is best to baste the pieces over tissue to make it easier. It has slightly bumpy look. It is best suited to shirring, draping, gathering, tucking, etc., because it is so limp. Uses: After 5 wear, blouses, scarves.
Derivation: French from chiffe ‘rag'

Georgette :   Weave: Plain Characteristics: A thin silk or crêpe dress material. Usually done in silk but can also be found in manufactured fibers. It is characterized by its crispness, body and outstanding durability. It is sheer and has a dull face.
Derivation: Named after Georgette de la Plante (c.. 1900), French dressmaker

Iridescent Taffeta : A plain weave cross dyed shiny fabric that changes color from different angles.

Mohair :  Mohair is a luxury fiber from the angora goat. It is a silky, lustrous, versatile and durable natural, animal fiber which is non-flammable, washable, wrinkle, stretch-resistant and soil-resistant. One of the world's warmest natural, each fiber is naturally smooth, so people who find wool irritating are often pleased with mohair's silkiness.

Satin : A fabric of silk or various man-made fibers, with a glossy surface on one side produced by a twill weave with the weft-threads almost hidden. Characteristics: Originated in China (Zaytoun, China - now Canton - a port from which satins were exported during the Middle Ages). Became known in Europe during the 12th, and 13th Centuries in Italy. Became known in England by the 14th Century. It became a favorite of all court life because of its exquisite qualities and feel. Usually has a lustrous surface and a dull back. The luster is produced by running it between hot cylinders. Uses: Slips, evening dresses, coats, capes, and jackets, lining fabrics, millinery, drapes, covers, and pillows, trimmings, etc.
Derivation: From Latin seta Silk

Silk : It is obtained from cocoons of certain species of caterpillars. It is soft and has a brilliant sheen. It is one of the finest textiles. It is also very strong and absorbent.
Silk is one of the oldest known textile fibers and, according to Chinese tradition, was used as long ago as the 27th century BC. The silkworm moth was originally a native of China, and for about 30 centuries the gathering and weaving of silk was a secret process, known only to the Chinese.