Fabric Glossary: Terms Starting with L

Lace

Lace is a porous, open-weave fabric or trimming created by looping, twisting, interlacing, entwining, or knitting threads into intricate, web-like patterns. It can be handmade or machine-produced. Historically, lace was crafted by hand using silk, linen, gold, or silver threads. Today, it is primarily made with cotton or synthetic fibers and produced on machines. Traditional handmade lace techniques include needle lace and bobbin lace, with notable examples such as Alençon lace, Chantilly lace, Genoese lace, Guipure lace, Reticella lace, and Venetian lace.

Lace Effect

Lace effect fabrics are novelty textiles designed to mimic lace patterns. These are created through techniques such as heavy leno weaving, embroidery, cutwork, knitting, or crocheting on thin ground fabrics, producing lace-like designs.

Lacemaking Machines

Handmade lace has largely been replaced by machine-made lace. Some of the original lace-making machines, invented in the 19th century and still in use today, include the Bobbinet machine, Leavers machine, Curtain machine, Raschel machine, Barmen machine, and Schiffli embroidery machine.

Lambswool

Lambswool is soft, resilient, and elastic wool obtained from the first shearing of a sheep at approximately seven to eight months old. It is used to produce high-quality yarns for fabrics and sweaters. Faux lambswool alternatives are also available, typically made from polyester fibers.

Lamé (Lame)

Lamé is a fabric woven with metallic threads or fibers, either as the base construction or interspersed throughout the fabric. It can be woven or knitted and produced in various styles such as brocade, damask, dupioni, and mesh. The metallic threads are commonly blended with silk, cotton, wool, or synthetic fibers.

Latex

Latex is a natural, plant-based polymer derived primarily from the sap of rubber trees. In textiles, latex is used most often for its properties of elasticity, waterproofing, and flexibility. Latex provides excellent stretch and recovery, allowing garments to fit snugly and comfortably while maintaining their shape. Examples include leotards, bodysuits, stockings, and gloves.

Lawn

Lawn is a fine, plain-weave fabric made from carded or combed cotton yarns. Historically, the term referred to a plain-weave linen fabric known as handkerchief linen. Lawn is characterized by a high thread count and a soft to semi-crisp or crisp hand. It ranges from sheer to nearly opaque and some types may have crease-resistant finishes.

Left-Hand Twill

Left-hand twill is a twill weave where the diagonal lines on the fabric’s face run from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. In denim fabrics, this weave produces garments like jeans with a soft, fluffy texture and often more pronounced white lines.

Leno or Doup Weave

Leno weave is an open-effect weave in which two or more warp threads twist around the weft threads, creating a strong, stable, and fine fabric with an open mesh appearance.

Linen

Linen is a fabric made from flax fibers, a natural plant fiber also known as linseed. Flax is cultivated both for food and fiber. Linen fibers are lustrous, flexible, and soft. Linen fabrics come in various weights and are known for their strength, absorbency, and breathability, making them ideal for warm climates. Linen wrinkles easily and is commonly used for garments, shirting, dish towels, napkins, tablecloths, bed linens, chair covers, and home furnishings.

Linen Cambric

Also called handkerchief linen or batiste, linen cambric is a fine plain-weave fabric with a smooth surface that can be sheer or dense. Originally made from linen fibers, it is now often produced from cotton. Chambray is a similar type of fabric.

Linen Canvas

Linen canvas is more rigid and durable compared to cotton canvas. It comes in several weave types, including open-mesh canvas used for embroidery and close-woven canvas made from hard-twisted yarns in plain weave construction. Close-woven canvas is available in various weights and finishes.

Linen Damask

Linen damask is a jacquard-woven fabric featuring reversible patterns, meaning the design appears the same on both sides. Typically single-colored, damask patterns contrast with the ground through different weaves; warp satin and weft sateen. Damask is tightly woven and durable, making it ideal for tablecloths and other household textiles. It can be made from linen, silk, wool, cotton, or synthetic fibers.

Linen European

European linen refers to linen fabric made from flax fibers that are grown and processed in Europe. European linen is highly regarded for its superior quality, durability, and natural luster.

Linen Venice

Linen Venice fabrics are typically made from pure flax fibers and are known for their versatility and softness, especially when stonewashed or prewashed to enhance comfort.

Lining

Lining is an additional fabric layer inserted into garments, handbags, hats, curtains, and other products. Usually solid-colored, lining provides a clean inside finish that conceals interfacings, padding, interlining, and raw seam edges. It protects the garment from wear and strain, extending its lifespan, and can add warmth. When selecting lining, consider the weight of the outer fabric to choose between lightweight, midweight, or heavyweight linings. Linings can be made from silk, rayon, polyester, synthetic fibers, or even hair or fur.

Loden Cloth

Loden cloth is made from the oily wool of mountain sheep. The strong yarns are loosely woven, then subjected to shrinking and brushing processes that produce a dense, felt-like texture. The fabric is windproof, extremely durable, and water-resistant due to the natural oils in the wool. Originally produced in Austria and Germany, loden cloth was traditionally used in regional clothing known as Tracht.

London Shrunk

London Shrunk is a nearly 300-year-old finishing process applied to worsted fabrics. It involves hot and cold water treatments that shrink and relax the fabric, making it easier for tailors to handle and work with. This process imparts a soft, supple hand to worsted wool fabrics.

Longcloth

Longcloth is a soft, high-quality plain-weave cotton fabric commonly used for children’s wear, lingerie, and underwear.

Loom

A loom is a machine or device used in textile production to weave fabric by interlacing warp and weft threads.

Lurex

Lurex is a registered trademark referring to a metallic fiber made from plastic-coated aluminum yarn or thread. It is woven into fabrics to add metallic shine and decorative effects.

Lycra

Lycra is a registered trademark for the fiber known as spandex or elastane. It is incorporated into fabrics to provide stretch, elasticity, and enhanced comfort.