Poncho Cloth.—This name is apparently more used to describe a class of fabric than a particular and distinctive material. Used presumably in the manufacture of Ponchos, which are blanket-shaped garments having a slit in the centre through which the head is passed, and extensively used in Mexico. Poncho Cloth was originally a fine all-wool fabric.

Poncho Cloth is now described as a union cloth, i.e., composed of two materials, such as wool and cotton, otherwise than by blending. It is also similar to what is known as Leather Cloth, produced in the Morley district, which is heavier than the boiled and teazled goods known in that district as "Unions." True Poncho Cloth is a union cloth woven with cotton warp and woollen weft, measuring from 72 to 74 inches wide and having a distinctive 1-inch hair list at each selvedge. It resembles but is lighter in weight than a Union or Leather Cloth, averages from 16 to 20 ounces per yard, and is given a high finish on the face. In the Bradford district such a cloth would be known and sold as a "Melton" unless shipped as a Poncho Cloth at the request of the buyer.

Pongee.—A fine plain-woven cotton fabric, mercerised, dyed, and schreinered, having a soft handle or feel like the real Silk Pongee of which it is an imitation. Pongees are met with having stripes produced by coloured warp threads. The fabric has a lustrous silky appearance. Average width, 28 inches. The ground colour of Pongees is most often of a shade similar to real Silk Pongee.

Pony Skin.—As a textile term, it is used to describe a pile fabric which is made to imitate the true Russian Pony Skin fur. Always dyed a solid black, this fabric has a mohair pile which has been laid and fixed by heat. The density of the pile and the lustre are the best guides to value. Like many imitation fur fabrics, it came into the market owing to the vogue of the real fur it imitates. Average width, 48 to 50 inches; length, 30 to 33 yards per piece.

Poplin.—A fabric having a silk warp and a wool weft, with a corded surface. Goods in which a similar effect is produced, but made in all silk, all wool, or cotton, are also called Poplins.

It is a warp-ribbed fabric with a plain weave and was originally made with a fine silk warp and a comparatively thick gassed worsted weft which gave the ribbed effect, with the silk warp threads thrown to the surface and completely hiding the worsted weft. It is similar to, but generally softer finished than, Repp or Rep.

Cambric being a light-weight, soft-finish, plain-weave fabric of linen or cotton, the term Printed Cambric is therefore applicable to either a linen or cotton fabric. The more correct designation would be either Printed Linen Cambric or Printed Cotton Cambric. The majority of Cambrics met with are Cotton Cambrics, and, unless specially designated, a Printed Cambric would be a cotton fabric. Whereas in the plain white a Cambric is finer than a Lawn, Printed Cambrics, on the other hand, are coarser than Lawns.

Printed Chintzes.—This fabric is essentially a multicoloured printed cotton fabric. It is the style of printing and the large bright and gay coloured patterns of flowers and other subjects used for ornamentation of the fabric that are the distinctive features of this material, which is mainly used for curtains and furniture coverings. Chintz is but a plain-woven fabric elaborately ornamented with designs by means of the printing machine. After printing, the fabric is passed through a calender press, the rolls of which are well heated and tightly set, which gives the glazed finish which the fabric in most cases possesses.

Printed Cotton Drill.—A strong all-cotton warp-faced or warp sateen faced fabric which, after leaving the loom, has been suitably prepared for and subjected to a process whereby certain ornamentation in the form of simple or complex designs in either one or more colours has been impressed on its surface. For particulars of weave, see Drills; Florentine Drills; Satin Drill.

Printed Cotton Italians.—This name is given to an all-cotton fabric woven generally with a weft-faced satin weave having an even, close, smooth surface, upon which—for the purpose of ornamentation and to enhance the value of the fabric—certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed. Whilst the name of this fabric does not indicate whether it is a grey, white, or dyed one, nevertheless, as an Italian Cloth itself is a dyed cotton fabric, so a Printed Cotton Italian is a dyed and printed cotton fabric.

Printed Cotton Lastings.—This fabric is essentially a plain all-cotton twill or kindred weave fabric firmly woven from hard-twisted yarns, piece-dyed after leaving the loom, and subsequently subjected to a printing process whereby certain designs, whether simple or complex, are impressed upon the surface of the cloth in either one or more colours.

Printed Crapes.—Any all-cotton Crape Cloth, which has been ornamented by having certain designs or patterns impressed upon its surface in one or more colours, is termed a Printed Crape. The crinkled appearance—which is the distinctive feature of Crape Cloth—remains unchanged in the Printed Crape. The various methods of obtaining this crinkled effect is given under "Crape Cloth, Plain."

Printed Crimp Cloth.—Any all-cotton Crimp Cloth which has been ornamented by having certain designs or patterns impressed upon its surface in one or more colours is known as a Printed Crimp. The "cockled" stripes—which are the distinctive feature of Crimp Cloth—remain unchanged in the Printed Crimps. The method of obtaining these "cockled" stripes is given under "Crimp Cloth, Plain."

Printed Furnitures.—This name, like many others used with reference to textiles, denotes more a class of goods than any given fabric. Chintz, Cretonne, and any other printed cotton fabrics which enter into the manufacture of chair or sofa coverings, curtains, hassocks, screens, etc., may be termed Printed Furnitures. This name, however, seems to be unknown to both manufacturer and distributor, and it is not in use in any of the many branches of commerce concerned with textile fabrics. As a generic term it has its value; but if it was ever used as the name of any given fabric, it is so used no longer.

Printed Lawns.—As the name shows, Printed Lawns are Lawns which have been submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed on their surface. Lawn being a light-weight, soft-finished, plain-weave fabric woven from cotton yarns varying from 1/40's to 1/100's or from a linen yarn, the term Printed Lawn is therefore applicable to either a cotton or linen fabric. The more correct designation would be either Printed Cotton Lawn or Printed Linen Lawn. The majority of Lawns met with are Cotton Lawns, and unless specially designated, a Printed Lawn would be a cotton fabric. Whereas a plain White Lawn is coarser than a White Cambric, a Printed Lawn, on the other hand, is finer than a Printed Cambric. It varies in width from 27 to 45 inches.

Printed Leno.—When a Leno has been submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed on its face, it is then known as a Printed Leno.

Printed Muslin.—As the name shows, Printed Muslins are Muslins which have been submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed on their surface. Muslin, like Lawn and Cambric, is an open, plain-weave, light-weight, soft-finished cotton fabric. The better qualities of Muslin may be recognised by their evenness of weave and fineness of yarn, whilst in the lower grades occasional warp or weft threads will be irregular, having the appearance of being thicker in some parts than in others.

Printed Reps.—As the name indicates, this class of fabric is essentially of rep construction, i.e., having as a predominant feature a rep or rib running transversely across the face of the cloth, which is described in detail under "Rep." When a cloth or fabric of rep construction has had its face ornamented by having certain designs or patterns impressed on it in either one or more colours, it is known as a Printed Rep. This class of fabric is generally met with as an all-cotton fabric, and unless specially designated, the material so described would be a printed plain (in the sense of not figured) cotton fabric.

Printed Sateens.—These are essentially light-weight cotton fabrics finished to imitate Silk Satin, and the common Italian Cloth is a sateen fabric. The ornamentation of Printed Sateens is the result of a printing process whereby certain designs are impressed on the surface in contradistinction to Coloured Sateens, in which the ornamentation is produced by combination of coloured warp and filling threads. See also Sateens; Satin.

Printed Satinets.—An imitation of the true Satin in mercerised cotton or other yarns which has been printed after leaving the loom. The four-shaft satin weave, which does not fulfil the conditions of the real Satin as regards order of intersections, is known as a satinet weave and is the basis of this class of fabric. Similar to Sateen, but somewhat lighter in weight.

Printed Sheetings.—This name is given to an all-cotton fabric woven either as a four-shaft two-and-two twill or with a plain weave, as in the case of low-grade sheetings, in which waste and condenser wefts are used. The actual fabric is woven as described under "Grey Sheeting," then "singed," "bleached," and "calendered" to prepare it for the process of printing, which consists of impressing on the face of the material certain designs in either one or more colours. This term is very seldom met with in the trade and is considered a misnomer.

Printed Shirtings.—Printed Shirtings are essentially an all-cotton fabric woven with a plain weave, having the warp and weft approximately of the same count, which have had their surface ornamented by being submitted to a process whereby certain simple or complex designs in either one or more colours have been impressed upon them. Printed Shirtings, like all other cotton fabrics, undergo a process of "singeing," "bleaching," and "calendering" prior to being printed. The first process removes the surface hairs, which form a sort of nap to the surface of the cloth, which if allowed to remain would interfere with the uniform application of the colours, and the other two processes further prepare the fabric for printing.

Printed T-Cloth.—This fabric is an all-cotton plain-woven fabric, generally woven from poor-quality yarn, which, after leaving the loom, has been bleached and printed. This fabric answers the description of a Printed Calico and would by many be known under that name. Beyond the actual manufacturer, the jobber or exporter, and those merchants in such markets as Manchester and China where the term is currently used, few even in the textile business would know the value of the term T-Cloth.

Printed Turkey Reds.—Fabrics designated as Printed Turkey Reds are essentially all-cotton fabrics of good quality dyed turkey red (see Dyed Real Turkey Reds) and subsequently ornamented by having certain designs impressed on their surface in either one or more colours. They are usually plain woven or of small twill weave.

Printed Twills.—This term is applied to all cotton fabrics of twill weave, having the diagonal effect or twill running across the face of the fabric, which subsequent to being woven have been ornamented by having certain designs, either simple or complex, impressed on their surface in either one or more colours.

Raised Cotton Cloth.—Any material woven in all cotton and having either one or both sides "raised " or "napped" would be a Raised Cotton Cloth. The "raising" or "napping" of the cloth is a process which the fabric is put through with the view of giving it a soft "woolly" feel. By passing the fabric, whilst it is tightly stretched, over a revolving cylinder which has its surface covered with small steel hooks or teasels, the surface of the fabric is scratched and the short fibres of the yarn used in the weaving are opened up and raised, resulting in a nap covering the whole of the surface. Raised Cotton Cloths allow of the use of coarse inferior yarns and are better looking than had they not been raised. The raising hides defects of weave and produces a warmer, better-looking cloth than could be produced by any other process at the price. Raised Cloths, like certain Flannelettes, are sometimes chemically rendered "fireproof."

Reed and Pick are terms applied in the cotton industry to the number of threads in a given space—usually ¼ inch or 1 inch—in the warp and weft respectively. These terms are not generally employed, however, in all textile districts; the term "make" or "ends and picks per inch" is applied to worsted cloths, whilst "sett" and "shots" are used with the same meaning in the linen industry.

The word "counts," which refers to the number or thickness of yarn, is sometimes erroneously used in this connexion, probably owing to the fact that the expression "counts to the 1-inch glass" is also used in reference to reed and pick.

Rembrandt Rib.—Applied to women's stockings having groups of five drop-stitches, separated by 1 inch of plain knitting running the full length.

Rep.—The name Rep is used to designate certain fabrics that have as a predominant feature a rep or rib running transversely across the face of the cloth. The term may also be applied to the actual weft rib which appears in the material.

Reps are what is known as warp-ribbed fabrics, i.e., fabrics with the rib or rep running weftways, and for that reason may be considered the opposite of cords. The term "warp-ribbed" might at first sight appear to designate a rib running warpways, that is to say, in the longitudinal direction of the cloth, whereas a warp rib is a warp surface weave in which, owing to the thickness of the weft picks or to the grouping of a number of weft picks together, the warp threads are made to bend round them, and being thus thrown to the surface produce a ribbed appearance across the piece. Reps, unless specially designated, are dyed plain cotton fabrics with an average width of 32 inches and a length of 32 yards per piece.

Resist or Reserve Printing.—This style of printing is a process used to obtain white figures on a coloured ground by means of printing the designs in substances that are impervious to the dye into which the cloth so printed is subsequently placed. The cloth is dyed, but all parts of it which were covered by the resist agent remain white.

Reversible Cretonnes.—The salient features of Cretonnes are the bold type of highly coloured designs with which the fabric is ornamented through printing. The weave employed for this style of fabric is either plain, twill, satin, or oatmeal weave; the width of the material varies from 25 to 50 inches. Sometimes, though rarely, a small brocaded effect of fancy weave is introduced. Reversible Cretonnes differ from ordinary Cretonnes in that they are printed on both sides of the fabric. A recent variety of Reversible Cretonne, called a Shadow Cretonne, is purely a warp-printed fabric, sometimes containing yarn-dyed threads. A Cretonne printed with the same design on face and back would be known as a Reversible Cretonne, whilst the same fabric printed with one pattern on the face and a different pattern on the back would be known as a Duplex Printed Cretonne.

Rib.—The name given to any kind of cord effect or to a weave in which either, owing to the interlacing or to the yarns used, warp or weft is the stronger and remains comparatively straight while the weaker does all the bending. Thus, in warp ribs the weft is the stronger and causes the warp to bend and form a warp surface rib running from selvedge to selvedge, while in weft ribs the warp is the stronger and develops a weft surface rib running lengthways of the piece.

Rib Crape Effect.—This term is used to designate the effect produced by breaking up the regular order of weave so as to produce a warp-rib effect on a fabric which is of the Crape variety, the crape weave being distinguishable by the interlacing of warp and weft in a more or less mixed or indiscriminate order, so as to produce an appearance of a finely broken character. Rib crape effect is found in fabrics known as Crepoline.

Richelieu Rib.—Applied to women's plain stockings having a single drop-stitch at intervals of three-quarters of an inch running the full length of the stocking.

Right and Wrong Side of Fabrics.—In certain goods it is difficult to tell the right from the wrong side. In plain worsteds the diagonal ought always to run from right to left, that being the right side. In all textiles which are not reversible, but are similar on both sides, the right side can be detected by the quantity of down, which is less on the right side than the wrong side. To determine this it is often necessary to hold the cloth under examination to the light. When both sides are well finished, but with different patterns, it is the neater of the two which is generally the right side. In a comprehensive way, shaving and neatness indicate the right side.

Ring-spun Yarn.—Ring-spun cotton yarn is generally a harder spun thread than mule-twist, which is more fibrous and more elastic. Ring-spun yarn will not take up as much "size" as the more fibrous and softer spun thread of the mule.

Ring-spun yarn is rounder than a mule-spun thread. Ring-spinning differs from mule-spinning in this essential: the former is spun on the "continuous system" upon spindles that are fixed, whereas in mule-spinning the spindles are mounted on a carriage which moves backwards and forwards for a distance of some 5 feet. When the spindles reach their greatest distance the rolls producing the yarn are automatically stopped, and the thread that has been spun during the outward move of the carriage is wound on the spindles while the carriage is being moved back toward the rolls.

Robes.—A name given to printed twill cotton fabrics made from 64-square printing cloth. Originally made for use as wraps, they were made in Cashmere effects. Now, although made in large bright-coloured furniture coverings, curtains, etc., they still retain the name Robes when made from 64-square printing cloth.

Russian Cloth (Woollen).—An all-wool fabric, plain woven from a wool weft and wool warp, the weave being a plain one-over and one-under weave. Owing to the finish of the cloth, the weave is non-apparent. It varies in width from 54 to 74 inches and in length from 19 to 36 yards. It does not differ materially from Broad, Medium, and Habit Cloth. Average value for period 1904 to 1914, 4s. 3d. per yard.

Russian Prints.—This class of fabric does not differ materially from any other print. They originate in Odessa, whence they come by steamer to Chinese ports or to Vladivostock, from which points the majority are brought overland into Manchuria. Many of the designs on Russian Prints are similar to those on American prints. Measuring 24/25 or 26 inches wide, 88 by 68 or 88 by 64 ends and picks, and 30 yards per piece, they are generally packed 30, 40, and sometimes 60 pieces to a bale. On the whole, Russian Prints are not a high-grade material.

Samples and their Classification.—Unless some definite system, which provides means for ready reference to any of the individual samples forming part of the collection, is adopted from the very start, sample collections are of comparatively small value. The successive pasting into a book of samples which represent fabrics of different materials, different weaves, and different finishes—and under the heading "finishes" would be included dyeing, printing, embossing, etc.—is of no great value, for it becomes impossible after a time to readily turn up any given sample. Even with an index to the collection so formed it is only possible to turn up a sample of material the name of which is known. A person wishing to turn up in such a collection a sample of a certain type of fabric the name of which he did not know at the time could not do so, and the more specimens or samples were added to the collection the more difficult it would become to turn up a given sample, and the value of the collection would lessen instead of increase.

If fabrics are divided into 17 headings representing the main divisions into which they may be classed, and each division or section is subdivided into numbered sub-sections, the task becomes simpler, and there results therefrom a series of key-numbered collections each containing samples of fabrics of a similar type but of varying quality and value. Each collection (or sub-section) becomes known by a combination of two numbers, one of which is the main division or section number and the other the number of that particular sub-section. These numbers precede the name of the division and the name of the subdivision.

The 17 main divisions or groups, together with their respective subdivisions, which will in practice be found to be ample are as follow:—

Whether the loose-leaf system with folders to contain the samples is used or whether they are entered into special books is a matter for the individual, but the loose-leaf or card-index system with folder is infinitely preferable, admitting of the removal of any given sample for reference or comparison. The index to such a collection of samples would be alphabetical (even though not absolutely so), and if a sample of Italian (of the plain variety) were added to the collection, it would be added under section 4, Dyed Plain Cottons. If the sample of Italian thus added to the collection was the fifth sample of Dyed Plain Cottons (with finish), it would appear in the index to the sample collection under 1 and would be entered as follows:—