Glossary of Terms | Belvivere Fine Linens

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American Pima

Sea Island or American Pima cotton is a very strong, high-grade, long staple cotton quality developed from selected Egyptian cotton crops in the southwest of the United States. Because of the fineness of Pima cotton, more fibers can be spun into a yarn of a given count, which will enhance the feel, softness, drape and brilliance of a fabric. It is named after Pima County in southern Arizona, location of the experimental farm on which it was developed in the early 1900s. It now accounts for only 3% of US annual cotton production and is mainly cultivated in the San Joaquin Valley, California.

Applique

Appliqué or applique refers to a needlework technique in which pieces of fabric, embroidery, or other materials are sewn onto another piece of fabric to create designs, patterns or pictures.

Bath Sheet

Larger than a standard bath towel, a bath sheet is a luxurious size towel that you can wrap yourself into.

Bedskirt

A bedskirt is used when the boxspring of the bed is showing or when the top of the bed cover, like a bedspread or comforter, does not extend all the way to the floor. Bedskirts fit under the mattress and on top of the boxspring and decorate with fabric to the floor. Typical beds need a 14" bedskirt, but higher beds could require an 18" or even 22". Many Four Poster beds take a 22" bedskirt. To measure for the right bedskirt drop, measure from the top of the box spring to the floor. If it measures 17", an 18" bedskirt can be pinned to fit exactly.

Combed Cotton

A fine grade cotton which has gone through an extra manufacturing step called "combing". It reduces the number of short, uneven fibers leaving only the longer, stronger staples for weaving. It also remove all the impurities before the fiber is spun into yarn.

Damask

A design of scroll motifs or ornamental leaves woven into the texture of sateen fabrics. A damask weave alternates satin and matte textures to create a glossy pattern.

Duvet cover

A comforter cover. The best protection for a down comforter, a duvet cover offers an easy way to change the look of a room.

Egyptian Cotton

Egypt produces the best quality, longest fibre and most valued raw cotton worldwide. It is grown and hand harvested along the fertile banks of the Nile river delta where unique climatic conditions give rise to the finest long staple and extra long staple cotton fibers that are woven into world’s softest fabrics. Learn more….

Embroidery

Art of creating and producing raised designs or motifs on woven fabrics. Embroidery is made decorating fabric with needle and thread or yarn.

Euro Sham

A decorative pillow covering, constructed with a flange or trim, which fits a large 26” x 26” pillow. These are often placed behind standard size pillow shams as a backdrop for all of the other pillows. Also referred to as a Continental sham or a European Square.

Fingertip towel

Used in smaller or guest bathrooms. Usually trimmed with fringe and/or embellished.

Flax

Natural fiber that comes from the stem or stalk of the flax plant; when flax is woven, it produces linen.

Giza

Giza is a premium quality extra long staple Egyptian cotton. Finest grade Giza spins into much smoother, finer and stronger yarn than any other cotton in the world. Only weaving these fine yarns is possible to achieve a true 700 thread count sateen. It is grown and harvested in very limited quantities in the northern part of Egypt.

Hemstitch

A decorative stitch usually bordering a hem made by drawing out several parallel threads punching even rows of small holes and then stitching around the perforations.

Jacquard

A technique of weaving intricate patterns directly into the texture of fine fabrics. This type of weave can only be produced on specific “jacquard” looms.

Lace

It is a woven openwork border patterned with open spaces that create a decorative design or motifs.

Linen

It is the fabric woven from the fibers of the flax plant crops. Linen is more expensive than cotton since it is technically more difficult to spin and weaves slowly while cultivation of the flax crops is more labor intensive and require specific climatic conditions.

Makò

Mako is a high quality selection of long staple Egyptian cotton. Its long and ripe fibres are woven into exceptionally soft and smooth fabrics with outstanding technical performance. Learn more…..

Mercerized

Mercerizing is a key step in the finishing process, in which caustic soda is used to give fabrics resistance and additional shine. The process also stabilises shrinkage, allowing the fabric to remain soft and loose when washed. Named after John Mercer who developed this technique in the mid 1800’s.

Pilling

Fabric pilling is the annoying formation of small, fuzzy round balls on the surface of sheeting fabric that make it look old, worn and uncomfortable to sleep on. Fabric pilling occurs either due to the natural tendency of fibers to migrate to the surface of a woven fabric or as a result of friction on the fabric surface, which loosens fibers and tangles them. This friction may be a result of wear and tear, or of improper laundering techniques. Poor quality cotton is more likely to experience fabric pilling than high thread count cotton.

Pillow case

A fabric cover, constructed with one end open. An American design used to cover a sleeping pillow. Also referred to as a pillow slip or pillow sack.

Pillow Sham

A decorative fabric cover for a pillow, usually constructed with a flange or trim. Pillow shams are a European design.

Percale

Percale cotton is light and crisp yet incredibly soft. Percale is a plain weave with a matte finish and a supple lofty hand.

Piquè

A thick ribbed cotton fabric with an embossed pattern produced by a double warp thread.

Quilted Coverlet

A Quilt is a bed cover made of two layers of fabric stitched together, with an interior padding held in place by decorative intersecting seams.

A Coverlet is a decorative, top of the bed cover that does not cover the pillows. Pillows are placed on top of the coverlet.

Sateen

Cotton sateen is lustrous and smooth, with a luminous sheen. Sateen weave add luster and drape for a soft silky hand.

Scallops

A series of curved projections forming an ornamental border.

Spinning

It is the technical process of twisting together raw cotton fibers to make fine yarns that are then to be woven into fabrics warp and weft.

Thread Count

It is number of yarns per square inch in a woven fabric. While thread count is often quoted as the main indicator of fabrics quality, the quality of the yarn and of the raw cotton fiber, as well as the finishing treatments applied, should be taken into account to assess the real quality of any fabric. While it is true that with higher thread count, the weave is tighter, making the sheet more smooth and soft, thread count itself is just a rough indicator and cannot be used as the only reference to determine fabrics quality.

Tulle Lace

A sheer net fabric finely embroidered with some pattern. It is named after the French town of Tulle where it was firstly produced in the late 1700’s.

Warp and Weft

The lengthwise and crosswise threads which are interwoven to create the fabric.