Fabrics for use in home decorating not only come in all types of materials from acetate and cotton to viscose and wool, but there are also a wide variety of types of fabrics.  For those who do not have a background in textiles, trying to figure out the difference between a damask and a brocade, for example, can be difficult and confusing. We have assembled this alphabetic list of common fabric types and materials used in home decor so you can easily check on the difference between a chintz and a calico, a lawn and lisere, or a herringbone and a tweed and determine if that epingle or gros point is appropriate for the project you have in mind. 

Due to ebay space limitations, we have broken this guide into two sections. We wish we could have included a photo of each type of fabric in this guide, but ebay limits would not allow us to add more than we have.  We hope that the links we have included will compensate for that by taking you to ebay listings that feature that type of fabric.
 
This is Part I, A through I. Click here to see Part II: J through Z.  For information on pattern names and other fabric-related terms that are not in this guide, please see our Glossary of Basic Textile Terms, and our FAQ and Guide to Natural and Synthetic Fabrics

A

ALPACA
A natural hair fiber obtained from the Alpaca sheep, a domesticated member of the llama family.  Alpaca wool is most commonly used in fabrics made into dresses, suits, coats, and sweaters and is rare in home decor.

ANGORA
The hair of the Angora goat. Also known as angora mohair. Angora may also apply to the fur of the Angora rabbit.

ANTIQUE SATIN
A satin weave fabric with slubs. Called antique satin because it imitates 18th Century spun shantung silk. Used in draperies.

AUBUSSON
A scenic tapestry used for wall hangings and upholstery. Name comes from Aubusson, France.

B

   BARGELLO
Also known as Florentine needlepoint. A geometric or zigzag needlepoint pattern made from long straight vertical stitches on canvas. Bargello originated in 17th century Europe but works with many styles of decor. Bargello is also used to refer to printed patterns that resemble the traditional needlepoint designs.

BARKCLOTH
A soft and textured fabric that resembles the bark of a tree, hence the name Barkcloth .

BATIK
A type of hand-printed fabric that orginated in Java and involves using wax as a resist to create a negative image.

BATISTE
A light-weight, plain weave fabric, usually made of cotton or cotton blends. Used mostly in the clothing industry, Batiste is sometimes used for curtains.

BEDFORD CORD
A cotton-like fabric with raised lengthwise ridges which make it very strong and highly durable. Bedford Cord is often used for upholstery.

BENGALINE
A durable fabric with widthwise cords or ridges similar to faille only heavier. Bengaline is often made from a blend of fibers (rayon, nylon, cotton, and/or wool) and is heavy.

BLANKET CLOTH
A thick, heavily napped cloth named after Thomas Blanquette, a Flemish weaver who lived in the fourteenth century.

BOUCLÉ
French for buckled, curled or ringed. Bouclé describes a knitted or woven fabric characterized by loops, knots, or curls on one or both sides, made with a variety of looped, curled, or slubbed yarns in one or both directions.

BROADCLOTH 
A densely woven fabric of cotton, rayon, or a blend of cotton or rayon with polyester, with a smooth finish. Broadcloth is used extensively in home decorating for bedding, draperies, slipcovers, and upholstery.

A thick heavy fabric into which raised patterns, usually fruit, floral, or figural, have been woven. The pattern is usually emphasized by contrasting weaves and colors and appears on the fact of the fabric, which is easily distinguished from the back. Brocade is used for formal upholstery, draperies and decorative accessories.

  BROCATELLE
A jacquard upholstery fabric similar to Brocade and Damask but with an extra warp or filling which creates a high relief so it is very three dimensional.  Brocatelle was originally created to imitate tooled leather. The puff effect can also be created by adjusting the tension in weaving by using a nyion and shrinking it with a heat process.

BUCKRAM
A coarse fabric of cotton or linen used for stiffening pelmets, curtain headings and tie backs.

BURLAP
A loosely constructed, heavy weight, plain weave fabric made of irregular yarns such as jute and used as a carpet backing, furniture webbing and, as fashion dictates, a drapery fabric. Also called Hessian.

C

CALICO
Calico originated in Calicut, India where the fabric was first produced and printed with cut woodblocks. The first of calicut fabrics were imported to England around 1630. Over time, the name evolved to the term calico that we use today to describe a cotton fabric with a small, usually floral, print. Common end-uses include quilts and curtains.

CANDLEWICK
An unbleached muslin fabric with a pattern created by heavy yarns looped to imitate french knots or cut to resemble tufts of chenille.

CANVAS
A strong, durable, closely woven cotton, linen, or hemp fabric. Canvas is used in upholstery and drapery applications.

   CASEMENT CLOTH
A term applied to lightweight sheer and semi-sheer fabrics used for curtains. Casement cloth is often characterized by a loose decorative weave.

CASHMERE
A luxury fiber obtained from the soft fleecy undergrowth of the Kashmir goat of Tibet, Mongolia, China, Iran, Iraq, and India. Most commonly used in clothing, cashmere is sometimes used for upholstery and accessories. Because the total amount of cashmere hair available is severely limited, cashmere is an expensive luxury fabric.

CHALLIS
A lightweight, soft plain weave fabric with a slightly brushed surface. The fabric is often printed, usually in a floral or paisley pattern. Challis is most often seen in fabrics made of cotton, wool, or rayon.

CHAMBRAY
A plain woven fabric that can be made from cotton and/or rayon.  Chambray usually has dyed yarns in one direction and white yarns in the filling direction. It was originally woven for farmers in Cambrai, France, and is traditionally light blue, although now available in additional colors. Uses include informal bedding, window treatments, and upholstery.
 
CHARMEUSE
Charmeuse   refers to silk and silk-like fabrics that are characterized by a shiny, soft, satin-like appearance.

CHENILLE
Soft, fuzzy yarns stand out around a velvety cord on this fabric, whose name comes from the French word for caterpillar.  When tightly woven, chenille is similar to velvet.

CHIFFON
A plain woven lightweight, extremely sheer, airy, and soft silk fabric. The fabric, used mainly in evening dresses and scarves, can also be made from rayon and other manufactured fibers.
 
  CHINTZ
A glazed fabric, usually cotton, often printed in bright colors. Chintz is naturally dust repellent and a popular choice for draperies and upholstery applications.

CORDUROY
A medium to heavyweight cotton pile fabric with ribs or wales, usually cut vertically.  Ribs vary from narrow (pinwale) to wide (widewale). This strong, durable fabric, originally used by the household staff of French kings, was called corde du roi or cord of the king.

COUPE DE FIL
See Fil Coupe

CRÉPE
Refers to a crinkly, crimped or grained surface. It is used to describe all kinds of fabrics -- wool, cotton, silk, rayon, synthetics and blend. It comes from the French word créper, which means to crimp or frizz.

CRÉPE DE CHINE
A fine, lightweight crépe usually made of silk.

CREWEL
Crewel is an artistic embroidering technique that creates a design motif from wool yarn, usually on a cotton or linen base.

D

DAMASK
A jacquard woven of linen, cotton, silk, rayon or blends creating a contrasting satin and matte surface, typically woven in stylized floral motifs. Damask comes in different weights and is often used in tablecloths, napkins, formal draperies, and upholstery.  Damask is similar to brocade, but flatter and reversible.

DENIM
A twill-weave, cotton or cotton-like fabric made with different colored yarns in the warp and the weft. Due to the twill construction, one color predominates on the fabric surface.

DOBBY
A type of woven fabric that contains simple geometric forms or motifs, where the design on the fabric is created in the dobby weaving process.

DONEGAL TWEED
A medium to heavy plain or twill weave fabric with colorful yarn slubs woven into the fabric. The name originally applied to a hand-woven woolen tweed fabric made in Donegal, Ireland.  With the current interest in menswear fabrics and patterns in decorating, Donegal Tweed is being used for upholstery and accessories in home decor.

DOTTED SWISS
A sheer fabric of cotton or blends with a small dot pattern woven, printed or flocked on the surface. Used for curtains.

DUCK
A rugged plain-weave canvas cloth.

DUPIONI
A medium weight lustrous silk, dupioni has slubbed yarns and a crisp, scrunchy hand. It is similar to shantung but has a more pronounced texture.

E

ÉPINGLÉ
From the French word épingler meaning to pin.  Originally a velvet made from silk this lustrous corded fabric is now made in a variety of natural and synthetic fibers in a single colour or with the ribs in contrasting colours. Épinglé weaving in Europe originated in Italy, but most épinglé today is woven in Belgium. It is generally used for upholstery.

EYELET
A fabric that is designed with a series of finished patterned cutouts, or perforations. Eyelet is a popular choice for bedding and curtains.

F

   FAILLE
A soft, finely-ribbed woven fabric with a light lustre made from cotton, silk, or manufactured fibers. Depending on the weight, faille is used for draperies and upholstery applications.

FAUX SILK
A synthetic fabric that imitates silk. Faux is French for false or fake.

FAUX FUR
Artificial fur made from synthetic material.

FELT
A non-woven fabric made from pressurizing wool, hair, fur, and/or manufactured fibers into a compact material.

FIL COUPE
Fil Coupe  literally means cut threads in French.  Can be a woven, lampas, or embroidered fabric where the threads that form the motif are cut close to the back of the fabric, reducing bulk and weight.
Also called Coupe de Fil.

FLANNEL
A warm, soft fabric made in tightly woven twill or plain weave, and finished with a light napping. Derived from the Welsh word gwlanen, which means wool.

FLAX
Taken from the Linum plant, this lustrous fiber is considered to be strong, highly absorbent and quick drying. When processed into fabric, flax is called linen .

FLEECE
A soft, bulky, deep-piled knitted or woven fabric.

G

GABARDINE
A tightly woven, twilled, worsted fabric with a slight diagonal line on the right side. Wool, cotton, rayon, polyester, and various blends are also used in making gabardine . Popular for men's suits, it is gaining popularity in home decor as are other traditionally menswear patterns.

GEORGETTE
A sheer, lightweight plain-weave fabric with a fine crepe surface. Sometimes silk, sometimes synthetic. Also called crepe georgette or georgette crepe.

GINGHAM                                                    
A yarn-dyed, checked or plaid fabric made of pure or blended cotton.
Checked ginghams use two colors, plaid ginghams use several. The
name gingham comes from the Malay word ging gang, meaning striped.

GROS POINT
A heavy woven fabric made of wool or synthetic fibers and resembling hand-made needlepoint. Gros Point is used mainly for upholstery.

GROSGRAIN
A  tightly woven, firm fabric with heavy ribs. Grosgrain can be made narrow for ribbon ribbon or full-width for fabric.

H

  HERRINGBONE
A twill weave in a geometric pattern consisting of two slanted rows that form a chevron or V shape in the fabric. A traditional menswear fabric, herringbone is currently popular in home decor.

HOMESPUN
A simple fabric with irregular, tightly twisted, uneven yarns giving a homemade appearance. Homespun is used for window treatments, tablecloths, and accessories, especially in country style decor.

HOPSACK
A loosely woven coarse fabric of cotton, wool, hemp, or jute.

A variation on twill weave construction, where a broken check effect is made by a variation in the pattern of interlacing yarns, using at least two different colors.

I

  IMBERLINE                                                                                                                            
A woven fabric with colored stripes in the warp, sometimes separated by gold thread. Although woven in one piece, Imberline appears to be made of different strips joined together. Used in upholstery and drapery applications.  Photo above shows an Imberline Damask in silk and linen.

INTARSIA
A flat knit fabric with solid-colored, geometric patterns. Both sides of the fabric are identical. Intarsia is derived from the Italian word for inlay.

INTERLOCK
A double-knit, plain-stitched fabric that looks the same on both sides.