Textiles & Fabric Vocabulary
20 essential textile and fabric words with definitions and example sentences — weaving, knitting, fibres, and materials for B1–B2 ESL learners.
Textile vocabulary is useful far beyond the factory or the sewing room. When you read a clothing label, shop for a new jacket, or describe what you are wearing, you are using words from this topic. For B1 and B2 learners, knowing the difference between cotton, polyester, and denim, or between knit and weave, helps you talk confidently about everyday objects and make better choices as a shopper.
This page covers 20 key words that describe how fabric is made, the materials it is made from, and the parts of a finished item of clothing. Many of these terms connect directly to our Clothes vocabulary and Fashion industry vocabulary pages, so learning them together will give you a fuller picture of how garments are designed, produced, and sold.
Some textile words also appear in surprising places. The verb to weave is used in storytelling and in our Construction vocabulary for building techniques, while words like thread and fibre turn up in Art and music vocabulary and in technology. Whether you are browsing in a shop or reading a craft blog, these 20 words will help you understand and describe the materials around you.
Word List
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| yarn | a long, continuous length of twisted fibres used for knitting, weaving, or sewing | She bought three balls of soft wool yarn to knit a winter scarf. |
| weave | to make fabric by crossing threads over and under each other on a loom | Skilled artisans weave intricate patterns into the silk by hand. |
| loom | a machine or frame used for weaving thread or yarn into cloth | The weaver sat at the wooden loom, passing the shuttle from side to side. |
| fibre | a thin thread of natural or artificial material from which yarn and fabric are made | Cotton is a natural fibre, while nylon is a man-made fibre. |
| knit | to make fabric or clothing by interlocking loops of yarn using needles or a machine | My grandmother taught me to knit a jumper using two needles. |
| dye | a substance used to change the colour of fabric or yarn; to colour material in this way | The cloth was soaked in a deep blue dye for several hours. |
| thread | a fine strand of cotton or other fibre used for sewing, usually wound on a reel | He chose a thread that matched the colour of the shirt before mending the button. |
| seam | a line where two pieces of fabric are sewn together | The seam at the shoulder had come apart, so she stitched it back together. |
| fabric | a material made from fibres, by weaving or knitting; cloth | This lightweight fabric is ideal for summer dresses. |
| cotton | a soft, natural fibre from the cotton plant, widely used to make fabric | T-shirts made from pure cotton are breathable and comfortable. |
| polyester | a strong, synthetic fibre often blended with natural fibres to make hard-wearing fabric | The jacket is a mix of polyester and cotton, so it dries quickly. |
| denim | a strong cotton fabric, usually blue, used mainly to make jeans | Denim is woven in a way that makes it tough enough for everyday wear. |
| hem | the edge of a piece of cloth that has been folded under and sewn to stop it fraying | The trousers were too long, so the tailor took up the hem by two centimetres. |
| stitch | a single loop of thread made by a needle when sewing or knitting | Each stitch must be even, or the seam will look untidy. |
| spool | a cylinder on which thread, yarn, or wire is wound | The sewing machine ran out of thread, so she fitted a new spool. |
| warp | the set of lengthwise threads held in tension on a loom during weaving | The warp threads run vertically while the weft passes across them. |
| weft | the threads that are woven horizontally over and under the warp to make fabric | By changing the colour of the weft, the weaver created striped cloth. |
| embroidery | the art of decorating fabric with patterns sewn in thread by hand or machine | The cushion was covered in delicate floral embroidery. |
| synthetic | made from artificial materials, especially chemicals, rather than natural fibres | Many sportswear brands use synthetic fabrics because they are lightweight and stretchy. |
| garment | a single item of clothing, such as a shirt, dress, or coat | Each garment is inspected for loose threads before it leaves the factory. |
Practice These Words
Flash Cards
Review textiles vocabulary with spaced repetition
Wordsearch
Find textiles words hidden in the grid
Quiz
Test your textiles vocabulary knowledge
Practice What You've Learned
LexFizz has 30 free interactive exercises — no sign-up needed.
Browse All Exercises →Related Vocabulary Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between warp and weft?
Warp and weft are the two sets of threads used in weaving. The warp threads run lengthwise and are held tightly in place on the loom before weaving begins. The weft threads run across the fabric, passing over and under the warp threads from side to side. A simple way to remember it is that the warp goes up and down the loom, while the weft goes left and right (weft sounds a little like “left”). Together they cross to create woven fabric, and changing the colours or spacing of either set produces different patterns.
What is the difference between yarn and thread?
Both are made by twisting fibres together, but they are used for different purposes. Yarn is usually thicker and is used for knitting, crochet, and weaving — think of a ball of wool for a jumper. Thread is finer and stronger, and is used for sewing pieces of fabric together or for embroidery. You knit with yarn, but you sew a seam with thread. In everyday English, people sometimes use the words loosely, but in textiles they refer to clearly different materials.
What is the difference between natural and synthetic fibres?
A natural fibre comes from a plant or animal — cotton from the cotton plant, wool from sheep, and silk from silkworms. A synthetic fibre is man-made, produced from chemicals; common examples are polyester and nylon. Natural fibres are often more breathable and biodegradable, while synthetic fibres tend to be cheaper, stronger, and quicker to dry. Many modern fabrics are blends, combining cotton with polyester, for example, to get the comfort of one and the durability of the other.
What does a loom do?
A loom is a machine or frame used to weave thread or yarn into fabric. It holds the lengthwise warp threads under tension, and the weaver (or the machine) passes the weft threads across them, over and under, to build up cloth row by row. Looms range from small wooden hand looms used by craftspeople to large industrial machines that weave fabric at high speed in factories. Without a loom, woven fabric such as denim or cotton sheeting could not be made.
What is the difference between weave and knit?
Weaving and knitting are two different ways of turning yarn into fabric. To weave means to cross two sets of straight threads — the warp and the weft — over and under each other on a loom, producing a firm, flat cloth such as denim or cotton shirting. To knit means to interlock loops of a single yarn using needles, producing a stretchy, flexible fabric such as a jumper or a pair of socks. A simple test: woven fabric usually does not stretch much, while knitted fabric stretches easily.
What exactly is denim?
Denim is a strong, hard-wearing cotton fabric, most often dyed blue, that is best known as the material used to make jeans. It is woven in a special way, with the warp threads dyed and the weft threads left white, which is why a pair of jeans looks blue on the outside and paler on the inside. Because denim is tough and long-lasting, it is also used for jackets, dungarees, and work clothes. The classic blue colour comes from a dye called indigo.
What is the difference between a seam and a hem?
A seam is the line where two separate pieces of fabric are sewn together — for example, the join down the side of a shirt or along the inside of a trouser leg. A hem is the finished edge of a single piece of fabric, made by folding the cloth under and stitching it so the edge does not fray. In short, a seam joins two pieces, while a hem tidies the edge of one. When trousers are too long, a tailor shortens them by raising the hem.
What is embroidery?
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric with designs sewn in thread, either by hand with a needle or by machine. The patterns can be simple letters and initials or detailed pictures of flowers, animals, and scenes. Embroidery is often used to personalise items such as towels, shirts, and bags, or to add decoration to traditional clothing. It differs from printing because the design is built up from real stitches, giving it a raised, textured feel.
What is the difference between fabric and garment?
Fabric is the cloth itself — the material made by weaving or knitting fibres together, sold by the metre in a shop or used in a factory. A garment is a finished item of clothing made from that fabric, such as a dress, shirt, or coat. In other words, fabric is the raw material and a garment is the product. A single roll of fabric might be cut and sewn into many separate garments.
What is the best way to learn textiles vocabulary?
The most effective way is to connect each word to a real object you can see and touch. Look at the labels inside your own clothes and find the fibres listed there — cotton, polyester, wool — then notice whether each item is woven or knitted. Group related words together, such as warp and weft, or seam and hem, so the contrasts help you remember them. Finally, use the Flash Cards and Quiz on LexFizz to drill the 20 words on this page, and try describing what you are wearing in English each morning.