Whipcord is the name for either a fabric or a form of braided cord.

Fabric

The fabric whipcord is a strong

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, for ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

fabric made of hard-twisted yarns with a diagonal

cord Cord or CORD may refer to: People * Alex Cord (1933–2021), American actor and writer * Chris Cord (born 1940), American racing driver * Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974) American industrialist * Ronnie Cord (1943–1986), Brazilian singer * Co ...

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ches ...

. The weave used for whipcord is a steep-angled

twill Twill is a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves along with plain weave and satin. It is made by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads then under ...

, essentially the same weave as a cavalry twill or a steep

gabardine Gabardine Burberry advertisement for waterproof gabardine suit, 1908 Gabardine is a durable twill worsted wool, a tightly woven fabric originally waterproof and used to make suits, overcoats, trousers, uniforms, windbreakers, outerwear and o ...

. However, the ribs of whipcord are usually more pronounced than in either of those fabrics, and the weft (filling) may be visible between the ribs on the right side, which is usually not the case for gabardines. In practice, marketing considerations, rather than technical details, determine when the specific term whipcord is used. Whipcord is usually found in durable outdoor clothing (typically pants, sometimes jackets) as a 16 to 18oz (ounces per square yard of fabric) wool, or in durable workers' clothing (typically overalls) as a 9 to 12oz cotton. In the latter case, whipcord is an alternative to

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

, which has a different weave.

Cord

Whipcord (also "whipcording") is a form of cordage used to make whippings, secure knottings placed over the ends of ropes to keep them from fraying. Sometimes called Interlocking, it is made by plaiting together four strands to make a stronger cord, usually using

bobbin A bobbin or spool is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which yarn, thread, wire, tape or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in industrial textile machinery, as well as in sewing machines, fishing reels, tape measure ...

s to weight the strands and make them easier to control. It can be worked as a solid color or in a stripe or a diagonal for a two color pattern.Hald, Margrethe. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials. National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, 1980. (8748003123)

References

External links

Whipcording DemoShort youtube clip
Woven fabrics {{textile-stub