Primarily, nap is the raised (fuzzy) surface on certain kinds of

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...

, such as

velvet Velvet is a type of woven fabric with a dense, even pile (textile), pile that gives it a distinctive soft feel. Historically, velvet was typically made from silk. Modern velvet can be made from silk, linen, cotton, wool, synthetic fibers, silk ...

or moleskin. Nap can refer additionally to other surfaces that look like the surface of a napped cloth, such as the surface of a

felt Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...

or beaver hat. Starting around the 14th century, the word referred originally to the roughness of woven cloth before it was sheared."nap". ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. When cloth, especially woollen cloth, is woven, the surface of the cloth is not smooth, and this roughness is the nap. Generally the cloth is then "sheared" to create an even surface, and the nap is thus removed. A person who trimmed the surface of cloth with shears to remove any excess nap was known as a shearman. Nap typically has a direction in which it feels smoothest. In garments, nap direction is often matched across seams, because cloth will not only feel but look different depending on the direction of the nap. For this reason, sewing patterns frequently show the nap direction, or warn that more fabric will be needed if the fabric has a nap.

Piled nap

Since the 15th century, the term ''nap'' has generally referred to a special pile given to the cloth. The term ''pile'' refers to raised fibres that are there on purpose, rather than as a by-product of producing the cloth. In this case, the nap is woven into the cloth, often by weaving loops into the fabric, which can then be cut or left intact.

Carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...

s, rugs,

velour Velour, occasionally velours, is a plush, knits, knitted fabric or textile similar to velvet or velveteen. It can be made from polyester, spandex, cotton, or a cotton-polyester blend. Velour is used in a wide variety of applications, including ...

, and

velveteen Velveteen (or velveret) is a type of woven textile, fabric with a dense, even, short Pile (textile), pile. It has less sheen than velvet because the pile in velveteen is cut from weft threads, while that of velvet is cut from warp threads. Velvet ...

, are made by interlacing a secondary yarn through woven cloth, creating a nap or pile.

Raising the nap

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In the finishing process of manufacturing textiles, after the cloth is woven, it goes through processes such as washing,

fulling Fulling, also known as tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate ( lanolin) oils, ...

, raising the nap and trimming the nap. After the nap is trimmed, the fabric is considered finished. The raising process, which draws out the ends of the fibres, is done on both woollen and

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, 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 ...

fabric. Flannelette is a cotton fabric that goes through this process. There are ways to 'raise the nap', most of which involve wire brushes such as raising cards. Originally, dried

teasel ''Dipsacus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. The members of this genus are known as teasel, teazel or teazle. The genus includes about 15 species of tall herbaceous biennial plants (rarely short-lived perennial plants ...

pods were used and were still preferred for use on woollen cloth for a long time. Woollen fabrics, which must be damp when raising the nap, are then dried and stretched before the nap is trimmed or sheared. Cotton cloth goes straight to the shearing process, where the nap gets trimmed to ensure that all the raised fibres are the same length.

Sueding and emerizing

Fabric sueding is carried out on a sueding machine with abrasive covered rollers; the machines can suede both sides of fabric, whether woven or knitted. Creasing and variations in the center selvedge are two major concerns with sueded fabrics. Fabrics that have been sueded or emerized are known as 'sueded fabrics' or 'emerized fabrics.'

Sueding

Sueding is a mechanical finishing process that exposes the material to an abrasive surface, creating a small, soft pile. The abrasion mechanism may be equipped with sandpaper, emery paper or carbon brushes.

Sueding action

The abrasive material on the machine's rollers cuts and shreds surface fibres, resulting in a soft texture with a short pile.

= Trademarked sueded fabrics

= Alcantara and Ultrasuede are trademarked names for a plush microfiber with a feel resembling soft suede; this type of material is more durable and resistant to liquids and stains, and can be used in upholstery, accessories, clothing or shoes.

References

{{Authority control Textiles