Terrycloth, terry cloth, terry cotton, terry towelling, terry, terry towel, Turkish towelling (formerly), or simply towelling is a

fabric 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 no ...

woven with many protruding loops of thread which can absorb large amounts of water. It can be manufactured by

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

knitting Knitting is a method for production of textile Knitted fabric, fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done Hand knitting, by hand or Knitting machi ...

. Terrycloth is woven on special looms that have two beams of longitudinal warp through which the filler or weft is fired laterally.

History

Fabrics with a pile formed from loops of loosened, uncut warp threads were woven in ancient Egypt and pre-Columbian Peru; there is linen terrycloth from 4000 BCE. The modern form, however, was introduced to the West in the mid-19th century. The English towel manufacturer Christy started industrial production in 1850, based on observations of handwoven terrycloth in Turkey, and produced using a machine designed by one of their staff, Samuel Holt.

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

approved the name "Royal Turkish Towels". In the United States, they became popular after World War I. The origin of the word is unclear; it may derive from French 'drawn', and was originally used for uncut velvet, called terry pile or terry velvet.

About

There are two types of terry fabrics: ; Towel terry : This is a woven fabric with long loops that can absorb large amounts of water. Its content is usually 100% cotton, but may sometimes contain polyester. ; French terry : This is a type of fabric used in clothing. Ranging from items such as hoodies, pants and even shirts. The inside of the fabric is crossed with loops, while the outer part is smooth and flat. It can be 100% cotton or be made from a variety of fibers, sometimes with

spandex Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether- polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont. Name The name ''spandex'', which is an anagram of t ...

(also known as elastane or lycra). It is often warp-knitted, and the term ''French terry'' is colloquially used for all warp-knitted terry. It is the length of loops that determines how much fluid is absorbed by the cloth as longer loops provide more surface area to come in contact with and absorb the fluid. Items that may be made from terrycloth include babies' reusable

diaper A diaper (, North American English) or a nappy (British English, Australian English, Hiberno-English) is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or containing waste products to p ...

s (or "nappies" in British English),

towel A towel () is a piece of absorption (chemistry), absorbent cloth or paper used for drying or wiping a surface. Towels draw moisture through direct contact. Bathing towels and hand towels are usually made of cotton, linen, bamboo and Microfiber, ...

bathrobe A bathrobe, also known as a housecoat or a dressing gown, is a loose-fitting outer clothing, garment (a robe) worn by people, often after washing the body or around a pool. A bathrobe is considered to be very informal clothing, and is not worn w ...

s, and sweatbands for the

wrist In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

. Terrycloth is also sometimes used to make sweat-jackets. Terry-toweling hats with a shallow brim were once popular with

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

ers (like English wicketkeeper Jack Russell), but are no longer in fashion. A slow method of machine-making French terry results in a soft, sturdy variety called ''loopwheel.'' Loopwheel machines can only produce one yard an hour. It was invented in the 1920s and was at the height of its popularity in the forties and fifties, at which point it was overtaken by side-seam manufacturing. Only two factories remain. Another fabric used for towels is waffle fabric. A modern cheaper alternative is a short-loop tight-woven nonabsorptive (but somewhat wicking) fabric made of synthetic

microfiber Microfiber (microfibre in British English) is synthetic fibre finer than one Denier (unit), denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometre, micrometers. The most common types of microfiber are made variously of polye ...

References

General and cited sources

External links

* {{Authority control Domestic implements Knitted fabrics Woven fabrics