Dressing (flax)

A combing process applied to stricks or pieces of line flax fibre to parallelise the strands, remove naps or bunches of entangled fibres, and square the ends of the pieces by pulling or breaking fibre strands that protrude from the ends.

Dressing (lace)

The operation of stretching lace, net, or lace-furnishing products to size, then drying, after the application of stiffening or softening agents. The stretching and drying may be carried out on either a running stenter or a stationary frame.

Dressing (warp peparation)

The operation of assembling yarn from a ball warp, beam, or chain on a beam immediately prior to weaving.Scotch dressing1. (dry taping; Scotch beaming) A method of preparing striped warps for weaving, suitable for use when long lengths of any one pattern are to be woven. Three operationsare involved:
(i) splitting-off from stock ball warps (bleached or dyed, and sized) the required number of threads of the required colours;
(ii) the winding of the differently coloured warps, each on to a separate 'back' or warper's beam; and
(iii) the simultaneous winding of the threads from a set of back beams through a coarse reed on to a loom beam.
2. (dresser sizing; Scotch warp dressing) A method of warp preparation, used particularly in the linen industry, which incorporates sizing. Yarn in sheet form is withdrawn from two sets of warper's beams (one set at each end of the machine) and wound on to a loom beam at a central headstock. Each half of the machine has its own size box and hot-airdrying arrangement.Yorkshire dressingA method of preparing a striped warp beam for a loom. Four operations are involved:
(i) splitting-off from stock ball warps (bleached or dyed, and sized) the required number of threads of the required colours;
(ii) the disposition of these threads to pattern in the reed with or without ends from stock grey warps;
(iii) the slow and intermittent winding of the threads on to the loom beam, during which process they are tensioned by means of rods and rollers, brushed by hand, and kept parallel and in correct position and if, as is usual, there are two or four ends per reed dent, these are further separated by means of a rod; and
(iv) the picking of an ciid-and-end lease. The process ensures that in the warp all threads will be kept parallel, separated one from another, in their correct position, and correctly tensioned.

Drill

A twill fabric of construction similar to a denim, but usually piece-dyed. Typical construction: 39x18; 37x50tex; 11.5x9.0%; 260 g/M2 ; K=23.1+13.4; 3/1 twill weave, usually made in 0.7m widths.
Note: Drills made with a five-end satin weave are known as satin drills.

Drip-dry

Descriptive of textile materials that are reasonably resistant to disturbance of fabric structure and appearance during wear and washing and require a minimum of ironing or pressing.

Driving bar (lace machines)

A bar running the net-making width of the double locker bobbinet machine. There are two driving bars, one each side of the well of the machine, situated above or below the combs. The action of these bars propels the carriages through the combs towards the well and, with the locker bars, is responsible for the motion of the carriages through the well from the front to the back of the machine and vice versa.

Drop feed

A feed mechanism in which the feed dog alternately engages and disengages the underside of the material to transport it forward.(sub Category of feed mechanisms(sewing))

Drop Stitch

1. An open design made in knitting by removing some of the needles at set intervals. 2. A defect in knit fabric.

Drop wire

One of a series of wire or metal strips suspended on individual warp threads during warping or weaving. When the thread breaks, the drop wire falls, causing the machine to stop.

Drop Wires

A stop-motion device utilizing metal wires suspended from warp or creeled yarns. When a yarn breaks the wire drops activation the switch that stops the machine.

Droplea

The substrate of a woven carpet with no pi [c on the surface. It consists essentially of only warp and weft yams in the case of Axminster droplea, but Wilton droplea will usually include dead yarns (see dead yarn (carpet)).

Dropped Stitches

A defect in knit cloth characterized by recurrent cuts in one or more wales of a length of cloth.

Dropper

One of a series of wire or metal strips suspended on individual warp threads during warping or weaving. When the thread breaks, the drop wire falls, causing the machine to stop.

Dropper pinning

The placing of a drop wire on each end of the warp.

Dry beating (finishing)

A process consisting of gently brushing fabrics on a teazle gig (see teazle). (See also beating (finishing).)