Below you will find a patial list of related terms used throughout our web site plus some common industry terms.

• Absorbtion -  The attraction and retention of liquids or gases deep into the pores of a fiber.
• Acrylic - Man-made fiber that feels like soft wool. Acrylic products are machine washable and durable, hypolallergenic, and moth-resistant.
• Baffle - A thin fabric 'wall' sewn in between the top and bottom of the down comforter shell. These vetical walls create a deper interior of the comforter, allowing the down to fully loft (fluff up) prevents shifting and permits the down to "touch" along the wall lines.
• Batiste - Named after the French weaver Jean Batiste, this is a very fine plain weave using only combed yarns of cotton and has a mercerized finish.
• Bed skirt - A bed skirt is a flat piece of fabric to which a skirt is attached on three sides. Typically it covers the top of a box spring and drops to the floor; usually used with a coverlet or comforter; also known as a dust ruffle.
• Bedspread - A decorative bed covering that cover the entire bed and reaches to the floor on both sides and the foot of the bed.
• Calaendarizing - A process passing fabric between rollers under heat and pressure giving it a shine, making fabric more down proof.
• Cambric - A closely woven, cotton fabric finished with a slight gloss on one side. Usually this is most common down proof fabric.
• Combing - A process which natural fibers are sorted and straightened.
• Combed Cotton - Cotton fibers which have undergone an additional manufacturing process called "combing." It reduces the quantity of uneven, short fibers, leaving stronger, longer fibers for weaving, also the impurities are removed.
• Comforter - A fiber filled or quilted bed cover which spreads over top of mattress but does not cover pillows or hang all the way to the floor; ofter paired with a bed skirt and pillow shams. A comforter is smaller than a bedspread and larger than a coverlet.
• Comforter Set - A pre-assembled bedding ensemble usually consisting of a decorative comforter, matching pillow shams and bed skirt.
• Cotton - Fiber from the seedpod of the cotton plant. All natural, pure cotton is the softest and most breathable fabric. The quality of cotton depends mostly on the length of the fiber, with a longer fiber being better.
• Cotton sateen - A luxurious and soft fabric weave in which most of the threads are placed on the surface of the sheeting, creating a satin-like sheen.
• Cotton Prima - An excellent long staple variety grons in New Mexico, Texas, California and Arizona. It is a cross between Sea Island Cotton and Egyptian Cotton with fiber length averaging 1 1/2". The "SuPima" certification mark is used only when the product is made entirely from Southwestern extra-long staple cotton grown by members of the SuPima Association of America.
• Cotton Sea Island - The very finest and most expensive cotton in very limited supply, with a fiber lenth greater than 1 1/2".
• Coverlet -  A mid weight decorative covering for your bed. It is used in place of a comforter, or can be laid over a comforter.
• Damask - A firm textured fabric with patterns, similar to brocade, that is weaved into cotton.
• Daybed Set - Pre-assembled bedding for use on a daybed; usually includes a comforter or fitted cover, a split corner bed skirt and either two king pillow shams or three standard shams.
• Damask - A firm textured fabric with patterns, similar to brocade, that is weaved into cotton.
• Denier - A unit of yarn number equal to the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of the yarn. The higher the denier number, the thinner the thread and the higher the thread count.
• Dotted Swiss - A sheer, crisp cotton fabric with either clipped spot or swivel dots.
• Down - The soft hairy clusters found under the feathers of a goose or duck that trap warm air next to its skin. With its naturally insulating properties, hish quality down will provide lightweight warmth year round.
• Down alternative - Synthetic or natural filling material used in comforters and duvets, with insulating and warming properties similar to down.
• Down Cluster - The group of components: down, nestling down, and plumule. (Down fiber and other components are specifically exluded.)
• Down Comforter - A fabric shell filled with goose or duck down.
• Down Fiber - The tiny strands that used to be attached to a down cluster but that are present in the mixture. Down fibers are not counted towards the total "Down" percentage. Down fibers are parts of the down cluster that have come away from the cluster point. Down bifers look like Down but are characterized by random "Down" like strands.
• Down Proof - Any fabric with a 230 thread count or higher is deemed down-proof. As a measure of air permeability, fabric that is down proof (lower air permeability means more down proof) will not leak or bleed feathers and down from the inside. Lower thread count fabrics may be treated with starch sizing to make them "down proof" as well. A fabric's ability to be down proof is usually dependent upon three factors: fabric construction (warp and weft counts), yarn size and weave. In addition, calenderizing and surface agents help to down proof a fabric.
• Dupioni Silk - Dupioni Silk (meaning double) is produced when two or more silkworms spin their cocoons closely together.
• Duvet Cover / Comforter Cover - A large protective and usually decorative casing for a fiber-filled comforter, a duvet comforter cover is open at one end and is easily removable. Ties, buttons, zippers and snaps are typical closures.
• Duvet Set - A pre-assembled set of bedding that includes a duvet comforter cover, one or two pillow shams, and sometimes a bed skirt.
• Embroidery - Ornamental needlework on fabric either by hand or by machine.
• Fabric Forward Law - Where the fabric is woven has to be indicated on the law label. So if the fiber is woven in China then that is what has to show on the law label.
• Feathers - In bedding, plumage from a goose or duck. Though also lightweight, feathers are heavier than down, with quills that give them a resilient spring.
• Featherbed - A mostly-feather-filled mattress, heavier than a down comforter, and meant to be used on the top of the mattress for sleeping upon; always use with a protective fearther bed cover.
• Featherbed Cover -  Similar to a protective comforter cover or duvet cover; used to protect feather beds from dirt and oils.
• Fill - Material used to stuff comforters, feather beds and other similar cased bedding items. Goose down and silk are types of fill.
• Fill Power - In down bedding, the measurement in cubic inches than a single ounce of down will fill. Quality down comforters have a fill power between 550 and 650 cubic inches; the higher the fill power number, the greater the insulation value of the down, the warmer the comforter.
• Flannel - Plain or twill woven cotton or wool fabric that has a surface with a napped finish. The cloth must be made from cotton with a fiber long enough to hold in the yarn, otherwise, the fibers will shed from the flannel or pill into little balls on the suface. Flannel is popular for its wormth and comfort.
• Gussets - The side "walls" along the perimeter of a pillow or comforter. Generally provides no functional benefit; just an esthetic enhancement of the product.
• Hand - Term for how a faric feels to the touch; for example, cashmere has a smooth hand. The "feel" of a fabric.
• Hypoallergenic - Indicates a product that is larely allergen-free or with little chance of causing allergenic reaction.
• Jacquard - This decorative weaving technique was invented by Joseph Jacquard in 1804. A special loom oufitted with a "jacquard attachment" is used to weave a non-linear pattern directly into the fabric; usually a design or shape such as a flower.
• Loft - The springiness or fluffiness of a fiber.
• Long Staple Cotton - Staple refers to the length of the cotton fiber. Longer fiber lenth reslts in the finer, smoother yarn that is used to weave higher quality fabrics.
• Madras - A finely woven, soft plain or Jacquard weave fabric with a strip in the lenthwise direction and jacquard or dobby patters woven in the background.
• Matelasse - Soft, double cloth or compound fabric with a quilted surface. Often, heavier constructions are made on a Jacquard loom and used for coverlets.
• Mercerize - A finishing process for combed cotton that increases the fiber's luster and affinity for dyes.
• Piece Dyed - The fabric as a whole is colored as a whole after weaving.
• Piping - A think tube of fabric that is used to ornament pillows and comforters. Can be made of any variety of fabric types.
• Polyester - Man-made fiber often blended with cotton or other fibers
• Sateen - A cotton or spun-yard fabric characterized by floats running in the filling direction. Usually is mercerized and has a shine from the finishing process.
• Synthetic - Any man-made material used in manufacturing; examples: microsuede, polyester, acetate, etc.
• Synthetic Fiber - A man-made fiber made from chemicals that were never fibrous in form.
• Thread Count - A measurement of fabric density reflecting the number of threads per square inch. A high thread count results in a finer, smother weave, and can extend the life and increase the value of your bedding.
• Warp - The yarns that run the length of the loom. The warp yarns are pulled through the loom as the weft or filling yarns are woven across the warp to make the fabric.
• Weaving - Weaving is an ancient art of making fabric. The warp yarns and weft yarns are interlaced (woven) with each other to make a fabric (verses a knit where the yarns are looped together). There are three basic weaving constructions: Plain, Twill, and Satin; all other weaves must be made by using one or more of these basic weaves.
• Weaving - Plain Weave - The Plain weave is made by weaving one weft yarn over and under each warp yarn, alternating each row. It is the most common type of weave.
• Weaving - Satin Weave - The Satin Weave is made by "floating" the warp or weft yarns across several yars to bring them to the surface. Bringing the yarns to the surface gives the fabric sheen because light is reflected off the yarn surface, not absorbed by the intersections of yarns such as in a Plain Weave.
• Weaving - Twill Weave - The Twill Weave is similar to a Satin Weave in the sense that the loom is flating the warp or weft yarns over yarns of the opposite direction, but with a Twill the yarn is only passing over two of the opposite yarns. Twill is distinctive by the diagonal lines that apperar in the fabric. A Twill Weave, like a Satin Weave usually result in a softer fabric than a Plain Weave. It is excellent for brushed or napped cotton, and is superior for a feather pillow ticking.
• Weft (or Filling) - The yarns that are woven across the loom, with Weft being the English term and Filling being the American term. The individual yarns are also known as Picks.
• Wickability - The property of a fiber that allows moisture to move rapidly along the fiber surface and pass quickly through the fabric.
• Wool - The term 'wool' refers to the fibers frm the fleece of lambs, sheep, Cashmere goats, Angora goats, camels, llamas, Alpacas, and Vicunas. Wool from sheep is the most common, lamb's wool is shorn from sheep less than eight months old, and Merino wool is from a specific breed that yields the finest and softest sheep wool. Mohair is the wool of the Angora goat.
• Yarn Dyed - The individual yarns are colored as a whole before weaving.