Glossary - C

Canvas Work
Using an open, evenly woven mesh material called canvas, stitches of various length and slant cover the canvas.

Chain Stitch
Stitch that resembles a chain link, formed with one thread fed from the bottom side of the fabric. Done on a manual or computerised machine with a hook that functions like a needle.

Chenille
Chenille is not a particular fibre, but rather the structure of fibre. The word chenille is French, properly pronounced (shen-knee) and means caterpillar. The yarn is composed of a core fibre that is tufted by thousands of tiny fibres that are cut like velvet or carpet. The chenille process may be applied to wool, cotton, silk, rayon or acrylic to create the soft, fluffy effect. By its very nature chenille is fragile. Special care should be taken in wearing, storing and cleaning chenille.

Circular Knitting
Circular knitting or knitting in the round, is a form of knitting that creates a seamless tube. Originally, circular knitting was done using a set of four or five double pointed needles. Later a circular needle was invented; the circular needle looks like two standard knitting needles connected by a cable between them. Machines also do circular knitting; these use individual latch-hook needles to make each stitch in a round frame.

Cloth
A term used in the fur trade to refer to any type of woollen broadcloth, but most frequently used as a conventional abbreviation for list cloths. The term 'list' refers to the selvedge, which was treated in various ways to produce stripes and other distinctive characteristics. List cloths were most often blue, but also came in red and black. Red list cloth was frequently referred to as 'scarlet,' or less often as 'scarlet cloth'.

Cotton
Cotton is a soft, natural product and is excellent for clothing and sheets, material that is close to your skin. However, cotton fibre is not a great mattress product because it absorbs moisture, is a haven for dust mites, and it compresses. Conventionally grown cotton uses fertilizers and pesticides and it is normally treated with fire retardant. Although it sounds nice, organic cotton fibre will still absorb moisture, compress, and house dust mites; and it can become mouldy....

Crewel Embroidery
Crewel embroidery is an embroidery technique which is at least a thousand years old. It was used in the Bayeux Tapestry, in Jacobean embroidery and in Quaker tapestry.

Crimper
Tool used to bend copper foil tape applied to the edge of stained glass around the edges. It may also be designed to press or burnish the foil to the glass.

Crochet
The word crochet is derived from the Middle French word croc or croche, meaning hook. It describes the process of creating fabric from a length of cord, yarn, or thread with a hooked tool. The origin of the crochet technique is a subject of considerable controversy. The word is not to be confused with 'crotchet', otherwise known as a quarter note.

Cross Stitch
Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches are used to form a picture. Other stitches are also commonly used in cross-stitch, among them, 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 stitches and backstitches. Cross-stitch is usually executed on easily countable evenweave fabric, or more rarely on non-countable fabric, on which a countable fabric is applied that is removed later, by drawing out every thread of it under the embroidery. This fabric is called waste canvas.

Cutters
The largest leaves on a flue-cured tobacco plant, which are located near the middle of the stalk. Cutters are prized for their colour, moisture content, and elasticity.