Textiles and Dress

Damask

Damask (; Arabic: دمشق) is a woven, reversible patterned fabric. Damasks are woven by periodically reversing the action of the warp and weft threads. The pattern is most commonly created with a warp-faced satin weave and the ground with a weft-faced or sateen weave. True damask is made entirely of silk. Over time, however, damask has become a broader term for woven fabrics with a reversible pattern, not just silks. Yarns now used to create damasks include silk, wool, linen, cotton, and synthetic fibers, but damask is best shown in cotton and linen. There are a few types of damask: true, single, compound, and twill. Single damask has only one set of warps and wefts and thus is made of up to two colors. Compound damask has more than one set of warps and wefts and can include more than two colors. Twill damasks include a twill-woven ground or pattern.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Gentildonna
• ▸Aucanquilcha
• ▸Buoyancy compensator (diving)

Uncatalogued shelf

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