Twill.
1. Or
tweel. A diagonal appearance given to a fabric by causing the weft-threads to pass over one warp thread, and then under two, and so on; instead of taking the warp-threads in regular succession, one down and one up. The next weftthread takes a set oblique to the former, throwing up one of the two deposed by the preceding.
the diagram will make the plan understood.
In some twills it is one and three, or one and four.
The Latin
trilix, a certain pattern in weaving, became
drillich in
German, and hence our word
drill.
Twill is derived from
zwillich, which answers to the
Latin bilix, and
Greek dimitos. The latter survives in
dimity. See also Samite, derived from
ε>ξάμιτος, six-leaved.
The French
touaille has also been suggested as the etymological source of the word.
The fabrics thus woven are very numerous, —
satin, blanket, merino, bombazeen, kerseymere, etc. When the threads cross each alternately, in regular order, it is called
plain weaving; but in
twill, the same thread of weft is
flushed, or separated from the warp, while passing over a number of warp-threads, and then passes under a warp-thread.
The points where the threads of the warp cross form diagonal lines, parallel to each other, across the face of the cloth.
In
blanket twill every third thread is crossed.
In some fabrics 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 threads are crossed.
In
full satin twill there is an interval of 15 threads, the warp (
organzine silk) being floated over 15 threads of the woof (
tram), giving the glossy appearance.
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Four-leaved twilled weaving. |
Twills require heddles equal in number to the threads that are included in the intervals between the intersections.
This disposition of the warps in the heddles is termed
mounting the loom; and the heddles are termed
leaves. A twill takes its name from the number of
leaves employed, as a
three-leaf twill, a
fiveleaf twill, etc.
Twills are used for the display of color, for strength, variety, thickness, or durability.
“The generic difference of twilling, when compared with common cloth, consists in the intersections, although uniform and equidistant, being, at determinate intervals, greater than between the alternate threads.
Hence we have specimens of twilled cloths where the intersections take place at the 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 16th intervals only.
The threads, thus deflecting only at intervals from a straight line, preserve more of their original direction, and a much greater quantity of materials can be combined in an equal space than in the alternate intersection, where the tortuous deflection, at every interval, keeps them more asunder.
On this principle, twilled cloths, of 3 and 4 leaves, are woven for facility of combination alone.
the coarser species of ornamental cloths, known by the names of
dornock or
diaper, usually intersect at the 5th or halfsatin interval.
The 6th and 7th are rarely used, and the 8th is distinguished by the name of
satin, in common, and of
damask, in ornamental, twilling.” — Ure. These are varieties known as
broken, biassed, regular.
2. The fabric so made.
Twilled cloth has several advantages: —
1. The materials may be put more closely together.
2. Its susceptibility for receiving ornament, being capable of being inverted at pleasure.
For a statement more at length, see “
Ure's Dictionary,” II. pp. 821-826.
3. A quill or spool for winding thread.
