Paisley: A design originating in Asia, traditionally in a teardrop shape with a curving point containing and surrounded by many small abstract and geometric designs.

Panama: a plain weave fabric traditionally of cotton or wool. Used for summer suitings and dresses.

Panne: A fabric which has had the surface flattened by heavy roller pressure giving it luster . Often done on pile fabrics, knits, or satins.

Panne velvet : a lightweight velvet that has had the pile flattened in one direction.

Paper-like: refers to fabric with a crisp, noisy hand that suggests paper.

Parachute cloth: lightweight, strong, compact fabric used for outerwear, luggage and parachutes.

Patchwork: various colors or designs combined together in one design . May be print or yarn dye.

Peach skin: a soft, sueded finish resulting from sanding or chemical treatment of the fabric.

Peached: a soft sueded hand that suggests the downy skin of a peach.

Pearlized coating: a fabric coating with a surface luster suggestive of a pearl . Used a a face for outerwear fabrics.

Pearls: Referring to fabric embellished with pearls.

Pebble crepe: see Moss Crepe/ Pebble Crepe.

Pebbly: refers to a fabric surface with a grainy, crepey texture.

Percale: a smooth, closely woven, plain weave fabric often of cotton. Often used as a print cloth for apparel and sheets.

Perforated/punched: holes or small motifs are punched out of the fabric with a metal roller forming a design or pattern.

Petite point: a small, slanting, needlepoint stitch that form even lines of a solid background . Used for pillows, slipcovers.

Pigment dyed: an insoluble colorant is applied to the fabric as a paste or emulsion, heat cured and bound to the fabric with resins or binders. The curing process can be controlled so the color will fade after washing, giving the garments a used worn look.

Pigment printed: an insoluble colorant is printed on the fabric as a paste or emulsion, heat cured and bound to the fabric with resins or binders. Allows for the printing of fabrics with fiber blends that would be otherwise difficult or expensive to print.

Pima cotton: a fine long staple cotton, originally derived by crossing American and Egyptian species. Named for Pima County Arizona. Used in fine shirtings and dress fabrics.

Pincord/Pinwale: Fabric with a very narrow wale or rib. Used in describing piques, corduroys or other ribbed fabrics. Also called baby cord.

Pinpoint oxford: an oxford weave fabric using fine yarns resulting in a small oxford texture. Usually cotton . Used for fine shirtings.

Pinstripe: a design using fine line vertical stripes, usually light color stripes on a dark ground.

Pique: A fabric characterized by a prominent, all-over geometric texture. It is most commonly woven on a dobby loom but it is also produced as a double knit. The most common textures are cords ( either vertical or horizontal) , birdseye, waffle, honeycomb and bullseye. Produced in a variety of weights and fibers.

Plaid: a pattern of stripes and bars that cross each other at right angles.

Plain stitch: a knitting stitch that shows a series of lengthwise ribs on the face( from the neck of the yarn loops), and cross wise loops on the back ( from the head of the yarn loops).

Plain weave: The simplest form of weaving in which a pick ( filling yarn) passes over the first end ( warp yarn), under the second and on continuously, over one end and under the next. The next pick alternates , passing under the first end, over the second , and on continuously under and over each end . Each filling row alternates, thus extending the fabric. Also called a one up one down weave.

Plied: refers to a yarn consisting of 2 or more single yarns twisted together.

Plisse: A fabric with a puckered or pleated effect resulting from printing the fabric with caustic soda . The printed part of the fabric shrinks, causing the unprinted part to pucker.

Plush: 1. a fabric with a thick cut pile, used in apparel, draperies, upholstery, stuffed toys . May be woven or knit.   2. Brushed or sheared fabrics are also sometimes referred to as plush.

Plush hand: refers to a thick, resistant, soft luxurious hand.

Point d'Esprit: a machine made net with small all-over dots.

Pointelle:a knit fabric with a pattern of holes or openings made by using transfer stitches.

Polished cotton: a cotton fabric with a luster. The luster may be due to the weave (often satin), or from application of a calendered finish, or both. The degree of luster can be moderate or bright.

Pongee:
1. a plain weave, light to medium weight silk fabric with slubs and nubs on the surface. Often found in a natural light tan color.
2. a plain weave light to medium weight fabric with a smooth surface . May be of cotton or manufactured fibers such as polyester . Used for dresses, blouses, pajamas, linings.

Ponte Di Roma: weft knitted, interlock based, double jersey structure . Means "roman bridge" which is suggested by the arrangement of loops . The fabric looks the same on both sides.

Poodle cloth: a fabric with a curly or loop pile resembling the coat of a poodle dog.

Poor boy: an inexpensive rib knit usually 2x3 or 3x1 in a fine to medium yarn.

Popcorn: a fabric utilizing yarn with thick spots suggesting popcorn. Usually a knit but may be woven.

Poplin: a plain weave fabric with a fine, crosswise rib, the result of using finer warp yarns and heavier weft yarns and a higher thread count in the warp than the weft . Usually medium weight. Made in a variety of fibers but common in cotton and cotton blends . A common shirting fabric.

Pre-shrunk: The fabric is allowed to shrink during finishing to reduce residual shrinkage in the final product.

Prepared for printing /dyeing : fabric which has been made ready for dyeing or printing by performing all preliminary processes on the greige such as singeing, desizing, scouring, and bleaching.

Printed & overdyed: refers to fabrics which have been first printed then overdyed allowing the design to show through.

PU coated: refers to a fabric which has been coated with polyurethane, usually to make it waterproof but sometimes to give a firmer hand.

Pucker a blister or puffed effect on the surface of the fabric . It may be the result of chemical treatment of the fabric or the result of using different yarns, yarns under different tension, or yarns of different shrinkage in one fabric.

Pucker embroidery: fabric which has been embroidered in a such a way that the stitching purposefully causes a crinkle or pucker in the fabric.

Puff printing:: printing done with a thick pigment, resulting in a raised motif with a rubbery hand. Sometimes called rubber printing.

Quilted: Two or more layers of fabric which have been stitched through, often with batting . The stitching forms a pattern, most commonly a square or diamond shape. Used for apparel, bedspreads, sleeping bags. Thermoplastic fibers such as polyester or nylon are sometimes quilted without thread by using a heat bonding method . The heat effectively melts or welds the fabric at the point of application.

Rack stitch: a knitting stitch that produces a herringbone effect with a rib back.

Raschel: refers to knit fabric made a a Raschel machine, a warp knitting machine capable of a wide variety of intricate designs, various surface textures, and open work effects.

Raschel lace: a lace fabric knit on a Raschel machine. Usually moderately priced.

Ratine: a plain weave , loosely constructed fabric with a rough, nubby texture resulting from the use of ratine yarn, a knotted, curly, plied yarn. Used for drapery, dresses and women's sportswear.

Reactive dyed: water soluble dyes that bond well to cellulosic and nylon fibers. Provide good brightness and colorfastness.

Rep: a plain weave fabric with ridges in the filling. Used for drapery, upholstery, neckties, robes.

Resin treated: a fabric that has been treated with a synthetic film-forming polymer (resin) . This may be done to make the fabric firmer, heavier, more stable, to add wrinkle resistance, to reduce shrinkage or to create surface effect such as embossing or glazing.

Resist printed: a chemical is printed on certain areas of the fabric to make those areas resistant to dye. Allows for the printing of small or fine motifs in the design..

Rhinestones: faceted, highly refractive, imitation gemstones that are attached to the fabric for decorative purposes.

Rib:
1. any fabric with a cord or ridge effect .
2. a knit fabric made with plain stitches alternating with purl stitches. Rib knits have natural stretch properties.

Ring spun: a yarn spinning method in which roving ( a thin strand of fiber with very little twist) is fed to a "traveler" with rotates around the edge of a ring. Inside the ring is a faster rotating bobbin . The process simultaneously twists the roving into yarn and winds it around the bobbin. Ring spun yarns are generally stronger than open end yarns.

Ripstop: a woven fabric with corded yarns spaced at regular intervals in both the warp and filling, forming squares on the surface of the fabric. Originally intended so a tear in the fabric would not spread. Used mainly for outerwear and active wear.

Roller printed: a method of printing by passing the fabric over metal rollers on which the design has been engraved. One roller is used for each color. Used for printing long runs with good register and a clear, sharp design.

Rose point lace: a needlepoint lace with floral patterns connected by bars. Similar to Venitian lace but with smaller patterns.

Rotary screen printed: In screen printing a separate screen is created for each color . The open mesh part of the screen corresponds to the area to be printed in that color. The areas where color is not to pass through are blocked. Dye paste is forced through the open mesh area with a squeegee. In rotary screen printing the squeegees are contained within cylindrical screens aligned one after the other, and the fabric moves continuously. Rotary printing is a much faster process than flat screen printing but the pattern repeat is limited by the circumference of the cylinders.

Rubber-like: having a hand suggesting rubber.