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Abstract
Unrecognizable forms and layouts. In the textile business the word "abstract" is used to describe a nonobjective motif that cannot be described any other
way.
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Adaptation
A design based on another design but significantly modified and altered to be considered new and different.
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Alleyways
Unintentional lines formed by
negative spaces
(spaces vacant of
motifs)
in a design.
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Allover
A layout in which motifs are fairly close and evenly distributed as opposed to stripes,
borders,
plaids, and
engineered designs. Another term is
overall.
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Art Deco
A style of decorative art typical of the 1920s and 1930s. The name was derived from the 1925 International Exhibition in Paris that showed "des Arts Decoratifs."
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| B | |
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Balanced design
A design with no
line-ups,
alleyways,
or
holes.
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Balanced stripes
A symmetrical layout, in which colored bands are arranged around a "center."
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Bayadere
A design of brightly colored stripes laid in the horizontal direction. The color effects usually range from startling to bizarre. Often made with black warps and crosswise ribs (plain or twill weave). Mostly produced in India. The name is derived from the Bayadere dancing girl of India, dedicated to a dancing life from birth.
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Block printing
A type of relief printing where motifs are printed with
wooden blocks. One of the earliest methods of textile printing.
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Block repeat
A layout, in which the repeating unit appears directly on a horizontal line to the left or right of the original design unit. Also called square repeat,
straight-across repeat, and
straight repeat.
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Border design
A pattern designed to run lengthwise along the edge of the fabric or wallpaper.
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Botanical
A design showing realistic representation of herbs, garden plants, and other botanical objects. Also designs based on
botanical illustrations.
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Brick layout
A layout, in which every second row is shifted half-way in the horizontal direction.
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Brocatelle
A variant of damask that
incorporates a satin or twill figuring that is contrasted with a plain- or satin-weave ground.
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| C | |
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Calico
Small-scale allover floral design in bright colors originally from India. Later associated with American country-style.
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Cartouche
A decorative frame with scroll-like ornaments.
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Celtic knot
A knot formed by interfaced ribbons that lead seamlessly
into one another. Same as
Everlasting knot.
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Checks
A pattern of squares.
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Chevron
A traditional, woven or printed design of zigzags in a stripe layout, also called
herringbone.
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Chinoiserie
Any western interpretation of an oriental design.
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Chintz
Glazed fabric, usually printed in bright florals and stripes, mostly used for drapery and upholstery, but also for apparel.
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Contemporary
A design with simple, extremely stylized motifs.
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Contract
A design for non residential markets such as offices, hotels, and hospitals.
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Conversational
A design with recognizable objects in the motif.
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Coordinates
Two or more designs related to each other in color, subject matter, and/or technique that are intended to be used together.
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Coverage
The amount of design area in relation to the
negative space.
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Croquis
A fully painted design that is not in repeat; same as
sketch.
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| D | |
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Damask
A jacquard woven ornamental reversible fabric usually in one color. Originally produced from silk or wool.
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Decorative design
Artwork created for use in home furnishing and interior decoration.
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Diamond
A pattern whose elements are arranged along diagonal (diamond) lines.
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Diaper
A small-scale geometric design in a
set layout
of interlocking or closely aligned forms.
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Directional
A design that looks correct from only one direction.
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Dog's tooth
A pattern of small broken or jagged checks created by four-pointed stars. Same as
hound's tooth.
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| E | |
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Engineered
A motif or group of motifs that are designed to fit a specific shape.
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Ethnic
Art typical of a specific nationality or a design based on folk art.
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Everlasting knot
A knot formed by interfaced ribbons that lead seamlessly into one another. Same as
Celtic knot.
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| F | |
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Fall-on
One transparent color falling on another producing a third color. Also called
trapping.
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Field
The area of a design that is not the border.
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Figurative
A type of conversational
design using human figures.
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Fleur-de-lis
A stylized three-petal or four-petal lily. Originally a symbol of purity. Since the Middle Ages has been used in heraldic ornaments.
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Floral
A design using flowers and other nature elements such as seed pods, leaves, and marine plants.
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Foulard
A small-scale pattern with basic block repeat, also called a set pattern or a tailored pattern. Originally, the term foulard referred to a soft, lightweight silk cloth. Classic foulards are small-scale, regular-shaped
geometrics, usually in set layouts.
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| G | |
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Geometric
A motif, pattern, or design depicting abstract,
nonrepresentational shapes such as lines, circles, ellipses, triangles, rectangles, and polygons.
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Geometric design
A design based on a geometric pattern, often contrasted with representational designs, such as floral or
conversational.
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Gingham checks
Fabrics woven in a block or check effect. An
allover pattern of solid-color squares made by overlapping stripes of the same width.
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Graphic
A design created for the purpose of printing. Also refers to a design with a bold look.
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Greek key pattern
A regular repeat of interlocking right-angle and vertical lines. Used as a border ornament.
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Ground
The surface of a design or textile onto which motifs are applied.
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Guilloche
A decorative repeat of interlacing curved bands, sometimes forming circles.
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| H | |
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Half-drop
A layout, in which the motif is repeated halfway down the side in the vertical direction. The most frequently used repeat in textile design.
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Hand
The style of an artist's design. Tight hand is very fine and detailed; loose hand is a freer, more stylized way of drawing.
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Herringbone
A traditional woven or printed design of zigzags in a stripe layout, also called
chevron.
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Holes
Uneven gaps between motifs in a design.
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Home furnishing or home fashion
A field of design dealing with products for interior design and decoration, such as upholstery, rugs and carpets, or bedding.
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Hound's tooth
A pattern of small broken or jagged checks created by four-pointed stars. Same as
dog's tooth.
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| I | |
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Irregular repeat
A design based on the same principles as the
half-drop
and brick layout
repeats, but in which consecutive units are not always moved by a fraction of
the repeat size.
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| L | |
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Line-up
An unintentional straight line formed by motifs in the horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction.
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| M | |
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Madras
A design with brightly colored stripes, plaid, checks, or other design elements, usually on a plain-colored background. Characteristic for a fine, plain-woven shirting or dress cotton fabric originated in
India.
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Millefleurs
French for thousand flowers. A flower-studded pattern with naturalistically depicted flowers, originally used on medieval pictorial tapestries.
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Mongrel
A plaid design in which the warp stripe layout and filling stripe layout are different.
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Mosaic
A pattern constructed from small colored pieces.
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Motif
One or many distinctive and recurring elements, forms, shapes, or figures that make up a design.
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Naturalistic
A design with realistic depictions of organic or non-organic forms.
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Negative space
The area between motifs in a layout.
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| O | |
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Ogee
An onion-shaped motif.
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Ombre
A shaded effect with gradual changes from dark to light in value, and open to closed in coverage.
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Optical art
An abstract art that creates the illusion of movement, vibrating effects, moire (moiré) patterns, an exaggerated sense of depth, and other visual effects.
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Overall
A layout in which motifs are fairly close and evenly distributed as opposed to stripes,
borders,
plaids, and
engineered designs. Another term is
allover.
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| P | |
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Packed
A layout in which the motifs are placed close together.
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Paisley
A stylized teardrop-shaped design that originally appeared on kashmir
shawls mass-produced in Paisley, Scotland.
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Patchwork
A pattern simulating a pieced-together effect of different design elements.
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Pattern
A design for decorating a surface composed of a number of elements arranged in a regular or formal manner.
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Plaid
A design that consists of crossing bands or stripes of color, almost always at right angles.
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Pop Art
An art movement in the 1960s that featured graphic images of everyday figures and objects.
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Portfolio
A collection of designs.
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Powdered ornament
A pattern consisting of evenly spaced scatterings of small motifs such as flower springs and stars.
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| R | |
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Recall
The repetitive use of the same or similar motifs within a croquis or sketch. Variations in the motifs can include color, shape, weight, or scale.
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Rendering
Another term for finished
croquis.
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Repeat
The horizontal or vertical distance between identical elements of a pattern design. In the U.S., the repeat is usually measured in inches, for example, a 27" repeat.
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Roman stripes
Bright, multicolored contrasting vertical stripes.
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Scale
The relative size of a motif or layout.
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Scroll
A ribbon-like motif in the shape of a partly rolled scroll of paper.
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Set layout
A design in which motifs are arranged as if on a hidden grid.
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Shades
Colors to which black has been added.
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Side repeat
The horizontal repeat of a design or cloth.
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Sketch
A fully painted design that is not in repeat; same as croquis.
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Square repeat
A layout, in which the repeating unit appears directly on a horizontal line to the left or right of the original design unit. Also called block repeat,
straight-across repeat, and
straight repeat.
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Stipple
Dots placed closely together, creating a textured or shaded effect.
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Straight-across repeat
A layout, in which the repeating unit appears directly on a horizontal line to the left or right of the original design unit. Also called block repeat,
square repeat,
and
straight repeat.
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Straight repeat
A layout, in which the repeating unit appears directly on a horizontal line to the left or right of the original design unit. Also called
block repeat,
square repeat,
and
straight-across repeat.
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Striae
A design made of stripes that change subtly in color and/or texture in one direction.
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Stylized
A design with modified or abstracted elements that give the design a more decorative look.
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Swatch
A small piece of cloth used as a sample.
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| T | |
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Tartan
Woven plaids that consist of stripes of different widths and colors that were originally patterned to designate a distinctive Scottish clan. Now any
plaids with a similar look.
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Tessellations
A repeating pattern composed of interlocking shapes that can be extended infinitely.
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Theme
A subject matter for a design or collection.
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Tossed layout
A design in which elements (for example, flowers) are scattered randomly within the unit of repeat.
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Transitional
A naturalistic design that is highly stylized, but still showing some recognizable elements.
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Trapping
One semi-transparent color falling on another to produce a third color. Also called fall-on.
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Turnover
A design in which the motif is flipped horizontally or vertically.
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Unbalanced stripes
Unbalanced stripes do not have a "center" and are asymmetrical stripes.
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| Z | |
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Zillij
The intricate geometric mosaic tilework used for decoration outside and inside buildings.
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This is an open resource and contributions are welcome. Send requests for
new terms, corrections, additions, or new illustrations to Artlandia
Webmaster. (Of course, full credit will be given for all materials used
in the glossary!)
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