Geometrical Patterns in fabrics — Checks and Stripes Guide
Geometrical patterns are often confusing especially when it is a part of various fabrics. It is such a beautiful thing to know that there are so many different types of checks, stripes and it’s combination producing unique patterns. A quick guide on few of them-
- Gingham
Gingham pattern is a regular bright colored check or plaid pattern made by overlapping stripes of the color of the same width combined with white thread, creating a crisscross pattern and small boxes of squares. Originally Gingham was made by yarn dying and weaving with different colors.
2. Madras Checks
These are a type of plaid design having red as it’s main color along with many other bright color stripes adjoining each other and the process is yarn dying. The horizontal and vertical stripes are not symmetrical or identical, due to which it gives altogether a different set of checks pattern.
3. Mini Checks
A check pattern produced by intersecting pin sized stripes making it look like even sized checks of the same color on the solid background. The size of the stripe is usually one-three yarn thick.
4. Shepherd Checks
A pattern of small checks formed by stripes of usually black and white in color, typically having a visible twill weave. In the 15th Century, shepherds often wore long pieces of un-dyed wool of the black and white sheep they herded.
5. Tartan Checks
Tartan is a checked pattern consisting of a set of stripes which meet at a 90-degree angle, with the vertical stripes being exact duplicates of the horizontal stripes. It is usually made of three or more colors in addition to the base color. Also, known as Scottish Checks as they were originally used in Scottish kilts.
6. Plaid
The word Plaid came from the Gaelic ‘plaide’ which means blanket. The patterned fabric which was usually used in woolen blankets got evolved with time in different materials. Plaid is similar to a tartan pattern, with crisscrossed horizontal and vertical lines, typically in multiple colors creating a grid.
7. Glen Checks
Glenurquhart check is made of woolen fabric with a woven twill design of small and large checks. It is also known as Prince of Wales or District checks, originated from the uniforms of Scottish estates. Weaved with the various combinations of houndstooth, twill and checkered pattern giving it a unique pattern.
8. Graph Checks
Closely resembling a graph paper pattern, graph checks are made pinstripes on both horizontal and vertical. The stripes of usually in light-color which merge with its base color making it look like a graph paper.
9. Windowpane
A widely spread checks pattern resembling the pane in the window. It is formed by two perpendicular pin stripes placed at the wide distance. The stripes that cross to form windowpane checks are often thicker and farther apart than the pattern found in graph checks.
10. Tattersall Checks
The pattern is composed of regularly-spaced thin, even vertical warp stripes, repeated horizontally in the weft, thereby forming squares. Tattersall is a check pattern that consists of thin, regularly spaced stripes in alternating colors that are repeated both horizontally and vertically. The stripes that create the tattersall pattern often come in two different colors and are usually darker than the background color.
11. Buffalo Checks
Buffalo check is often a two- or three-color striped fabric whose pattern creates large squares of equal size in all directions. The large blocks formed by the intersection of two different color yarns, typically white, red or black.
12. Harlequin
Harlequin print is a repeating pattern of contrasting diamonds or elongated squares standing on end. It originated from the character named Harlequin during the 16th-century Italian theater. The costumes were sewn together from fabric scraps. Over time, the diamond pattern became associated with Harlequins.
13. Argyle
The pattern is made of diamonds or lozenges. It contains layers of overlapping motifs, adding a sense of three-dimensional, movement, and texture. Typically, there is an overlay of inter-crossing diagonal lines on solid diamonds.
14. Chevron
It is a pattern in the form of a V or an upside-down V making it look like a zigzag. It is majorly a print giving and sometimes give a herringbone weave effect. Sometimes it is done as embroidery to provide the look of a herringbone.
15. Awning Stripes
Awning stripes are the widest sized stripes. These vertical and even stripes are often wider than ¼" and usually consist of solid colored stripes on white. The name derives from the wide stripe pattern found on awning fabrics.
16. Bengal Stripes
Bengal stripes vertical stripes that are narrower than awning stripes but wider than candy stripes (approximately ¼" in width) apparently the same width and alternating light and dark colors usually consist of solid colored stripes on white.
17. Pinstripes
Pinstripes are thin, vertical stripes. Pinstripes are usually one to two yarns thick and are sometimes broken. The widths between the stripes vary but are always wider apart than hairline stripes.
18. Candy Stripes
Equally-sized alternating stripes of white and a color is called candystripe after the uniforms of U.S. hospital volunteers. These are small-scale awning stripes resembling a candy stick. Candy stripes are usually about 1/8" in width.
19. Barcode Stripes
The barcode stripe pattern consists of different sized stripes that are closely spaced together. This pattern resembles the lines on a bar code-hence its name. Barcode stripes usually consist of 2 colors or varied tones of one color.
20. Shadow Stripe
Shadow stripes consist of vertical stripes with another stripe directly adjacent to it or bordering it- creating a shadow effect. Shadow stripes generally vary in width and usually consist of two or three different colors.
21. Bayadère Stripes
These are brightly colored stripes of various widths laid out horizontally. They are usually in strong contrasting colors. The name derived from dancing girls who wore multi-colored striped clothes while performing.
22. Regimental Stripes
They are stripes that follow a distinctive pattern not in a balanced way. Regimental stripes are textile pattern consisting of diagonal, colored bands running in the direction from left to right. The patterning has been used for ties and ribbons since around World War I, with color schemes derived from uniforms, flags and heraldry. A stripe pattern with colors originating from British regiments. Most often used in neckwear.
23. Herringbone
The herringbone pattern is made by cutting and reversing alternate vertical sections of a broken twill weave making a distinctive V-shaped pattern. It is distinguished from chevron by the break at reversal, which makes it resemble a broken zigzag. It’s called Herringbone because of the resemblance with skeleton of herring fish.
24. Houndstooth
The pattern resembles canine tooth and is similar to pattern in the Shepherd’s check and Glen checks. Its made up of the broken checks or abstract four-pointed shapes, often in black and white through twill weave. Black and White Houndstooth pattern is the most classic pattern mostly used in coats and blazers.
25. Roman stripe
These are bright varicolored stripes of equal or unequal widths. The stripes are joined so that the stripes are always facing in the same direction and the effect is of patterned and plain triangles facing each other.
Do let me know if I missed out any pattern in this blog.
All pictures are taken from Pinterest.
