Chambray

sham'bra, a superior quality of gingham woven in plain colors, and usually without pattern. The blended appearance which is a characteristic of chambray is produced by the use of colored warps and white weft. Chambray is woven of finer yarns than ordinary gingham. A coarser variety is known as chambray gingham. When taken from the loom, chambray is starched heavily and calendered. A Jacquard chambray is a figured chambray produced by an arrangement which allows the weft to skip certain warp threads at regular intervals. In calendering a Jacquard chambray is finished by a method which gives it the gloss, general appearance and feeling of linen. See Gingham; Calendering; Jacquard; Linen