Cheviot

shev'i-ot, originally a strong twilled woolen fabric woven from the coarse wool of the Cheviot sheep. This cloth was finished with a rough, shaggy nap. It was firm and durable and much in demand for men's fine clothing. In recent years a great variety of cheviots are manufactured, the name indicating the finish rather than the wool used. Cheviot is in demand for women's as well as men's suits, and is made in many weights and qualities. Two styles of finish are in use, "rough" and "close," the difference consisting, not in the process, but in the degree to which the process is carried. The cloth is washed in soap and water; fulled, to shrink it in both length and breadth; then "gigged" to raise the nap, more or less dense, as desired, over the entire surface; then sheared to cut the nap to a uniform level. After pressing, examining for defects, brushing, pressing again, and steaming, the fabric is ready to be put up for market. Cheviot shirting is a name given to a large and varied class of cotton shirting. Its distinguishing features are a single, but heavy thread in both warp and weft, a pattern, usually check or stripe, produced in the loom, and a soft finish. It is woven either plain or twilled. See Gigging; Fulling; Shearing