Plush

Example of plush upholstery. Example of plush upholstery.

Plush is an English term used to describe a shaggy, hairy kind of cloth that is used for clothing or upholstery. The pile or nap is softer and longer than that of velvet and resembles fur. There are accounts of plush dating back to at least the sixteenth century. Plush can be made of a variety of fibre types, including camel hair, cotton, goat hair, silk, wool, or some combination of these. In addition, the length of the pile can also vary.

The different combinations (fibre, pile lengths) are also known by a variety of terms. Plush is sometimes embroidered, especially in the stamped plush form for furnishings, notably curtains.

Sources:

  • CAULFEILD, Sophia Frances Anne and Blanche C. SAWARD (1882), The Dictionary of Needlework: An Encyclopaedia of Artistic, Plain and Fancy Needlework, London: L. Upcott Gill, p. 400.
  • Shorter Oxford English Dictionary: 'Plush'.

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 27 June 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Wednesday, 26 April 2017 18:45
Published in Woven and interlocking materials
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