Chenille is the French for caterpillar
and the fabric derives its name from this, one assumes because the
fabric resembles caterpillars. It's given the name chenille because
of the technique from which it's made.
It's made by placing two short lengths
of yarn (pile) between two core yarns and twisting them together to
make one yarn – chenille. The edges of the pile (tuft) stands on
end at the junctions of the two yarns which give chenille its unique
look. The technique can be used to create chenille from cotton, rayon
and acrylic.
Chenille has been used to make
bedspreads, throws and quilts since the 1930s when the industry
became a lucrative one with fabric merchants setting up cottage-like
industries (spread houses) where families were given chenille sheets
to tuft which turned them into bedspreads. Chenille patchwork
throws and bedspreads are still being made using the tufting
technique.
Image: actionhero
Today you may be more familiar with
chenille as a fabric or yarn used for making clothes; it's also used
for many soft furnishing fabrics and can be found in cushions,
bedspreads, throws, quilts and even curtains.
Image: kightp
