No, I don't mean fabric made by this guy—although the pronunciation is the same.
Airy leno weave is not one of the basic weaves (plain, twill and satin are), rather it is a variation on plain weave.
Read on:
Leno weave insures a more stable open weave than could be accomplished with a plain weave. It is made by pairs of warp yarns arranged crisscrossing the weft yarns, holding the weft yarns evenly apart.
It is also called doup weave, named for the doup attachment on a loom which manipulates the warp yarns. Somewhat erroneously, the weave is also called gauze weave. Gauze fabric (called cheesecloth in the UK and Australia) can be in a leno weave, but is often plain weave.
Leno is also the name of fabric made in leno weave.
Basic leno fabric
Very fine and heavily sized leno weave fabric
This is a 1940s rayon leno dress (previously sold). From any distance it just looks sheer.
You often have to get up really close (and possibly use some sort of magnifier) to know that the weave is leno.
Marquisette
A very fine, light netting fabric in a leno weave, marquisette can—and has—been made out of just about every fiber. In silk, cotton, rayon, or wool it has a soft drape, while in nylon it is stiffer. Mentions of marquisette go back to 1907-08, when it was used exclusively for clothing. By the 1920s it was also commonly used for curtains. Dobby effects are sometimes applied to marquisette.
Uses: Sheer curtains, bridal and evening wear, millinery, and trims.
This is a beautiful silk-linen marquisette sold by de Florian Contemporary Traditional Fabrics (their photo)
This fabric shows a mixture of leno and plain weave, and it was called a leno stripe in the fabric sample book in which I found it.
Mock Leno
With its open, lattice-like look, mock leno fabric is made to resemble leno, but without that weave’s pairs of warp yarns. Instead, a dobby loom weaves spaces into plain weave fabric at regular intervals. Because of its airy quality, it is often used for warm weather wear.
Uses: Shirts, dresses
Airy leno weave is not one of the basic weaves (plain, twill and satin are), rather it is a variation on plain weave.
Read on:
Leno weave insures a more stable open weave than could be accomplished with a plain weave. It is made by pairs of warp yarns arranged crisscrossing the weft yarns, holding the weft yarns evenly apart.
It is also called doup weave, named for the doup attachment on a loom which manipulates the warp yarns. Somewhat erroneously, the weave is also called gauze weave. Gauze fabric (called cheesecloth in the UK and Australia) can be in a leno weave, but is often plain weave.
Leno is also the name of fabric made in leno weave.
Basic leno fabric
Very fine and heavily sized leno weave fabric
This is a 1940s rayon leno dress (previously sold). From any distance it just looks sheer.
You often have to get up really close (and possibly use some sort of magnifier) to know that the weave is leno.
Marquisette
A very fine, light netting fabric in a leno weave, marquisette can—and has—been made out of just about every fiber. In silk, cotton, rayon, or wool it has a soft drape, while in nylon it is stiffer. Mentions of marquisette go back to 1907-08, when it was used exclusively for clothing. By the 1920s it was also commonly used for curtains. Dobby effects are sometimes applied to marquisette.
Uses: Sheer curtains, bridal and evening wear, millinery, and trims.
This is a beautiful silk-linen marquisette sold by de Florian Contemporary Traditional Fabrics (their photo)
This fabric shows a mixture of leno and plain weave, and it was called a leno stripe in the fabric sample book in which I found it.
Mock Leno
With its open, lattice-like look, mock leno fabric is made to resemble leno, but without that weave’s pairs of warp yarns. Instead, a dobby loom weaves spaces into plain weave fabric at regular intervals. Because of its airy quality, it is often used for warm weather wear.
Uses: Shirts, dresses
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