Drill (fabric)
Encyclopedia
Drill is stout durable cotton
fabric with a strong bias (diagonal) in the weave
. It can be used unbleached, although it is more often bleached or dye
d.
Light weight drill is used in clothing items such as shirt
s, safari jacket
s, blouse
s, and sportswear
. The heavier weights were often used in corsets, and are commonly used in work clothing and uniforms.
The most common use of drill in uniform
s and casual wear is in the form of khaki
. Strictly speaking, khaki is a tan color, and the word come from the Hindi
"khak", meaning the color of dust. Troops of the British Empire during its occupation of India wore uniforms of a white cotton drill. During the 1840s it was discovered that dying this drill to a tan closely matching the color of the dusty surroundings resulted in an effective camouflage. The fabric soon became a popular material for military uniforms, and, in the United States following World War II
, as veterans returned to college campuses, it became popular in casual dress as well.
Heavy cotton drill is widely used for making cooks' uniforms (chefs' wear) because it is thick enough to protect the wearer from heat.
(canvas) was more commonly used for these purposes, drill has also been used to make tarpaulins, tents, awnings and canopies, but the use of both fabrics has been supplanted in modern times with synthetic fabrics. Like duck, drill is used as a covering for furniture and cushions.
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
fabric with a strong bias (diagonal) in the weave
Weave
Weave may refer to:*Hair weave*Mozilla Weave*Weaving...
. It can be used unbleached, although it is more often bleached or dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
d.
Use in clothing
Shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for almost any garment other than outerwear such as sweaters, coats, jackets, or undergarments such as bras, vests or base layers...
s, safari jacket
Safari jacket
A safari jacket or bush jacket is a garment originally designed for the purpose of going on safari in the African bush.Popularized by turn-of-the-20th-century Anglo-African adventurers, safari-style jackets were engineered for comfort and function....
s, blouse
Blouse
A blouse is a loose-fitting upper garment that was formerly worn by workmen, peasants, artists, women and children. It is typically gathered at the waist so that it hangs loosely over the wearer's body. Today, the word most commonly refers to a woman's shirt but can also refer to a man's shirt if...
s, and sportswear
Sportswear
Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons....
. The heavier weights were often used in corsets, and are commonly used in work clothing and uniforms.
The most common use of drill in uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s and casual wear is in the form of khaki
Khaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
. Strictly speaking, khaki is a tan color, and the word come from the Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
"khak", meaning the color of dust. Troops of the British Empire during its occupation of India wore uniforms of a white cotton drill. During the 1840s it was discovered that dying this drill to a tan closely matching the color of the dusty surroundings resulted in an effective camouflage. The fabric soon became a popular material for military uniforms, and, in the United States following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as veterans returned to college campuses, it became popular in casual dress as well.
Heavy cotton drill is widely used for making cooks' uniforms (chefs' wear) because it is thick enough to protect the wearer from heat.
Other uses
Drill is a versatile fabric that has been used in a variety of applications. Boat sail drill is a light weight unbleached drill used to make sails for sailing craft. Although duckCotton duck
Cotton duck , also simply duck, sometimes duck cloth or duck canvas, commonly called "canvas" outside the textile industry, is a heavy, plain woven cotton fabric...
(canvas) was more commonly used for these purposes, drill has also been used to make tarpaulins, tents, awnings and canopies, but the use of both fabrics has been supplanted in modern times with synthetic fabrics. Like duck, drill is used as a covering for furniture and cushions.