Which fabric commonly uses finishing methods such as shearing and brushing to create a soft surface?

• A. Velveteen
• B. Velvet
• C. Terry cloth
• D. Jersey

Answer: (A)

Finishing steps that involve brushing and shearing are used to develop and refine a soft, fuzzy surface on pile fabrics. Velveteen, a cotton fabric with a densely packed short nap, relies on this kind of finishing to create its plush feel. Brushing lifts and raises the tiny fibers, giving a fuzzy hand, while shearing smooths and levels the pile so the surface is even and soft to the touch.

Velvet, by contrast, gets its soft surface mainly from its weave—a cut-pile structure that forms the nap during construction. Finishing can tidy the surface, but the characteristic softness is primarily a result of the weaving process rather than finishing alone. Terry cloth relies on loops for its texture, and jersey is a knit with a smooth surface, so they don’t depend on brushing and shearing the way velveteen does.

So the fabric best associated with finishing to create a soft surface is velveteen because its plush, velvet-like hand is developed through those brushing and shearing finishing steps.