Bobbinet is a specific type of tulle netting which has been made in the United Kingdom since the invention of the bobbinet machine in 1806 by John Heathcoat. Machines based on his original designs are still in operation today producing fabrics in Chard, Somerset.
Fabric structure
Bobbinet tulle is constructed by warp and weftyarns in which the weft yarn is looped diagonally around the vertical warp yarn to form a hexagonal mesh which is regular and clearly defined. Bobbinet netting is uniform, durable, flexibile, sheer, and has a high strength to weight ratio.
Use has also extended into technical applications where the material's properties are more important than its appearance. These technical applications include parachute skirting, radar reflective fabrics for military decoys, and light diffusion fabrics for the film and theatre industries.
