Abstract: An hydropatterning apparatus conveys a sheet of fabric through a patterning station along a machine direction on a conveyor, preferably a drum, having a support surface formed with a pattern of raised or solid areas and lowered or void areas, and has one or more manifolds of hydrojet nozzles disposed above the conveyor for directing a continuous curtain of fluid downwardly to impact on the fabric so that properties of the fabric become altered in correspondence to the pattern of the support surface. The hydropatterning technique is used to emboss the screen pattern into the nap of napped fabric in order to produce aesthetically pleasing surface textures and patterns in the napped fabric, such as a fur-like surface texture. The technique can also be used for displacement of yarn or fiber to obtain three-dimensional effects such as ribbing, wavy lines, checkering, geometric or floral designs, or lacework.

Abstract: An hydropatterning apparatus and method conveys a sheet of fabric (12) through a patterning station (16) along a machine direction on a conveyor (24), preferably a drum, having a support surface (16, 60) formed with a pattern of raised or solid areas (16a) and lowered or void areas (16b), and has one or more manifolds (30) of hydrojet nozzles (32) disposed above the conveyor for directing a continuous curtain of fluid (40) downwardly to impact on the fabric so that properties of the fabric become altered in correspondence to the pattern of the support surface (16, 60). Fabric colored with a non-colorfast dye is hydropatterned by subtractive color removal to obtain a patterned washout effect. Alternatively, a support surface having raised or embossed areas is used to obtain a fiber displacement, lace-like effect in light fabrics. The disclosed hydropatterning technique is particularly suitable for producing a color washout effect in indigo dyed denim.