A Material

1. Matter which may be shaped or manipulated, particularly in making something.
2. Asphalt, composed of oil and sand, is a widely used material for roads.
3. Text written for a specific purpose.
4. Cloth to be made into a garment. Fabric.
5. The people collectively who are qualified for a certain position or activity.
6. Related data of various kinds, especially if collected as the basis for a document or book.
7. The substance that something is made or composed of.
8. (chess) All of a player's pieces and pawns on the chessboard.

Sense 4 ("cloth" or "fabric") rather awkwardly uses material to refer to a holonym (or subgroup, or, in this case, a more specific iteration) of itself. "Fabric" or "cloth" are more specific (or put another way, less vague) choices of word than "material" when referring to a textile.