Эта ткань линяет после предварительной стирки.

Because ткань is a feminine noun in Russian, so the demonstrative has to agree with it.

• masculine: этот
• feminine: эта
• neuter: это

So:

• эта ткань = this fabric

Russian adjectives and demonstratives change form to match the noun’s gender, number, and case.

Nouns ending in -ь can be either masculine or feminine, so you often have to learn the gender with the word.

In this case, ткань is feminine. You can also see that from the sentence, because it takes feminine agreement:

• эта ткань
• after после, it becomes ткани if needed in another construction

So the short answer is: with many -ь nouns, gender must simply be memorized.

Линяет comes from линять. With fabric, it means something like:

• to fade
• to run
• to bleed color

So this verb is commonly used when cloth loses dye during washing.

It can also be used in other contexts, such as animals shedding fur or feathers, but in this sentence the fabric-related meaning is the important one.

Because the sentence needs a finite verb: the fabric fades/runs/bleeds.

• линять = to fade / to run / to bleed color (infinitive)
• линяет = it fades / it runs / it bleeds color

Here ткань is a singular third-person subject, so the verb takes the 3rd person singular form:

• ткань линяет

Because после always takes the genitive case.

So:

• после = after
• стирка = washing
• after после, it becomes стирки

And the adjective has to match the noun in case, gender, and number:

• предварительная стирка = a preliminary wash
• после предварительной стирки = after a preliminary wash

So both words change because the whole phrase is in the genitive.

Yes.

Dictionary forms:

• предварительный = preliminary
• стирка = washing

In the sentence, both are in the genitive singular feminine because of после:

• предварительная → предварительной
• стирка → стирки

So the structure is:

• после
  • genitive
• после предварительной стирки

This is a very common Russian pattern.

Yes, it is present tense, but in Russian the present tense is often used for general truths, regular behavior, or typical properties.

So Эта ткань линяет после предварительной стирки means something like:

• This fabric runs after pre-washing
• This fabric tends to bleed color after an initial wash

It is not limited to something happening right this second. It describes a typical characteristic of the fabric.

Russian has no articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• ткань can mean fabric, the fabric, or a fabric

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, эта already makes it specific:

• эта ткань = this fabric

So no article is needed.

Yes, Russian word order is more flexible than English because the endings show the grammatical roles.

The neutral, straightforward order here is:

• Эта ткань линяет после предварительной стирки.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• После предварительной стирки эта ткань линяет.

That puts more focus on after pre-washing. The original version is probably the most natural if you are just stating a fact about the fabric.

Yes, the basic meaning is the same, but the form changes because of grammar.

• предварительная стирка = nominative, the dictionary-style form
• предварительной стирки = genitive, required after после

So the meaning stays preliminary wash / pre-washing, but the ending changes to fit the sentence.

Possibly, depending on context.

• ткань usually means fabric / cloth
• If you were talking about a specific item of clothing, Russian might use a different noun, such as рубашка or платье
• On labels or product descriptions, ткань is very natural when the material itself is being discussed

So this sentence sounds like something you might see in a product warning, care instruction, or fabric description.