Plate No. 132 · fabric

Dimity

Dimity is a light, sheer cotton cloth woven with raised cords, made by throwing extra warp threads into relief so fine ridges run through the fabric as stripes or, when crossed, as checks. The name comes from a Greek word for two-threaded, describing those doubled warps. Crisp, white, and washable, dimity was for centuries the cloth of bed hangings, curtains, and summer dresses, valued for the subtle structural texture that a plain white sheer otherwise lacks.