Dimity

{{Short description|Type of sheer textile, usually made of cotton}}

{{more citations needed|date=December 2015}}File:Dimity bustle1881.gif made from dimity, 1881.]]

Dimity is a collective term for figured cloths of harness loom decorated with designs and patterns. It is a strong cotton cloth with various stripes and illustrations. Dimity is bleached or washed after looming, less often dyed—unlike fustian, which is usually dyed.{{Cite book|last=Montgomery|first=Florence M.|url=https://archive.org/details/textilesinameric00mont|title=Textiles in America 1650-1870 : a dictionary based on original documents, prints and paintings, commercial records, American merchants' papers, shopkeepers' advertisements, and pattern books with original swatches of cloth|date=1984|publisher=New York; London : Norton|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-393-01703-8|pages=218}}

It is a lightweight, sheer cotton fabric, having at least two warp threads thrown into relief to form fine cords. Chiefly, dimity is fashioned into white bed upholstery and curtains, though it is occasionally imprinted with a colorful pattern.{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Dimity |volume=8 |page=273}} Dimity was historically made of silk or wool; however, since the 18th century, it has been woven almost exclusively of cotton.