# Dimity > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dimity > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dimity.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimity > Source revision: 1335070546 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Type of sheer textile, usually made of cotton}} {{more citations needed|date=December 2015}} [[File:Dimity bustle1881.gif|right|thumb|250px|A [bustle](/source/bustle) made from dimity, 1881.]] {{wikt | dimity}} '''Dimity''' is a collective term for figured cloths of [harness loom](/source/Loom) decorated with designs and patterns. It is a strong [cotton](/source/cotton) cloth with various stripes and illustrations. Dimity is bleached or washed after looming, less often dyed—unlike [fustian](/source/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 |location=New York; London |publisher= Norton |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-393-01703-8 |pages=218}} It is a lightweight, sheer cotton fabric, having at least two [warp](/source/warp_(weaving)) threads thrown into relief to form fine cords. Chiefly, dimity is fashioned into white bed [upholstery](/source/upholstery) and [curtain](/source/curtain)s, though it is occasionally imprinted with a colorful pattern.{{EB1911 |inline=1 |wstitle=Dimity |volume=8 |page=273}} Dimity was historically made of [silk](/source/silk) or [wool](/source/wool); however, since the 18th century, dimity-weavers have almost exclusively used cotton. == Types == [Diaper](/source/Diaper_(cloth)) is a type of dimity made of linen or cotton. It is a twill weave with diamond patterns. A [palampore](/source/palampore) is a dimity made in [India](/source/India) and used for bed coverings.{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/palampore|title=palampore|work=Dictionary.com}} ==Name== [Dimity](/source/Dimity_(given_name)) is also a girls' name—which, while still uncommon, is most popular in Australia. ==Article of clothing== A dimity is a bit of draping worn by performers of the [Poses Plastiques](/source/Tableau_vivant), which was an early form of strip tease. Performers wore flesh colored silk [body stocking](/source/body_stocking)s and a dimity to give the illusion of modesty. ==Theatrical references== * In the Finale of Act I of ''[The Pirates of Penzance](/source/The_Pirates_of_Penzance)'', the Pirates sing, "Pray observe the magnanimity we display to lace and dimity". * In the conclusion of Paul Selver's translation of ''The Insect Play'' by brothers [Karel](/source/Karel_%C4%8Capek) and [Josef Čapek](/source/Josef_%C4%8Capek), a group of school children sing: "As I went down to Shrewsbury Town, / I saw my love in a dimity gown: / And all so gay I gave it away, / I gave it away—my silver crown." ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Fabric}}{{Improve categories|date=July 2025}} Category:Woven fabrics --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dimity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimity) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimity?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.