Nainsook

File:For the Little Folks (fashion vignette 1904).jpg

"The little girl's dress is of white China scilk (sic). The yoke is covered with all-over-lace. The ruffles are hemmed up and feather-stitched. The child's dress is of white nainsook with hemstitching and insertion."

Nainsook is a soft, fine, lightweight form of muslin.<ref name=Merriam>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Oxford>Template:Cite web</ref> Muslin encompasses a broad range of fabrics of varying weight and fineness, but is always a plain weave, cotton fabric. The English word 'nainsook', documented from 1790 onwards,<ref> Template:Oed </ref> derives from the Hindi word Template:Translit, which literally means "eye's delight".<ref name="Merriam"/>

Nainsook was often used to make babies' clothing or lingerie at least until the 1920s.<ref name=Wells>Template:Cite book</ref> Nainsook cotton was also often used to make bias tape in the 1950s and 1960s.

See also

• Lawn cloth