Lightest open weave or sheer fabrics

Named for Jean Baptiste, a French weaver of the 13th century who wove fine linen cloth, batiste is now most commonly made of cotton or a cotton/polyester blend, The fabric is light and sheer, with lengthwise streaks. It is a balanced plain weave. When cotton is used, the soft, limp fabric is often mercerized to bolster its luster and strength. The fabric is often white, pale solids or delicate prints.

There are also wool, silk and rayon batistes.

Uses: Blouses, shirts, nightwear, infant clothing, lingerie, handkerchiefs and dresses

See also:
Cambric
Lawn

In the U.S., cheesecloth is the name of sheer, soft, loosely-woven bleached gauze fabric used for non-clothing purposes such as bandaging, dust cloths, and pressing cheese, butter and meat.

In the U.K., cheesecloth is a light shirting weight soft cotton which is most often bleached but can be dyed, and is characterized by a crinkled texture.

See also:
Gauze
Muslin
Cotton crepe
Cotton georgette

Chiffon is French for “rag,” but this very sheer fabric is the most elegant of rags! Originally silk, chiffon is also now made of polyester, nylon or rayon as well. It is a loose, balanced plain weave with tightly twisted single yarns in both directions. It has a subtle crepe texture, and is as light and thin as can be.

Chiffon is sometimes also used to describe the lightness of a fabric, such as chiffon velvet (a light soft velvet) and chiffon taffeta (a glossy, light, soft taffeta).

Uses: Scarves, lingerie, blouses and evening wear

See also:
Georgette
Mousseline de soie

Very similar in their qualities, China silk originates from China, while habutai is Japanese. Habutai means “soft as down” in Japanese. Both are extremely soft, fine, light and lustrous fabrics, usually in a plain weave. China silk can be dyed, while habutai is more often left a natural ecru and can be slightly irregular in its fibers.

Uses: Very light blouses, lingerie, linings

Soft, limp fabric with a loose, airy weave. Usually cotton, gauze was originally made of silk in the city of Gaza in the Middle East. It can be found in cotton blends, wool, silk, acetate or rayon. Plain or leno weave may be used.

If stiffened with sizing, the fabric may be referred to as scrim.

Uses: Loose-fitting, unstructured garments, most often blouses and dresses. In the U.K. and Australia, gauze refers to surgical bandaging fabric, and the name cheesecloth refers to a similar fabric used for garments.

See also:
Tarlatan
Crinkled gauze
Cheesecloth

Gazar is alternatively called gaze, the French word for gauze. Gazar is a fine, sheer, crisp silk fabric which may be in a leno weave, but most commonly is in a plain weave. The fabric is more crisp than chiffon and georgette, but less than organza.

Uses: Formal wear, bridal, dresses, interfacing or facing for lightweight fabrics

See also:
Ninon
Organza

A sheer, dull, easily draped fabric originally of silk—now also manufactured fibers and even wool—in a balanced plain weave. The crepe texture is achieved by highest twist yarns in both warp and weft. Every one to two yarns the direction alternates from S-twist to Z-twist. It is much like chiffon, only slightly more crepe-textured and heavier. Georgette is named after a late 19th-century French fashion designer named Madame Georgette de la Plante. Georgette is also called crepe georgette and georgette crepe.

Uses: Blouses, evening wear, lingerie, millinery, curtains and scarves

See also:
Chiffon

Linen in a lightweight plain weave. As compared to cambric, it is slightly more textured with slubbing.

Uses: Blouses, dresses, lingerie, baby dresses, unstructured suits

See also:
Cambric
Linen

A very fine, light netting fabric in a leno weave, marquisette can—and has—been made out of just about every fiber. In silk, cotton, rayon, or wool it has a soft drape, while in nylon it is stiffer. Mentions of marquisette go back to 1907-08, when it was used exclusively for clothing. By the 1920s it was also commonly used for curtains. Dobby effects are sometimes applied to marquisette.

Uses: Sheer curtains, bridal and evening wear, millinery, and trims.

See also:
Leno weave

With its open, lattice-like look, mock leno fabric is made to resemble leno, but without that weave’s pairs of warp yarns. Instead, a dobby loom weaves spaces into plain weave fabric at regular intervals. Because of its airy quality, it is often used for warm weather wear.

Uses: Shirts, dresses

See also:
Leno weave
Natté

French for muslin, mousseline is lightweight, sheer and crisp—much finer than muslin—and may be silk, wool, cotton or manufactured fibers.

See also:
Mousseline de soie

Lightweight, sheer, crisp, plain weave fabric originally of silk—now also of manufactured fibers—particularly polyester. Mousseline de soie (French for silk muslin) is firmer than chiffon.

See also:
Chiffon
Mousseline
Organza

Ninon is very sheer, crisp, open, plain weave fabric made of silk originally, and of manufactured filament fibers more recently, too. It is generally heavier than chiffon.

In the United Kingdom, ninon voile is a sheer cotton fabric made in imitation of ninon.

Uses: Dresses, scarves, eveningwear, lingerie

See also:
Chiffon
Gazar
Voile

Very sheer, thin, crisp fabric usually (and historically) made of cotton, but also sometimes in a blend with polyester. Organdy is given its crisp finish by various means, some very costly and permanent, while others are likely to wash out eventually. In the most expensive treatment (known as Swiss finish), the fibers are allowed to partially melt in acid and then harden again to a crisp and transparent finish that is permanent. Less lasting finishes may be achieved with resin or starch. Organdy is a balanced plain weave fabric.

Uses: Blouses, bridal wear, evening wear (particular when a sheer, dramatically full look is wanted, such as puffed sleeves), interfacing, trim such as collar and cuffs, girl’s party frocks, fancy aprons, curtains

See also:
Organza

Organza is a balanced plain weave similar to organdy in that it is crisp and very sheer, but it is not quite as stiff as organdy. It is also made of filament silk (or nylon, polyester or rayon) instead of cotton. When made of silk, the stiffness comes from the natural gum that remains on the filaments, while manufactured fibers require a finish. Organza is often used as a ground for embellishment such as embroidery, cut-work embroidery, and tufting (achieved in the weaving process) or flocking.

Uses: Blouses, dresses, evening wear, bridal wear, girl’s dresses, facings, interfacings, linings for sheer fabric

See also:
Chiffon
Mousseline de soie
Organdy

Voile is a sheer, balanced plain weave fabric made durable and somewhat crisp by the tight twist (called voile twist) of its yarns. It is made of cotton and blends with the best being long staple and combed cotton. Voile is French for “veil.”

Uses: Blouses, shirts, dresses, nightgowns, lingerie, children’s clothing, curtains

There is also a wool voile, and a silk, polyester or nylon voile. This last type is used most for curtains, but also bridal wear, party dresses, trim and millinery.