Cambric

properly a fine variety of plain woven linen. For more than a century, however, the name has been given to a thin calendered muslin, originally made in Scotland in imitation of the linen cambric. In 1520 a fine linen cloth was produced at Cambrai, or Cambray, France. It was called cambric from the name of the city. A sixteenth century historian tells us that it was "so fine that the greatest thread was not so big as the smallest hair that is." It was much used for fine ruffs, kerchiefs, shirts, and undergarments. The first cotton imitation was called cambric-muslin. Cambric is finished frequently with a luster. It is thinner and finer than common muslin. It is used for women's underwear, infants' clothing, etc. A cheap cotton fabric dyed in plain colors is also called cambric. It is used for linings and is of two varieties, kid-finished and glazed. The latter is called sometimes paper cambric. It is put up usually in rolls, as a fold is apt to form a permanent crease. See Calendering