Cotton Voile
summer blouses, dresses, baby clothes, scarves, quilt backing
Voile is a lightweight plain weave made from fine, tightly twisted cotton yarns, which gives it a sheer to semi-sheer look without the slipperiness of a synthetic sheer like chiffon. Weight typically runs 40 to 100 g/m², lighter than lawn or poplin, and the open, even weave lets light pass through while still holding a stable grain.
It behaves much more like a well-mannered lightweight cotton than a specialty sheer: it presses easily, doesn't fray as aggressively as chiffon, and is forgiving under a home sewing machine. It has no stretch, so it needs normal ease in a pattern, and being sheer, it often needs a lining or an underlayer for garments meant to be opaque. It softens noticeably after a few washes.
Cotton voile is a common first fabric for garment sewing because it presses and gathers cleanly and doesn't shift much while cutting. It's used for summer blouses, soft dresses, baby clothing, and, because of its fine even weave, as a favorite for quilt backing among quilters.