THOUGH GINGHAM FEELS AS AMERICANas apple pie, it has quite worldly origins. It issaid to have originated in either Malaysia orFrance in the 17th century and started morelike a stripe than a check. It was adopted andpopularized by the English and the Dutcharound 1800 when it became the checkedpattern we know today, and was oftenproduced in a cotton or muslin fabric.
