A material structure which has at least one section of first material spaced apart from at least one section of second material. A number of thin, elongated strands connect the first material to the second material. The strands may adhere to the first and second material along a transverse edge of each material section or may instead adhere to a side of the material sections at some distance from the edge. The resulting material structure may be incorporated into clothing or into window shade structures, for example. When used with window shades, the first and second material sections may be pleated panels, or one section may be a pleated panel and the other may be a number of transverse ribbons. Confronting pleats of the two pleated panels may be connected by the strands, forming a honeycomb shade, or the pleats of the pleated panel may each be connected to a transverse ribbon. Additionally, an intermediary piece, such as a slat or a flexible strip may lie between and be connected by groups of strands along opposed sides of the intermediary piece to confronting pleats or between each pleat and its respective ribbon, forming a venetian-type structure.