100% Silk, 45" wide
Red Persian WSV 109
$14/yd

Now in stock!

Scarlet red silk as fine as this was used for neck handkerchiefs, and linings. Cited in Wenches, Wives and Servant Girls The Pennsylvania Packet, of 1771, "Run away . . .  an Irish servant woman . . .  talks a little on the brogue, is full of impudence, loves strong liquor, and will get drunk, when she has an opportunity; she is a good seamstress, and professes to be a mantua maker; had on, and took with her . . .  red silk handkerchief".

100% Silk, 45" wide
Brown Persian WSV 108
$14/yd

Brown silk as fine as this was used for neck handkerchiefs, linings and sometimes bonnets. Cited in Wenches, Wives and Servant Girls The Pennsylvania Packet, of 1778, "Ran Away . . .  an indented girl . . .  country born . . .  had on and took with her, a brown silk bonnet".

100% Silk, 45" wide
Ivory Persian WSV 106
$14/yd

Ivory silk as fine as this was used for neck handkerchiefs, linings, and sometimes bonnets. In The Virginia Gazette, of 1773, "RUN away . . .  a convict servant man . . .  born in England . . .  had on . . .  [a] silk handkerchief round his neck".

100% Silk, 45" wide
Gold Persian WSV 104
$14/yd

Gold silk as fine as this was used for neck handkerchiefs and as a lining. In The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London of 1767, "Richard Griffiths, and Mary his wife, otherwise Mary Pitt, spinster, otherwise Anne Taylor, spinster, were indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Anne Nevell, widow . . .  and stealing . . .  a coloured silk handkerchief, the property of the said Anne Nevell".

100% Silk, 45" wide
White Persian WSV 102
$14/yd

This fine white silk was primarily used as a lining and hem facinings on women's gowns. White silk as fine as this can also be used for neck handkerchiefs, and men's cravats (aka neck cloths) and neck stocks. Sometimes Persian was used for women's bonnets. In The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London in 1758, "Arthur Hambleton was indicted for stealing . . .  one white silk lining to a gown".

100% Silk, 45" wide
Black Persian WSV 100
$14/yd

Fine black silk was commonly used as a lining material but may also be used for neck handkerchiefs, women's bonnets, and to cover chip (straw) hats. It may also be used for men's cravats (aka neck cloths) and neck stocks. In The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London of 1775, "CHARLES M'GINNIS and ANN his wife, were indicted for stealing . . .  a piece of black silk lining, value two pence; a piece of black silk, value six-pence".

100% Cotton Organdy, White, 45" or 60" wide
WCV 200 Not pictured
$4.50/yd. or $5.50/yd.

Organdy was a type of muslin often referred to as book muslin. This fine crisp cotton was used to make shirt and shift ruffles, women's caps, aprons, and handkerchiefs starting in the 1760s and continuing to the present. Organdy is stiff and holds its shape well. In The Proceedings of the Old Bailey in London of 1771, "I lost two aprons a book muslin and a stript one". We understand this is not a silk but it did not seem to fit in elsewhere.

100% Cotton, Manchester Corduroy, Gray, 45" wide
WCC 103
$5/yd

Manchester was a large producer of cotton fabrics and this corduroy is an example of one of the many they produced. The pile of this narrow corduroy is gray with green just showing between the piles. Corduroy was used mainly for men's breeches and trousers starting in the 1780s. For example in 1788 in The Proceedings of the Old Bailey in London "a pair of corduroy breeches, value 10 s." were stolen.

100% Cotton Velvet, Brown, 45" wide
WCC 105
$8/yd

Velvet was used mainly for men's clothing in the 18th century although women's cloaks may be made of velvet. Often the capes of coats and greatcoats were either fully made of velvet or lined with velvet. Velvet was also used for men's breeches, jackets, waistcoats and caps. Occasionally neck stocks were made of velvet and in the early 18th century women's gowns, shoes and petticoats. This velvet has a very short pile. As cited in Wenches, Wives and Servant Girls in the 1774 addition of The Pennsylvania Packet "Ran away . . .  two Dutch servants; . . .  The other a lad . . .  had on . . .  a brown cotton velvet jacket".

100% Cotton Velvet, Purple, 45" wide
WCC 104
$5/yd

Velvet was used mainly for men's clothing in the 18th century although women's cloaks may be made of velvet. Often the capes of coats and greatcoats were either fully made of velvet or lined with velvet. Velvet was also used for men's breeches, jackets, waistcoats and caps. Occasionally neck stocks were made of velvet and in the early 18th century women's gowns, shoes and petticoats. This velvet has a very short pile. For example as cited in Wenches, Wives and Servant Girls in 1775 of The Pennsylvania Packet "Ran away . . .  an indented servant Irish woman . . .  She had on . . .  a pair of leather or purple velvet shoes, with square carved yellow shoe buckles."

100% Cotton Ticking, Blue and White Stripe, 56" wide
WCC 101
$10/yd

Ticking (also ticken) for most of the 18th century was made of linen but beginning in the late 1770s in England and the early 1790s in America large cotton mills were established. These quickly grew in scale and by the early 19th century cotton ticking was cheep and available. For example in The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London in 1810 it was recorded that "WILLIAM LEE was indicted for feloniously stealing . . .  two remnants of ticking, value 3 s."