Natural White Linsey Woolsey

55% Wool, 45% Linen, 37″ Wide

Made in the USA.

Linsey woolsey that is simply white makes a statement without standing out too much. Linsey woolsey was a fabric for the lower sort, & plain white is described on some of the poorest enslaved people & servants. This linsey has a proper salvage edge but has not been fulled. Linsey was especially used in the 18th century for women’s gowns, and petticoats, but was also used for both men’s & women’s jackets, as well as waistcoats & trousers. For example, in The Maryland Gazette of 1783, “Ran away . . . a short thick mulatto wench . . . had on . . . [an] old white linsey petticoat, and short gown, with a black stripe round the back” as cited in Wives, Slaves, and Servant Girls. Off white 35/2 linen thread and white or blue worsted wool tape match this fabric well. Matching tape is often seen on the hems of petticoats and bedgowns. For sewing buttonholes try off white silk button hole twist or quilter’s thread.