Silesia (cloth)

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Silesia (Sleazy, Slesia) was a thin twilled woven cloth made of linen [1] or cotton. [2] The term denoted a wide range of fabric grades from greige goods to dyed and finished cloth. Silesia was used for various linens, for lining clothes, and in window blinds. [1] Cotton Silesia was calendered to obtain a gloss finish. [2]

History

The fabric was originally manufactured in Silesia, a province of Prussia. [3] Poor-grade Silesia was used to make cheap clothing in 18th-Century Britain and America, where the name was corrupted into “sleazy”. George Washington described the uniform of the Continental Army as “a suit made of thin, sleazy cloth without lining.” [4] [5]

References

  1. 1 2 Montgomery, Florence M. (1984). Textiles in America 1650-1870 : a dictionary based on original documents, prints and paintings, commercial records, American merchants' papers, shopkeepers' advertisements, and pattern books with original swatches of cloth. New York; London: Norton. p. 348. ISBN   978-0-393-01703-8.
  2. 1 2 Fairchild's dictionary of textiles. New York: Fairchild Publications. 1959. p. 506.
  3. ↑ Denny, Grace Goldena (1962). Fabrics. Lippincott. p. 88.
  4. ↑ "Fiber Word Nerds: Origin of the Word Sleazy". Handwoven. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  5. ↑ "sleazy". Wiktionary. Retrieved 2024-10-23.


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