Ticking
Ticking is a type of cloth, traditionally a tightly-woven cotton or linen textile.[1] It is traditionally used to cover tick mattresses and bed pillows.[2] The tight weave makes it more durable and hinders the stuffing (straw, chaff, hair, down feathers, etc.) from poking through the fabric.[1] To make it even tighter, ticking could be waxed, soaped,[3] or starched.[4] Tick materials designed to hold foam may be knit, or more porous.[5] In English-speaking countries ticking commonly has a striped design,[6] in muted colors such as brown, grey or blue, and occasionally red or yellow, against a plain, neutral background.
Although traditionally used for mattresses and pillows, the material has found other uses, such as serving as a backing for quilts, coverlets, and other bedding.[1] It is sometimes woven with a twill weave.
Ticking is no longer restricted to a utility fabric and has found uses in interior decorating styles intending to evoke a homespun or industrial aesthetic. Modern uses for ticking include furniture upholstery, cushion covers, tablecloths, decorative basket liners, and curtains. Occasionally, lighter weight percale cloth is printed with a striped pattern made to resemble ticking fabric, and used to make garments.[citation needed]
- A 1940s USDA circular promoting home production of cotton mattresses.
- Ticking used to make windproof parkas
- An antique settee reupholstered in ticking fabric. Historically, ticking was not used to cover fine furniture.