| Linsey Woolsey is the name given to a type of cloth. It is a combination of linen (linsey) and wool (woolsey). Wool, of course, was cloth woven from the hair, or wool, of sheep; and linen was cloth woven from the fibers of the flax plant. The two materials were combined in a single piece of cloth by using wool thread for the weft, and linen thread for the warp. The combination produced a cloth that had the warmth of wool and the durability of linen. Linsey Woolsey was just the right type of cloth for blankets used by soldiers, providing them with a warm material that would not deteriorate easily, regardless of the conditions in which they found themselves. The one drawback, though, which is readily apparent to anyone who has ever felt this material, was that the linsey woolsey blanket was not very soft. But then, who ever said that war should be comfortable? The background image for this webpage, and most of the other webpages on the Mother Bedford website, is derived from a detail of this linsey-woolsey blanket. |
