Vest Linings: Fabric Options?

[LibertyHallVols]

I am working on a military pattern vest (sky blue satinette w/ brown polished cotton back) and am curious about my options for the lining material.

The MOC's "Catalogue of Uniforms" lists osnaburg, "White Cotton Shirting", and white polished cotton as common lining materials. Given that "White Cotton Shirting" is a bit vague and I know no one currently reproducing white polished cotton, osnaburg seems an obvious choice.

...However, I am wondering what other *documented* options are out there. (e.g. printed or woven cotton patterns, wool blends, wool, linen, same material is outer front/back, other?)

Thanks!

[Nighthawk]

John-

Charlie Childs usually has plain cotton shirting under his "States Rights Collection" fabric listings.
http://www.crchilds.com/id44.htm
Best of Luck!

[Adjutant]

John,

I have seen period vests with muslin linings, so that is always a possibility. I am not sure of shirting; maybe someone else could chime in. I personally feel that cotton sheeting is often underrepresented. In a pinch you could line it with the small material you are using for the back. Also, Needle and Thread, of Gettysburg, recently had some white polished cotton (I know it’s not really polished cotton) on hand.

[Jefferson Guards]

I have never seen a vest lined in Osnaburg. I am not sure if the MOC Catalog of Uniforms is basing this as lining material in general or vest-specific lining materials. The most common lining material I have seen in original vests is fine white cotton. The original I am looking at right now is lined with fine white cotton of a lighter medium weight.

Shirtings do not refer specifically to patterned fabrics that shirts were made out of, but rather to the general class of fabrics that were suitable for manufacture of shirts. Thus white cotton would have been considered a shirting as it was an exceptionally common material for shirts. The vest lining fabric that I mentioned earlier could just as easily been used for a shirt. While we are on the subject of vests and fabric classes, vestings were a category of fabrics that were deemed suitable for manufacture into vests and included numerous weaves, fibers, textures, and colors.

I would say if you go with a light-medium weight white cotton you can't go wrong.

Just my two cents

[Yellowhammer]

Wick,

Here's an original Confedate vest that is lined with brown polished cotton:

http://www.oldsouthantiques.com/images/os75p2.jpg

The cotton has lost its' sheen due to the handling the vest received over the years.

If you wanted a polished cotton other than brown, Needle and Thread in G'burg has had dark blue and green in stock fairly consistently for the last few months.

[RyanBWeddle]

I personally go with a nice sturdy cotton or cotton drill...

Here are some pics of a Federal officer's vest which resides in a private collection in Ohio. It is lined with a sturdy brown cotton (possibly polished, but uncertain) and note the large interior machined pocket.

[LibertyHallVols]

Ryan: Great Photos! I am using cotton drill for the interlining.

John:
Also, great photo! It appears that there is no center seam on the collar in the vest in the photo. Interesting! Regarding blue & green polished cotton...
http://www.horsesoldier.com/catalog/index.html

The Horse Soldier as a vest that is part of a VRC grouping that is lined with blue (chest) and green (back) polished cotton.
http://www.horsesoldier.com/catalog/400-602h.JPEG


Brian:
The MOC catalogue gives descriptions per garment with photos of some garments. I believe the descriptions were written by Les Jensen. Re: White Shirting... I agree. The descriptions are referring to plain white cloth as is used for a shirt (however, this is not a detailed description of a particular type/weave/weight of fabric, as is "osnaburg" or "muslin".

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I would appreciate hearing of some more documented vests, if anyone has info (especially pics) handy!

Cheers!

[hireddutchcutthroat]

John

Do you know if the green on that vest is the original color, or if it has oxidized? Im a little bit suprised by the number of interior pockets on these vests.




Here are some more photos of the vest John posted.

[LibertyHallVols]

I have no clue on the original color of the lining. All I can see is the website pics and description. However, given that the vest has both blue and brown, I think it might be safe to say that the back piece was originally some greenish shade.

[Michael McComas]

Harriet Engler lists brown, white, and ivory polished cotton on her web site at http://www.harriets.com/SUPPLY.html I have seen the both the brown and ivory. As the French say, "It's very niiiiza."

[Peachfuz]

Gentlemen,
I was wondering if the use of sateen, such as that currently being offered by the Skillet Licker http://www.skilletlicker.com/yardgoods/fabrics-&-notions.html , for vest lining/backing would be acceptable.
As defined by Mr. Daley: Sateen Cotton, some also made in rayon. Sateen, 5-harness, filling-face weave. Lustrous and smooth with the sheen in a filling direction. Carded or combed yarns are used. Better qualities are mercerized to give a higher sheen. Some are only calendared to produce the sheen but this disappears with washing and is not considered genuine sateen. May be bleached, dyed, or printed. Difficult to make good bound buttonholes on it as it has a tendency to slip at the seams.
If I'm not mistaken the difference between sateen and polished cotton is they way they are finished, but I'm not sure of the process.

[Jefferson Guards]

Rich,

I believe the difference between polished cotton and sateen is the way it is woven and finished.

Apparently with sateen is is the way the fabric is woven that give the fabric the sheen (therefore Chris's assertion that caledered sateen is not genuine sateen).

Polished cotton is generally a plain-weave cotton that is "calendered" (passed through a machine that applies heat and pressure, and in modern times a chemical substance, to provide the sheen.)

Carolann Schmitt posted a good explanation of how cotton is polished on the old forum, maybe we can get it back...hint..hint ;) .

I have not yet seen an original vest with a sateen backing. For some reason there seemed to be a preference for polished cotton as a backing material.

[Amtmann]

John, I just went in and looked at three of my original Civy vests. Two had a white "cotton shirting" lining and the other has a light brown polished cotton with small, darker brown diagonal stripes. If you need pictures let me know, or I may have them at Shakertown along with a couple of original overshirts and the rest of our original clothing collection.