Silesia (Sleazy, Slesia) was a thin twilled woven cloth made of linen or cotton. 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. Cotton Silesia was calendered to obtain a gloss finish.
History
The fabric was originally manufactured in Silesia, a province of Prussia. 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.”
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Fairchild's dictionary of textiles. New York: Fairchild Publications. 1959. p. 506.
- Denny, Grace Goldena (1962). Fabrics. Lippincott. p. 88.
- "Fiber Word Nerds: Origin of the Word Sleazy". Handwoven. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- "sleazy". Wiktionary. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
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