Where does Ticking come from?

Ticking comes from the United Kingdom, Western Europe, first documented in c. 1600s.

Plate No. 009fabric

First documented: c. 1600s
Origin: Western Europe, United Kingdom
Fiber: cotton, linen
Weave: twill or plain weave
Family: stripes

Plate No. 009 · fabric

Ticking

Ticking is a tightly woven cotton or linen cloth, traditionally carrying a narrow stripe on a natural ground, made to case mattresses and pillows. The dense weave was meant to stop feathers and down from working through. Its blue-and-white striped form has since moved from bedding into upholstery and apparel.

Illustration: a bedding maker's workshop in the 1800s, a striped mattress case being filled with down, a scale, sacks of feathers, dust in the window light — A bedding maker's workshop in the 1800s, a striped mattress case being filled with down, a scale, sacks of feathers, dust in the window light.

Named for

From the Greek theke, a case or cover, through the Latin teca, for the fabric that cased a mattress.

Also known as

bed ticking

Common questions

What is Ticking made of?: Ticking is a tightly woven cotton or linen cloth, traditionally carrying a narrow stripe on a natural ground, made to case mattresses and pillows.
Where does Ticking come from?: Ticking comes from the United Kingdom, Western Europe, first documented in c. 1600s.
What is Ticking named after?: From the Greek theke, a case or cover, through the Latin teca, for the fabric that cased a mattress.