Mattresses of Ticking

Ticking fabric, used to cover Amana twin bed mattresses, is a cotton or linen fabric that is tightly woven for durability.  It was commonly a striped fabric design in brown's, blues, reds, greens, against a plain, textured background. It has also been used for backing rugs and other bedding. Made by the harness men, the mattresses were heavy and solid. The tight, twill weave prevents down feathers from poking through the fabric. This fabric was woven by the Budingen, Germany ancestors of the Amana members as well. They were tufted in several places to hold horse or pig hair in place. The 3 matching mattresses were laid on slats the width of the bed side-by-side,  for easier handling. Other bedding such as black and white cotton calico was used to finish the bed...all very nice.