Bedford cord, named after the town of
New Bedford
New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American p ...
, Massachusetts, a famous 19th century textile manufacturing city, is a durable
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not ...
that resembles
corduroy
Corduroy is a textile with a distinctively raised "cord" or wale texture. Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel (bare to the base fabric) between them. Both velvet and corduroy derive from fu ...
. The
weave has faint lengthwise ridges, but without the filling yarns that make the distinct wales characteristic of corduroy. It can have the appearance of narrow-width stripes with thin lines between.
Usage
Because of its stiff construction, it is often used in upholstery or in outerwear that does not require draping.
Trousers
Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and ...
made with Bedford cord are sometimes called "Bedford cords".
A water-repellent cotton version of Bedford cord called ''Jungle Cloth'' was used by the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
for flight clothing during the 1920s-1940s era.
Today Jungle Cloth is made exclusively in Japan on special order to the garment trade. It is about 14 oz in weight and is not water treated.
In 1893 a dress made of Bedford cord figured into the trial of
Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ost ...
. Various testimonies about "the Bedford Cord" gave conflicting ideas as to whether the dress, which was burned by Borden after the murders of her father and stepmother, was stained by blood or by paint.
References
External links
Silk Ikat Fabrics
Woven fabrics
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