Tammy cloths were manufactured in England in the 17th and 18th Centuries, primarily as lining fabrics. The structure is a plain weave, and it was often woven with a combination of cotton and wool to provide a balance of stretch and durability. Glazed tammy was the preferred fabric for flags in the Royal Navy, and a loosely woven tammy cloth is recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary of 1769 as being suitable for straining soup.

The tammy cloth here is woven on an ecru cotton warp with a single pick (weft yarn) of black mohair for every two ecru cotton picks. As the mohair is such a fine yarn it sinks in to the cotton body, but also holds the cotton back from shrinking evenly, giving the surface a crinkled texture and increasing its body and warmth.