Have you ever wondered how they made mattresses over a hundred years ago? These mattress making instructions were originally printed in 1906 and I have it on good authority that these old time cotton and corn husk beds were only slightly better than sleeping on the cold floor.
To Make a Mattress
Take ten yards of ticking; make the top and bottom of the tick to suit the size of the bedstead; allow two inches on width and length for tying. Cut strips five inches wide for the casing, long enough to go around the sides and ends of the tick. Sew the casing around the bottom of the tick and bind it with braid. If possible, put the tick in a quilting frame, as you would a comfort, and lay on the bottom of it six pounds of cotton batting, some crosswise and some lengthwise, making it even; have a quantity of corn husks stripped very fine, and lay this evenly over the batting to a depth of six inches; then lay over this another six pounds of batting, as before. Now put on the top of the tick and sew it to the casing, binding with braid. A table or long board should be placed under the mattress as a support in the middle. Needles for tacking can be made of the ribs of an umbrella, sharpening one end and using strong twine for the tacking, putting a piece of strong cloth or old leather under each stitch, top and bottom.
Source: The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.), 26 Jan. 1906
