William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" Irish green fabric length 1946.
Fine, smooth, slightly stiff, close fabric. Used for soles of electrically heated shoes, casualty blankets, coating purposes for government development, footballpants,and basketball uniforms. See T09669.000 (football pants) for application of fabric in different color. Commercially called Combat Cloth. Color Irish Green. 3/1 twill weave to the right. Yarn sizes - warp is 70/34/7, weft is 210/34/1. 100% nylon.
William Skinner and Sons "Foundation Satin" silk corset double face peach fabric length; 1932. Stiff, heavy, close, lustrous, double face, satin weave fabric made of all silk yarns. Piece dyed peach. Selvedge says "Skinner's" in same color, only on one edge of the fabric. Commercially known as "Foundation Satin" and used for corsetry.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.