This plain weave mid-weight canvas is woven on an ecru cotton warp, with alternating weft stripes of the same ecru yarn and a corresponding yarn that has been bleached white. This creates a delicate horizontal tonal stripe visible on the rinsed cloth as a colour difference, and in dyed garments as a subtle tonal and textural variation.

Rust dyeing is one of the very oldest forms of tinting fabric, and can be traced back to the Egyptian First Dynasty through brownish linen rags found at Tarkhan, dated to between 3482 and 3102 BCE.

Vintage 19th Century workwear would often have iron hardware attached to it, and discoveries of old utilitarian cloths have frequently been left with iron tools or nails, so these items often have yellow or brown rust stains on them.