Thanks Chele, for the blog pic's, now I have a clearer view of what shirtings could be.
DonnaB

Shirting fabrics refer to men's shirt-type/design fabrics. However, they can now be bought in standard quilting weight cottons. Usually the design is woven into the fabric rather than printed on the surface.

SandyQuilter

I haven't got a clue. I would definitely ask.

Shirtings are also used a lot for rag quilts, because, like flannel, they fray nicely. Just be prepared for a lot of "lint" in the dryer for the first few washings.

sherry

I've seen Joann ads for "shirting" fabric. You could go there and check it out.

Shirtings are usually an off white or tan fabric with a small print on them. They are usually used in Civil War quilts as the background fabric. So that is usually where you will find them with or near the Civil War fabrics. That said they are not just useable with this era - I think they could be used with many types of quilts because the patterns of the these prints are usually very simple. From vines to dots to stripes.

Very interesting. I'm glad you asked the question because I learned something.

Shirtings are small prints with an ivory or white background that would be thought of as something a man's shirt would be made of. They are used primarily as backgrounds for busier prints. I have used shirtings many times as backgrounds for Civil War fabrics, i.e. with a design in the darker color and the background the shirting. Many online shops have them listed as a "shirting" category. They're sometimes kind of hard to find; especially since I won't buy fabric unless it's on sale, and they seldom are since they're in high demand.

Joannes has it
 

Shirting fabrics usually are light in color and also with small designs. It was used to make cotton dress shirts. I know I have seen shirting fabric in my LQS with the Civil War fabrics.