Fabric question
 

What is 'barkcloth'? I have seen this on several websites where I am
searching for material for my SO's shirt. He loves the Hawaiian prints. :)


Cindy

Dear Cindy,

Real barkcloth is just what the name says; it's a cloth made from
pounded bark. The bark has resin and fibers in it to hold it together.
However, there are home dec fabrics that resemble bark and are called
bark cloth, but are made from the usual fabrics. If it's all cotton,
the "bark" effect will be removed with washing. It's also scratchy,
and wouldn't be suitable for Hawaiian shirts.

Teri

Cloth made from bark is called tapa or kapa, depending on
dialect. (I've probably spelled that wrong.) Making tapa
is a *lot* of work, and it isn't washable, so it's very
rarely used for clothing if cotton or linen is available,
even though rumor has it that tapa is much more comfortable
in hot weather than any other fabric. (The only sample I've
seen was a very coarse specimen made to sell to tourists.)

(Sudden thought: some of the better grades of modern paper
would probably be a good substitute for tapa. I wonder
whether anyone still knows how to wear it?)

When people say "barkcloth", they mean an irregular weave
that resembles bark. Those that I've seen were meant for
drapes, but washed up very soft and wrinkle-shed and made
good clothing, though perhaps a bit warm for short-sleeved
shirts.

But it's been many years since I've seen cotton barkcloth,
and fabric names aren't fixed: down through the ages,
fabric vendors have subscribed to Humpty-Dumpty's
philosophy: "words mean what I want them to mean". In
particular, the names of thick fabrics get applied to
thinner and thinner fabrics, and cheap fabrics will be given
the names of fabrics they are supposed to resemble:
"flannel" used to be a woolen fabric, and when rayon was
cheap, a thick, plain-woven rayon was called "butcher
linen". (Nowadays they don't even put in a warning
adjective, so it's best to check the fiber content of any
"linen" you buy.)

A new fabric, such as 200-count, may steal the name of an
older fabric, such as percale. Or an ancient fabric is
given a new name so that it may be marketed as an
innovation. (Azlon becoming "soy silk", for example.)

Threads vary too: dental tape, though better than floss for
cleaning teeth, is always marked "floss" on the box, which
is rather annoying for those who want floss for sewing on
buttons -- and even more annoying for those with a popcorn
husk stuck in tightly-spaced teeth that shred floss.

Joy Beeson
--
http://home.earthlink.net/~joybeeson/ -- needlework
http://home.earthlink.net/~dbeeson59...HSEW/ROUGH.HTM
http://home.earthlink.net/~beeson_n3f/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at earthlink dot net

Bark cloth was used extensively in home decoration projects in the 1950s
in the USA. The prints would be fun shirts, but the texture would be a
tad course for garments. Try cotton and/or rayon for Hawaiian shirts. I
have a nice one of a coarse grade silk. HTH.
PAT in VA/USA

Cindy wrote:

What is 'barkcloth'? I have seen this on several websites where I am
searching for material for my SO's shirt. He loves the Hawaiian prints. :)


Cindy

Cindy wrote:

What is 'barkcloth'? I have seen this on several websites where I am
searching for material for my SO's shirt. He loves the Hawaiian
prints. :)

Cotton barkcloth he http://www.hawaiianfabric.com/content/barkcloth.cfm ,
where it says "It's termed "Barkcloth" because this fabric has a texture
similar to, but much less pronounced than the bark of a tree. Made of 100%
cotton, it has a very rich look and feel! It's also a very versatile
fabric....you can create everything from stylish shirts, shorts, and
dresses...to custom curtains, pillow cases, and upholstery for your favorite
chair or sofa. Barkcloth is thicker, more substantial than a standard cotton
or poly/cotton fabric. Also known as "Dobby"...it is extremely durable, and
long lasting."

It's not what I think of as dobby, which is a small repeated woven motif on
a plain woven background.

There are lots of other Hawaiian fabrics on the same site. I've never
ordered from them but I've heard they're good.

--
Sally Holmes
Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England