Vintage Barkcloth

Ok, those of you that know me, know that I am completely in love with vintage barkcloth, all sorts of patterns.....1930s florals, 1940s tropicals, the midcentury atomic and geometric prints from the 1950s, and the mod and flashy colors and patterns from the 1960s. I just cannot help myself, I love the different textures and the sturdiness of it. So utilitarian and so beautiful.

Please allow me to share with you a mini history of barkcloth fabric......In the late 1930s American designers and weavers introduced their version of barkcloth to the world. Their designs reflected what was popular in décor at the time. Florals, and especially tropicals were the earliest motifs. By the 1940s, barkcloth was one of the most common fabrics in the home. It was pretty much made to be indestructible. It was used to cover furniture, make window treatments and other home and personal accessories. (Next time you watch an old movie, look at the draperies in the background.) The vat dyes came first, then the screen prints. Just about any design imaginable was available... tropicals, leaves, birds, romantic scenes from far away countries, old fashioned scenes, wild abstract shapes, children's prints, animals, subtle and delicate florals...All in beautiful vivid colors cheering up our nation during and after the war. During the 1950s, barkcloth was absolutely indispensable! By the 1960s, more and more manmade fibers were used in décor items and in the early 1970s barkcloth quickly disappeared. There has been a rise in interest and reproductions have been made, but they do not hold a candle to the original vintage designs and textures.

It is amazing to me that this fabric has endured, so when I find a piece, I grab it, and restore it to its glory and stash it away for maybe a pillow, or just to take out, look at and put back away. Yes, I am a vintage textile junkie!  Below are a some of the pillows that I have crafted with vintage barkcloth. Hope you enjoy...

Mid-Century Amoeba



Mid-Century Abstract

1940s Tropical

Mid-Century Botanical

This pillow was featured in Real Living Magazine last August.

1940s Tropical

1940s Glen Court

This was a very popular pattern, it came in lots of colors and textures.

1940s Tropical

1930s Floral

I hope you enjoyed the post today, I love sharing about things that I love - thanks for stopping by and if you see something that you like, check my shops. If you are looking for a particular pattern, send me an email, I may have it or something like it - Have a blessed day!!

Dixie Highway Yard Sale 2008

What an action-packed 24 hours...we left out Friday afternoon heading north on Highway 41, destination Dalton. Our plan was to catch all the yard sales on the right side of the road going towards Dalton, spend the night, swim in the pool and get up and head back south on 41 catching the other side of the road on the way back. Well, needless to say, that plan was soon abandoned, as we began stopping on both sides of the road.

There were hundreds of yard sales over about a 120 mile stretch of the Dixie Highway (Old 41) from above Tunnel Hill and Rocky Face all the way south through Cartersville and beyond. Never in my life have I seen so many people selling their wares, lots of junk and the ocassional treasure. Some people were traveling with large trucks and pull-behind trailers for carrying their treasures home.

My first purchase was a sweet set of cow salt and pepper shakers (Japan). I actually stopped to purchase those when I was flying home in the car from work to get packed for the trip. I took 41 through town and just had to stop at just one before I got home. Who can resist that sign - there may be a treasure there. On our second stop, I scored a pair of Hull Brown Dripware Coffee Mugs.

When we reached Calhoun, to my surprise, there was a vintage chenille double peacock bedspread hanging on a porch waving in the breeze like a flag. We could not get the car stopped fast enough. It was not for sale, but we got a wonderful story for stopping to talk. It belonged to her mother and she was just adding to the festivity and frenzy of this three-day event.

We made it to Dalton, ate, swam, soaked in the hot tub, slept and got up and started on the second leg of our journey Saturday morning. We went north instead of south and went on for hours before we noticed we had gone the wrong way. Glad we did, found a place where all the vintage double peacock chenille bedspreads live. Finally met someone who has more bedspreads than me...LOL.

Our trip was SO fun, although the heat was 95 degrees plus (unseasonable weather for North Georgia) and some of the sales were on asphalt, but it was worth every moment. We met so many neat people, two ladies that had actually run the tufting machines and made chenille bedspreads in their younger days. Definitely on the calendar for next year. Some of my treasures....


Vintage Hull Pottery - I have never seen any green before - the lady that I purchased it from said that it was made in gray also.

Vintage Hull Pottery - Pair of Brown Dripware Coffee Mugs -Buy of the Day!

Vintage Pyrex - Spice of Life Pattern - I actually still have a casserole dish and one of the cannisters in this pattern that we received for wedding gifts in 1978!

Vintage Raffiaware - Pair of Tumblers - I just love the cantelope and banana colors on this pair!

Vintage China Teacups and Saucers - Those of you that know me know that I love trees and cannot resist anything with a leaf or a tree on it!

Vintage West Bend Bean Pot - For Good Ole Baked Beans in the Oven!

Vintage Ceramic Belle of the Ball Planter (Japan) - She is perfect and adorable!

Vintage Cream Pitcher - I believe this is transferware - The lady that I purchased this from made chenille bedspreads in her younger days, she ran a double-needle machine that made the loops.

Vintage Capedemonte Style Ceramic Dish - This is one of my favorite items - It is just so pretty - only has the one little chip on the edge of the rosebud - very unusual for a piece this old!!

Vintage Chenille Bedspreads

Vintage Chenille Bedspreads...takes me back to time spent at my grandparent's farmhouse. Waking up in the morning in the back bedroom (no heat), sandwiched between my two sisters, in an old double-sized iron bed with so many quilts on top of us that we could barely move. I can still remember how icy the sheets were when I slipped into bed at night and how my feet barely touched the frozen floor as I ran for the living room in the morning. My grandmother had chenille bedspreads on her beds and very utilitarian quilts. Function before form - on the farm you made do with what you had. Many items they used were made from feed sacks and flour sacks (including the quilts). My first post is a tribute to my grandmother, Ilene. Hope you enjoy these vintage beauties....

Circles and Dots - Mid-Century Flair!

Plush Chenille & Pink Roses - Sweet Cottage Style

Fluffy Pink Daisies - Like Icing on a Cake!

Fluffy Salmon Botanical - Arts & Crafts Style

Plush Plush Plush - Just Plain Eye Candy!