posted on October 21, 2000 01:37:13 PM
I need help identifying a curtain I have. It came with our cabin which we purchased in 1971 (the cabin itself dates from the 1920's) - I brought it home thinking that perhaps someone on ebay may be interested in it (to make some cushions or??) but am unsure what to call it.
It is has quite a heavy weave with a light beige background and a flower & circle pattern - colors are very deep. Any ideas on what this pattern would be called or when approx it dates from?
posted on October 21, 2000 02:31:57 PM
I'm sure it's barkcloth and it looks late 50's to early 60's and if I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will point it out. By the way, barkcloth is a hot item. I just sold an old piece of drapery panel, 48" wide x 1 yd. and got $22.50 for it. Good luck.
posted on October 21, 2000 02:35:43 PM
That is not bark cloth ... it's an irregular "matelasse" weave and the pattern absolutely shrieks I'M FROM THE EARLY 1950S!
That's "mid-century modern" at it's tackiest, and someone will love it.
posted on October 21, 2000 05:30:41 PM
This is barkcloth, it is from the 50's and would best be described as "atomic, eames era, modern, 50's barkcloth" IMHO, it is very much sought after by the folks who buy 50's modern furniture and decor
posted on October 21, 2000 05:58:13 PM
MCM definitely - I'd put it at mid-late '50s, as (in my recollection) barkcloth was superseded by rayon/fiberglass blends by the '60s. I particularly like the kindasorta Polynesian woodblock doodads in black. Utterly scary and should do very well.
I've got to depart from abacaxi's assessment of this as matelasse, which is defined as "a medium to heavyweight luxury fabric made in a double cloth construction to create a blistered or quilted surface" - IOW, something like damask in that it's got a distinctive woven design (e.g. floral) in it, except much "beefier" than damask. Here's a pic:
posted on October 21, 2000 06:00:45 PM
Hey there HCQ, have you ever thought of putting up a site with this type of information on fabrics? I'd put it in my favorites for sure!
posted on October 21, 2000 09:12:07 PM
In Los Angeles there are tons of stores that sell furniture that would go with this stuff exactly! People would drool!
Myself, I've NEVER wanted to recreate my grandparents' rumpus room decor! Call me a rebel but there it is! LOL
Kim
(whose home could best be described as Lousiana whorehouse meets Hollywood beach bungalow).
posted on October 22, 2000 07:01:08 AM
WAAHHH!! HCQ corrected me. She doesn't like me any more!
I had a brain fart - was thinking of crepe (which can have a matelasse effect).
There seem to be two kinds of weave referred to as "bark cloth" in the antique shops. The first is a heavy cotton or rayon with a crepe or crepon finish. The manufacturer uses variable tension on the warp yarns creating a rough bark-like surface on the cloth, or post-weave treatments for the texture. The second (like yours) is a fabric with slubbing (variable size threads)in the weft yarn creating the bark-like texture.
All I could get out of my fabric references is that the cloth is named for the tree-bark-like appearance.
But yours is definitely retro, Jetson's, tacky 50s decor material! check for synthetic content (burn test) and list it. Someone will like it.
posted on October 22, 2000 08:23:27 AM
Thank you all for your expertise! I am always impressed by the knowledge AW members have!
I thought it would suit the cosmic type fifties/sixties decor, but wasn't sure.
Definitely did not go along with our 'hunting lodge' look I want!
posted on October 22, 2000 01:51:45 PM
I was thinking of this sort of thread earlier , and how HCQ should be our " In house " textile appraiser !
I swooped on some tablecloths at a storage warehouse sale yesterday , and am having trouble figuring if an oriental tablecloth is hand embroidered , hand finished , or what ?
I'm impressed with the experts here today .
I don't know how to put my image up on AW , I'm flummoxed by the url . I have my pics. in AW Image hosting .If I wanted to put one on the message board , what part of the url if I select the pic from Image hosting do I put between the [] ? If I copy the whole url from the AW page , will the whole darn page come up ? This is the aspect that drains the blood from my lips , like math anxiety .
(I need to list this stuff today or tomorrow to get it taken care of before I have surgery next month , they forwarded the date , which has thrown my listing plan to the dogs , and panic's setting in ! )It's either learn how to do it , or e-mail it to someone...any help would be so welcome , thanks.
posted on October 22, 2000 02:23:23 PMWAAHHH!! HCQ corrected me. She doesn't like me any more!
All you did, ab, was give me a chance to show off
I think you're close to, if not right on, the mark with the crepe/crepon idea - but crepe gets much of its texture from the twist of the yarn, and barkcloth (if we use equestrian's sample) gets most of its texture from the weave itself, although there's some fiber-thickness issues there too - (ahem) correct me if I'm wrong.
uglimouse, do this:
Go to Image Hosting.
Find your pic.
Click on the underlined link juuuust to the right of the thumbnail of your pic, which'll bring up the full-sized pic.
"Copy" ALL of whatever appears in the "address" line up at the top of your screen, and "Paste" it here in your message. We'll do the rest.
Resident textile appraiser my eye. Whatever I know about textiles pales in comparison with the truly frightening knowledge of the glass experts here. But keep the flattery coming
posted on October 22, 2000 03:13:22 PM
Thank you so much HCQ. Sorry to keep you waiting . I was taking pics of the
other cloths. I have about 3 pics. I'll send them one by one . The first is a front detail of the embroidery , next will be reverse detail , then the whole huge cloth ( 79 x 65 inches. )
posted on October 22, 2000 03:35:22 PM
Hi HCQ ,
I've tried to send 2 more urls , but I saved them in my word processor , and when I paste them onto the "post reply " page for this thread , the whole thing (page) disappears ! I guess I'll send them without saving them . Sorry it's causing you grief , thanks for trying . Meanwhile , I'll try and get the other 2 pic. urls.
posted on October 22, 2000 03:44:29 PM
Hi uglimouse
1. Click on the Image Hosting link in Auction Manager
2. Select the image you want the URL for and in the Action panel click go (the default is already set to attach the image).
3. A larger image will appear - follow the prompt to the next page.
4. A box of HTML will appear - you need the first URL which will be something like
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bin/imageserver.x/000db5a1/uglimouse/yourimage.jpg
Then just cut the url and paste it to your post and insert [*img] at the beginning and [*/img] at the end (deleting the asterisks) to activate the image.
Hope this helps
Michelle
*edited for UBB
[ edited by MichelleG on Oct 22, 2000 03:45 PM ]
posted on October 22, 2000 03:52:56 PM
Thanks Michelle , but at the risk of displaying yet further ignorance , how do I display a little red X ? (re your post.)
Anyway , I'll try what you said , and hope the reply page doesn't disappear when I click paste ! How everyone does this with such ease beats me !
posted on October 22, 2000 04:21:23 PM
I'm so excited ! Thank you thank you Michelle ; and HCQ for getting my butt off the ground to start with , here's another pic.
The whole tablecloth , 79 x 65 inches , is in side panels around a large center panel .
posted on October 22, 2000 05:17:21 PM
My guess is it's probably a lightweight linen (a/k/a "lawn", is Chinese, and probably dates from the first 1/3 of the 20th century, maybe a little later. I've never seen one as big as you say this one is; all I've found are for card tables, come with little bridge-luncheon napkins, and invariably have wear holes right where the tablecloth would hit the corner of the table. What I find charming about yours is the rather startling incongruity of this very Asian tower rising above what appears to be something like an English country village complete with half-timbered houses and picket fence Looks to me like all hand work. Mind-boggling.
Sometimes this stuff sells real well, sometimes you can get it for nothing. Like ebay in general, "it depends" - but I'd guess you could get at least $20 for it on a bad day. I'd take a good look at what other vintage linens are going for before deciding on an opening bid, however.
[ edited by MichelleG on Oct 22, 2000 03:45 PM ]
