Florida Bungalow on Etsy.com Has The Most Amazing Colorful 1950s Abstract and Floral Barkcloth Fabrics

BARKCLOTH NEWS: FABULOUS FABRICS 
AT FLORIDA BUNGALOW ON ETSY.COM

I somehow stumbled onto the site of Florida Bungalow on Etsy.com and my eyes popped out of my head. She has the most amazing barkcloth I have seen in quite awhile. One of these days I need to talk with her directly and hear all about how she finds these gems. Right now, drop everything and take a look: Here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/floridabungalow?ref=l2-shopheader-name


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café. To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com Dianne is a member of: The American Society of Journalists and Authors The Society of Professional Journalists

Naming Boards On Pinterest: Keep It Simple, Specific And Easy To Follow

How To "Pin" Point Your Posts On Pinterest

I am having a ball using the new social media site called Pinterest.com  At first I thought the name of the game was to create as many boards as possible, so I kept coming up with new versions of the same general idea. For example, I would have boards called "Vintage Barkcloth Gallery" or  "Retro Barkcloth" or "Barkcloth Galore" etc. These would be general categories that I would fill with all kinds of Barkcloth images. The trouble began when I started so many boards with similar names that I forgot where to put what.

Name You Pinterest Boards With Simple Titles
I discovered that having multiple boards on the same topic was driving me nuts. I wold forget what board I created. So now after several months of being on the site, I have gone back into my boards and streamlined them to be more specific.

How I Categorized My Vintage Barkcloth Pinterest Boards

 For example, I now have categorized my vintage Barkcloth boards according to types of patterns that you will find for these wonderful textiles  i.e. "Retro Barkcloth Leaves And Trees" or "Abstract Barkcloth Vintage". as well as boards dedicated to specific Barkcloth products i.e. "Barkcloth Handbags"  or :Barkcloth Pillows" .  

Super categorizing my boards now makes it easier for me   to add new "pins" (images) and for others to find unique items they are looking for. 

For more support and information on Pinterest.com visit the "Pinterest Connection" on my site I Antique Online.com

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café. To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com Dianne is a member of: The American Society of Journalists and Authors The Society of Professional Journalists

Retro Style - Re-Discovering Vintage Barkcloth Fabric

Barkcloth gets its name from a primitive fabric which is made from the fibers of tree bark found in tropical and subtropical countries. The outer bark is stripped from the tree and then the inner bark is separated with the outer bark. Next the inner bark is beaten with wooden beaters or steel tools on an anvil to spread the fibers. Often water and soaking may be introduced to soften the fibers. Larger cloths are made by layering and felting smaller pieces together during the beating phase. Sometimes a starchy glue-like substance derived from tropical plants is used to attach small pieces together. Primitive barkcloth was used for clothing and wall hangings.

Barkcloth made is way to France in the 1920's and was made using cotton mixed with rayon. Our introduction to barkcloth was the imported material from France known as cretonne, a woven cloth with a nubby texture. By the late 1930's barkcloth was being manufactured in America. During the colorful era (1940's-1950's) barkcloth, a generic term to describe nubby fabric with a bark-like texture dominated American households. From upholstered furnishings to window treatments barkcloth was favored because of its durability and dense weave. I have heard people claim that barkcloth is so strong that it is cat proof. ....I have my doubts.

Florals, country scenes, geometrics, abstracts, botanicals, landscapes, leaves and birds are all common designs found on barkcloth. Today there are many design houses reproducing barkcloth using older designs. When buying barkcloth be sure to ask if what you are buying is vintage or new. Atomic era barkcloth with geometric and abstract designs by noted artists in large quantities is very hard to find. If you discover a website that shows so much inventory that you think you have gone to heaven and back...beware...you are probably looking at a reproduction studio. Most times, you will find a yard or two here and there. It's not common to hit the jackpot anymore with these vintage textiles. Expect to pay $10.00-25.00 a yard for vintage barkcloth.

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.


To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com


Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.