Friday 15 June 2012

SACKCLOTH WITHOUT THE ASHES

  For a fresh new look in your living room - sackcloth is hard-wearing and washable and the basic cost of the material is not too high - you can find sacks at about £45 each and two will do a small chair - 3 needed for something with big arms and even more if you want cushions!    I sell a great many myself (these are Hungarian from another supplier but illustrate a few uses for them; my chairs are a bit cheaper and I use the rather superior Ukrainian sackcloth)  I would not recommend using it for an armchair that is in daily use - some of  the Hungarian sacks are a bit too loosely woven and will sag and stretch, and the very light colour will soon show grubby arms and backs, unless you are very careful or use arm caps and head rest covers.  You can freshen them up with a sponge dipped in warm water with a bit of oxygen powder like Vanish  or with diluted  ammonia, but this is only partly satisfactory.  The really good thing about this stuff is that it is thick and heavy for good wearing qualities and the blonde shades and muted coloured stripes go very well with antique furnishings as well as contemporary schemes and the so called mid-century modern look, (which is nothing more exciting than 50s and 60s stuff!).  The Ukrainian sackcloth which is usually hemp rather than linen, is ideal for occasional soft furnishing, upholstered dining chairs and drop-in seats, stools, and plenty of firm, sober cushions where the attraction is the nubbly texture, the light porage shade of the main part, and the soft, natural dyes of the stripes.  I find the bright reds and blues of the Hungarian sacks a bit loud and they do not blend so well with old fabrics and polished furniture!

4 comments:

  1. You are a fountain of knowledge and I have a voracious thirst for it. TFS.

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  2. Thank you Juanita for your constant and continuing interest - a great encouragement for me, just a keen amateur. The more comments the better for me to try and passon the sort of stuff that may be useful as you develop your own interests and acquisitions. Good luck!

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  3. I was intrigued by these sack cloths and when I spotted a heavy textured length in a Portobello Road shop, I snapped it up.It was hemp with a beautiful herringbone weave . Cut in two,ends finished with wide bands of linen,I now have two perfect runners to go on my cream bedroom carpet.

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  4. Well done Yvette - glad you were inspired to cut up one of these interesting sacks and make something original and useful with a little bit of work and ingenuity!
    In France I sometimes see whole stands of furnishings made up with the sacks, cushions, bed ends, bags, aprons chair seats table runners, mats and much more! What will the next fashion be? Regards Elizabeth.

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