If you love the look of vintage-inspired fabrics then you’ll absolutely love Barkcloth fabric. Barkcloth isn’t an incredibly popular fabric, but once you discover it, you’ll be wanting to include it in just about every sewing project you have.
There are a few different types of barkcloth including atomic barkcloth, mid-century, Hawaiian barkcloth, and a variety of other barkcloths. What type of barkcloth is best depends solely on your style and preference.
Before we dive into the best barkcloths, it’s best to learn a little bit more about barkcloth and what it actually is.
Barkcloth is a very versatile fabric that is most commonly used in Asia and the South Pacific. It’s made from a specific type of tree that’s found in the South Pacific region which is how it acquired the name.
To produce barkcloth, the bark of the tree is soaked and beaten into thin sheets or the fabric. It was originally turned into a paper-like fabric that was used for paintings, but today, it’s updated into almost a cotton fabric by very densely weaving it.
Since it’s similar to cotton, it’s very easy to sew on your sewing machine and although it’s different from the traditional barkcloth, it still gives off that same barkcloth feeling.
Barkcloth is commonly used in home decors such as curtains, cushions, and upholstery. Since it’s very densely woven, it’s extremely durable and with its unique designs, people all over the world have loved incorporating barkcloth throughout their home.
You also can’t go wrong with using barkcloth for making various accessories. Since it comes in so many different vibrant and bright designs, it can take your sewing projects to the next level with hardly doing any additional work. That being said, because of its weight and rough texture, it’s not the most desirable fabric to use when making lightweight clothing. If you’re looking to make thicker skirts and dresses for winter, barkcloth works wonders.
Every day it seems that vintage barkcloth is getting more popular. The vintage barkcloth has been used in Uganda for many centuries to make clothing and still to this day, it’s used to make clothing for special events like weddings and funerals.
Vintage barkcloth is taking another form as well as being a trendy upholstery fabric as well.
Luckily with how popular barkcloth has gotten the last few years, there’s a lot of fabric to choose from. With all different colors and patterns, you’re sure to find some barkcloth that you absolutely love.
Check out some of our favorite barkcloth here.
