Thursday, November 19, 2009

Blenback Oilcloth Shelf Edging with Strawberries


This is 1940s-1950s Blenback oilcloth shelf lining with an edge that you fold over. I bought a bolt of it on eBay thinking I'd use what I wanted and then sell the rest at LulusDressShop.com, but it's very brittle, and I'm afraid my buyers would be disappointed.

2 comments:

Catherine said...

Well, I just love it. Oilcloth was a big part of a kids life when I was young. Aprons for arts and crafts from 1st to 3rd grade and tablecloths at home. I miss it for sure.

Your pictures are very nice. Really shows the print well.

Carol Reese said...

My great grandmother used to make baby blocks for an orphanage from oilcloth. She cut squares, and then stitched then together with a cross stitch using crochet thread. They were stuffed with cotton. I remember making these with her. (She passed away when I was 10.) I found this site that may give you some info on restoring this edging to a less brittle state.

http://www.cwreenactors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15104

Apparently Civil War reenactors use oilcloth a lot.

And here's info on a research project, sounds like a master's thesis sort of thing. Although it's not complete,it may lead you to better information.

http://www.icn.nl/en/bibliotheek/afstuderen-2009/eng-textiel-2009-ravels