Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Oilcloth/Oilskin

Recently I've been on a quest for oilcloth. Not the vinyl-coated colorful stuff used as table cloths, but canvas infused with linseed oil and wax. Funny, it's very easy to find clothing but not plain yardage. I told a friend of mine who used to be a fabric designer and she just rolled her eyes and groaned - it's a bit of a scavenger hunt.
This is what I've found out:
- you get better search results with the term "oilskin"
- you will delve into the world of civil war re-enactors, pirates, and renaissance faires
- the British version is called "thornproof"
- you can expect to pay between $14-17 a yard for 52"-60" fabric

Here are some links to purchase:

Tentsmiths - one color, dark brown, 6 oz. Very nice people. I'm waiting for a sample, they answered my email immediately.
Period Fabric - three yard minimum, doesn't say what weight, dark green and brown
The Scarlet Scarab - lots of colors, both 6 and 12 oz weights
Panther Primitives - They have a lot of great stuff, very fun
In Britain Croft Mill - ex Barbour waxed cotton, very nice, great price, unless you want to ship it to the States, then the cost multiplies at least 5 times.

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