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RIP Burlap.....

10/15/2015

6 Comments

 
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Let's have a few minutes of silence for the passing of an era.
RIP BURLAP, you've had a great run!


Okay it’s official.  Encompassing Designs is out of burlap and there will be no more. We will begin removing the pricing on the website and only list the linen patterns.  We do have quite a few designs on burlap hanging on the racks in the back room but once those are gone, well so long, good-bye, farewell, au revoir, ciao, adios and sayonara!

I might be one of the few that are saddened; I liked burlap and thought it had a bad rap.  Burlap today was nothing like grandma had to use, it was woven specifically for rug hooking so how bad could it be?  Sure it smelled, being sprayed with petroleum based product for longevity, and yes it shed fibers all over your work and clothes like dog and cat fur, it turned yellow in the light, couldn’t be washed and became brittle with time but I never worried about any of those things.  I’m not one to control things beyond the grave so I’m not concerned about rugs being passed down, after all we are all potentially forgotten in only two generations. If one of my rugs survive it will be just a mat on the floor, not hey, “Great Granny Christine made that for ya! “

I’ll miss it and I’ll let you in on a little secret, I stashed a few yards away for myself and no one will be able to pry it out of my cold dead hands so don’t ask me to share. Sorry, ownership should have a few perks and this is one of them.

I like that burlap rugs hold their shape.  When I finish hooking a project it is completely square or round, whatever it was supposed to be.  And it had a stiffness to it that made the rug feel solid.  I’m definitely an odd bird because I’m pretty much sitting on this fence alone.  I’ve met few that agree with me although I do know there are a few tears or sorrow out there.

I’m asked constantly why I can’t buy it anymore.  The supplier that sold it to me went out of business and never shared the source. I’ve tried to find out but to no avail. And quite frankly, if it did come from Scotland as I’ve been led to believe, the cost of shipping has tripled and exchanges are out to lunch, I’ll bet the price would have gone up to the point where it matches linen and quite frankly, the biggest draw going for it was  the price.   I hear there are burlaps in the states that are of equal quality but getting it shipped here is not only expensive for the freight, the exchange is about 35%. No one in their right mind would pay a linen price for burlap.  Even I would scoff at the suggestion and I like it.   Businesses can’t afford to have product on the shelf that they can’t sell.

So let’s respectfully bid farewell to a part of rug hooking history, at least at my shop. Truthfully, in the last few years, since teachers have promoted linen as the best backing and the younger generation hookers prefer comfort and softness to our old time suffering with a scratchy, rough and shedding backing, we sell very few patterns on burlap anyway. Like the hundreds of species going extinct every year, burlap might soon be on that list.      
6 Comments
Beth
10/15/2015 01:08:05 pm

I have to say, I don't sell it and I get pretty much zero request for it. I also don't like working with it, but then again, I don't like monk's cloth either and some people do. It is too bad that your supplier was so tight lipped with her source. I think that's ridiculous and that the only way we're going to keep this heritage craft alive is to share knowledge, but there are people who think that self interested secrecy is the better path, and it sounds like you've run in to one. Why would she care if she's gone out of business? I think our grandchildren will have fewer incidents like this, though: person walks in to my studio with an antique or vintage burlap based rug falling to pieces and says, "Can you fix it?" upset emoticon If linen can prevent that for future generations, I'm all in.

Reply
Shelley
10/15/2015 01:08:29 pm

This is sad to hear....too bad!

Reply
Colette
10/15/2015 01:27:46 pm

I will miss the burlap as well, it was my preferred backing....guess I'll have to get used to that stretchy linen...sigh

Reply
Linda
10/15/2015 02:01:50 pm

As a fairly new hooker' I used burlap a lot , I don't mind the shedding , liked how it keeps it shape, I even like the rustic' smell I will miss it .

Reply
Joan Foster
10/15/2015 06:41:30 pm

Personally I will miss Scottish burlap as I have been using it and selling patterns on it for several years. I have tried monk's cloth and rug warp and don't really like either as they stretch so I guess the time has come to make the switch to linen!

Reply
Margaret
10/17/2015 02:11:13 pm

I'm with Joan and Linda and Colette on this one. I like the smell too. Fortunately, I have several patterns on burlap to hook, and managed to find some to buy before it became extinct so will be able to put my own patterns on burlap. Christine, I too don't care that linen lasts longer If I am not going to be around in 50 years or so, what difference should it make to me? I have tried to find out wht happened to your supplier too, knowing who they were and they seem to have been beamed up or something...simply disappeared!

Reply



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