The Savannah College of Art and Design Loves Oilcloth!

In the latest issue of Interview, the magazine features a collection of John Galliano's favorite fashions by the class of 2008 from the Savannah College of Art and Design. The article features two beautiful outfits made with oilcloth!  SCAD designer Jessica Ostermann uses our Figs Green print for a skirt as well as the Hibiscus Tan for a coat. Galliano states "I defy you to find more variety, innovation, and imagination."

Creating A Delicious Future

We just received a copy of the "Creating A Delicious Future" 2009 calendar. The photographs are shot by Andrea Fazzari and the organization has ties to Anolon, a new campaign "dedicated to bringing back the simple art of eating delicious food prepared at home using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients." The final page of the calendar features a beautiful photo with some of our most favorite oilcloth prints. Can you spot the Gingham Green, Pears and Apples Red and Citrus Blue tablecloths?

Which Came First?

We were skimming through the latest Urban Outfitters catalogue when we came across this image. This flannel shirt is so close to one of our latest prints! Check out our Glen Plaid Yellow and help us figure out which came first, Glen Plaid Yellow or the male model wearing it?!

Product of the Month

Check out NapaStyle.com to learn more about our favorite product of the month! These Flipside Chalkcloth Runners & Placemats are great for any Holiday get together! NapaStyle says they're "Perfect for casual buffets and wine-tasting parties, these vinyl chalk and oilcloth runners and mats can be chalk-labeled on their black sides. Label holiday foods, wines, cheeses, placeholders for guests; you can even use them at kids’ parties for doodling."

Oilcloth Warehouse Sale: Saturday, Nov. 22!

Oilcloth International's

Bi-Annual Warehouse Sale

Plenty of seconds-totes, lunch bags, bibs, smocks, aprons...all that good stuff, IRREGULARS, ROLLS OF OLDIES for $10-$15 per roll!

Tablecloths by the pound!

Garvanza Home cotton utility fabric by the roll!

Best selection early, not open before 9 AM though!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd!

From 9AM-2PM

(Always the weekend before the 4th of July and Thanksgiving!)

Plenty of parking! Wear a hat, drink your water!

134 N. Avenue 61, Unit 101

L.A., C.A. 90042

Los Angeles-Highland Park-Old Garvanza

RETAIL@OILCLOTH.COM FOR MORE INFO

"A New Oilcloth Makes the Whole Family Happy"

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco

After a great road trip up North, from Los Angeles to San Francisco we've come back with a new obsession! The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco is one of the absolute best farmers markets we've ever been to! Not only does the farmers market offer everything from beautiful flowers, organic produce, gourmet mushrooms of every variety, fresh bread, goat milk yogurt (mmm...) but they're also big fans of oilcloth! It is great to see so many vendors using oilcloth in their stands as well as seeing San Franciscans out and about enjoying their morning with oilcloth in the background! The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a California Certified Farmers Market operated by CUESA. Since 1993 they've been running 2 markets per week, one on Tuesday from 10 AM-2PM and one on Saturday from 8AM-2PM! Click here for more information about The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

People We Like

Auntie Em's is a great restaurant located in Eagle Rock, CA. These guys have been serving up yummy salads and sandwiches, as well as giant red velvet cupcakes, for years! They've also got a marketplace located right next door where they carry an assortment of oilcloth products. 

Sew Simple: Sew Your Own Lunch Bag

Check out Sew Simple, a great magazine about basic skills for successful sewing. Volume three features a really easy guide to sew your very own lunch bag. The article features our Bloom blue print.

Product of the Month

Now that it's officially fall we here at Oilcloth International would like to introduce one of our favorite, best selling products, Chalkcloth (TM)!

Chalkcloth (TM) is a unique product; it can literally be used as a traveling chalkboard! Our "Take & Go Play Mat" is great for kids to play with and on the go fun! It's simple to clean and a great product for back to school. Many companies all over the United States even use Chalkcloth (TM) as a simple reusable means of advertising. You can even use Oilcloth (TM) inside your home or office. This material is lightweight and easy to experiment with for different projects! Take a look at these great photos some of our customers have sent us!

McCall's Crafts

McCall's Patterns has just come out with some great new craft ideas! McCall's has created a cute pattern that works great when made with oilcloth. This little Scottie is wearing a jacket made from our polka dot red ground print. Check out McCall's Pattern website and enter the pattern number: M5776 to learn more about how to make one for your dog. Make sure to send us a photo!

I See Spot

Even if you're not a dog owner you can appreciate just how cute these doggie raincoats are! The people at I See Spot created these darling raincoats made of oilcloth. I See Spot offers an assortment of "fashion statements for dogs", look for them at your local speciality pet boutiques or visit them online at I See Spot .

Simply Sublime

Check out Jodi Kahn's new book Simply Sublime Bags. Learn how to create 30 no-sew, low-sew projects. Her book features a great bag made with oilcloth. Click here to purchase your own copy of Simply Sublime Bags

Historical Images of Oilcloth

Sears, Roebuck and Co. advertised oilcloth as "dainty and durable," a product that "women everywhere are learning to appreciate."

Isaac Oliver's portrait of Robert Sackville, the third Earl of Dorset, serves as an image of Elizabethan fashion as well as oilcloth in its earliest stages.

The History of Oilcloth

Although not much research has been done on the subject of oilcloth, we here at Oilcloth International wanted to clue you in on some interesting facts we've put together. Hopefully someday one of you all will write your dissertation all about oilcloth!


Oilcloth became popular in the 18th century during which it was used as an inexpensive floor and roof covering. The fabric was produced by stretching a linen cloth with a four-sided vertical frame. In order to keep the cloth from becoming brittle and breaking the fabric was coated with a sizing solution and rubbed smooth with a pumice block. Finally the cloth was coated with a mixture of linseed oil and paint pigment.



Although the production of floorcloths originated in England, American artisans soon began manufacturing their own. "Homeowners or professional itinerant sign-painters applied the designs...with a ruler and a compass or with a stencil...these practical, easily refurbished floor coverings increased in popularity in their own rights throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It evolved into oilcloth." (Garvan)


The original techniques of manufacturing oilcloth have become rare and commercially obsolete with the introduction of non-cracking plastics and rotogravure printing process. Nowadays, oilcloth is a printed vinyl bonded and supported with a woven cotton mesh. Many people fondly remember the printed vinyl cloth. Oilcloth has existed in the homes of many people, which is why oilcloth may remind us of fond memories spent with friends and family in the kitchen or dining room where oilcloth's presence is most common. When one thinks of oilcloth they recall the bright colors and lively prints of fruits and florals that have become increasingly popular over the years.

1) Garvan, Beatrice B. Underfoot in America. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania, 1977.