I would like to purchase a bolt or two of fabric to make the white "flour sack" style dish towels, but have not been able to figure out what kind of fabric that would be. I've read where some people use muslin (super thin) and others use canvas (very thick), but there must be something else, as flour sack towels are still sold. Suggestions would be very appreciated.
Thank you!Deanna
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15982Just recieved my latest issue of Nancy's Notions catalog. On page -26 Flour sacks are for sale. FST36 (has 4 to a pkg). for 411.99-FST24 has 7 to pkg.@$17.99Also on page 27 you'll find toweling sold by the yard. MF80(multi stripe color)$4.99 yd Mf83 Green Stripe MF82 is Red & Blue stripe fabric. This is a great bargain and the toweling is very nice quality. Two Yds will yield 2 towels.
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15982There are different grades of muslin and huck toweling.If you look at bolts of muslin look then feel texture. The wider bolts(108) are very nice and make beautiful dish towels. Huck toweling look for the stronger thicker weight. Huck is usually finished on 2 edges so you just cut to length desired. If you go to a quilt shop(not JoAnnes' or Hancock's)you can find the white kitchen towel fabric with colored edges.. This is sold by yd and makes a wonderful long lasting towel but is a little more expensive.
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15982Here is my thought, do you remember those towels they used in restrooms, on the wall, where you pulled them down. I used to have them at my resort. When they started with the paper towel holders, I asked my towel provider if I could buy a roll of towels from him. He sold me one. They have a finished edge on both sides, so I sewed two together overlapping the finished edge in the middle, then finished the raw edge bottom and top. If you are around a place that use to put towels in restrooms, they may have them laying around (I don't know as this was years ago.) I still use mine and they are heavy. They may be stained some, so I don't know if you could sell them. but they would work for personal use. Just a thought. Sandy
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by justonlyme
19 May 2014
Funny that you should mention that. I was looking yesterday at some of the old towel machines that used to use those. Apparently those are from bygone days. I was thinking that if I could find a roll of that toweling, it would work very well. But it isn't sold anymore for that purpose. Not that I can find anyway.
by Leaha
19 May 2014
These towels/fabric is the huck toweling that I mentioned below. It is sold in fabric stores or can be ordered on line. i bought a supply years ago and dyed it into different colors, I like it for drying things.
by lilylady
20 May 2014
As many machines as there were, you would think in some warehouse is a pile of rolled towels, just waiting for us!
41781Like Bev suggested on the ebay link, I saw on sew forum some time ago where some were using the huck toweling purchased at JoAnns. You might search there for huck kitchen towel and see if other links are provided. I am needing to do some kitchen towels myself so I was searching yesterday. lol!
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by justonlyme
20 May 2014
It must be that time of year. :) Thank you for the suggestion of JoAnns. I have been looking at Fabric.com, but can only see the texture, but not feel it.
23282It is interesting to read descriptions of fabrics from around the world. Here in England, muslin is a loosely woven cotton fabric, very thin and almost transparent. It is traditionally used for straining in butter and cheese making and as reusable babies nappy liners. It certainly wouldn't be good for tea towels!
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by sewilso
19 May 2014
Your muslin sounds similar to our cheesecloth, at least that's what I am thinking. Do you have cheesecloth there?
by spendlove
19 May 2014
We do have cheesecloth but it is a crinkly textured fabric - very popular for clothing in the 70's.
by gerryb
19 May 2014
I think here that crinkly textured fabric for summer clothing was called seersucker? Gauze is thin, filmy fabric somewhat like lawn. I'm with sue, love to see what folks call different fabrics, etc!! Learn a lot on cute!
by justonlyme
20 May 2014
Very interesting indeed! I'm accustomed to muslin being a fairly tightly woven fabric but very thin, and the crinkly stuff here is called seersucker. And then there is cheesecloth, which reminds me of gauze bandages.
by sewilso
20 May 2014
Yes I have seersucker too. lol! I can think of a wrinkly kind of what Sue is saying though. I have a piece of it, may have to take a photo of it later.
by spendlove
20 May 2014
The crinkles in cheese cloth can be ironed out. Seersucker is more crinkly and the fabric is treated chemically so it can't be ironed flat.
140717buy it by the yard on ebay
www.ebay.com
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by justonlyme
18 May 2014
I may order a sample to see what I think. I don't think that is what we would think of as flour sack material, but it might actually work. Thank you.
by hightechgrammy
19 May 2014
I have wanted to buy some nice absorbent cotton by the yard too, to use for towels. The closest I have come to finding what I want is to buy 100% cotton bedspreads with low texture and cut them apart. They shrink a lot, but washing them first makes them really nice and thick.
by justonlyme
19 May 2014
Well, that is an idea that I has not crossed my mind! Great thinking out of the box. I'll have to change my way of thinking while browsing in the variety stores.
67271The 'flour sack' ole timey tea towels are a really good grade of 100% cotton. I buy the towels in bundles and have never seen that particular labeling on yardage, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I do know that the ones labeled and sold in some of the chain stores, aren't worth wasting your money on. They put so much sizing in them they feel great, but wash them 1 time and they are not good for embroidery. My experience only. Hope this gives you a place to start. If you have a Sam's Club handy they carry the actual towels for you to touch and see.
I don't know how to make this so you just click and it will take you to the site...you will have to copy and paste this:
http://www.onlinefabricstore.net...go to their search bar and type in toweling fabric. This shows, white and natural waffle cloth by the yard; as well as huck toweling.
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by justonlyme
18 May 2014
I have an industrial sized roll of the waffle cloth. It doesn't dry worth beans. I have a couple of the flour sack towels from my mom, and they have stood the test of time. I wanted some more; plus some to embroider to include in my fall bazaar line. I may look in to huck toweling, and will get a small sample before buying in bulk. Thank you.
35301Flour sack cloth is made differently from regular cloth on a bolt. They begin the process and hem two or all four sides of a certain size cloth. Then the rest of the process is finished to make the towel soft and absorbent as well as strong. It is 100% cotton fabric -- but the process is very different from Muslin or canvas.
There are places that still use flour sack to bag flour. They are a rare find though.
You might try diaper cloth. It is not cheap but it is high quality. I have purchased some at Hancock's Fabrics. I am sure other stores will carry it as well.
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by rescuer
18 May 2014
I do not know if the diaper cloth would have a lot of lint. That would be something to test.
by justonlyme
18 May 2014
I was thinking about diaper fabric too, but wondered about the lint. My kids grew up in cloth diapers, and there was lots of lint.
Bummer that I cannot find the material by the yard. I know it is hemmed, but figured that it came off a roll at some point. Thank you.
by sewilso
19 May 2014
Being within 50 miles of two amish communities, they sell birdseye diaper cloth, within two amish communities there are differences between the two fabric stores I have been to in quality and thread counts. It came on humongous rolls probably 60 inches wide or larger, the sides were woven, so not ravely or hemmed, you just cut size you need and hem. I had used my fabric for burp cloths.
by sewilso
19 May 2014
There wasn't much lint in the birdseye fabric I had purchased, it was very nice.
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