Burlap Fabric

Burlap, or Hessian as it’s known in the UK, Australia and parts of Europe, or Crocus in Jamaica, is a fabric constructed from natural materials such as sisal or jute. The thick and heavy fibres are excellent for constructing heavy duty sacks and bags for storing coffee, flour and foods such as potatoes and nuts, providing durability, resistance to wear and tear during transport and preventing moisture ingress while maintaining consistent conditions to preserve the contents during long periods of storage. First used in India hundreds of years ago to make rope and basic building or clothing materials with canvas-like properties, it was brought to popularity when English colonialists imported jute plants from India to Scotland at the end of the 18th century, where it was milled, spun into yarn and woven together to create a perfunctory, sturdy fabric which can be used for curtains, aprons, shopping bags, lamp shades, upholstering for chairs and sofas, or as screens, room dividers, baskets and a multitude of domestic items such as dining placemats. Burlap can even be used as wall paper and as pots for young plants as they are able to hold soil and water, while expanding to accommodate their growing roots. It can be dyed and woven into an array of finishing patterns, while being water tight and low maintenance. Its strength and flexibility mean it can be used to create durable fabrics with limited movement or differentiation under stress. It can also be bound or braided for use on sandals, bags, hats and other fashion items, while the raw fibres can be used to make paper. This burlap texture has an attractive natural, pale, white-grey sandy wash with a tight, intense weave pattern. Burlap’s strong, durable characteristics and bright, airy, natural colouring make it popular for rugs and soft furniture coverings, although it can feel rather coarse, dry and irritating against skin. Burlap does however prove fairly resistant to spillages, stains, cleaning detergents and fluids when treated correctly. Overexposure to sunlight can cause some bleaching, meaning it shouldn’t be exposed to direct, sustained sunlight, requiring a gentle coated during the manufacturing process to prevent fading or bleaching. This burlap fabric is excellent for use in domestic, low traffic environments to create calm, relaxing, open feeling spaces, bringing a handcrafted, natural, biophilic touch to the rooms in which it is specified.