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A Brief History of Table Cloths & the American Textile Industry (Part 2)

 

1930’s Depression:   

Thrift was forced upon Americans overnight in the 30’s. In cost saving and survival mode women began sewing and cooking more. Department stores and mail order catalogues began offering cloth and patterns to make your own kitchen tablecloths and aprons. Even feed sacks began being printed in bright colors and recycled into tablecloths, aprons and other kitchen items. Almost in protest to the depressing economics of the time the depression era fabrics were dominated by powerful colors and prints. These prints were deeply colored and large in exaggerated designs. Tropical themes were prevalent in a quest to lift people mentally from their struggles. No longer did etiquette dictate the use of the plain white damask or lace tablecloths.

World War II and Beyond:     

Another fabric and dye shortage impacted the tablecloth industry when WWII began in the 1940‘s. Poor quality cloths and non-colorfast dyes were the only things available. Out of necessity new inventions in the printing process created new roller printed cloths. Early 1940s tablecloths can be identified because of their one-dimensional or flat design. This look was prevalent until about 1948. By the end of the war the bold and whimsical prints were back and Mexican and cartoon prints were popularized.

Now that we had made it through another World War and the century was entering into its latter half many factors influenced table linens. Designers like Charles and Ray Eames began designing furniture and home elements based on new open floor plan architecture. The 1950’s was a prosperous time for American textiles. With the coming of the space age kitchen textile designs included bold geometric or abstract free formed shapes and textures. Home also became a palette for fun and “kitsch,” items. Kitsch is known for its over the top flamboyancy with fun patterns and bold prints.

Today:      

Today everything goes. We pay homage to our ancestors with crisp vintage linens and we even enjoy the plastic easy to wipe cloths of the 1960’s. For our custom made tables however the Amish have made it possible to find custom made table pads, cloths and covers in dozens of patterns and textures in easy to care for polyester. These custom table cloths are customized to fit any length or shape of table. A 9″ drape allows for a decorator’s touch to any dining room. Modern cleaning instructions are simple with no worries about dye loss or cloth deterioration. Simply machine wash in warm water and then tumble dry on low. By removing promptly the large cloths are less prone to wrinkles but if there are any, or for a crisper look, use a steam iron on low settings.

Tags: american textile industry, amish table cloths, custom table cloths, history of table cloths, history of textiles, table cloths, table covers, TABLES

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 1:09 am and is filed under Custom Dining Room Table Pads, Linens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.