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Vintage Bark Cloth Table Topper

Posted on November 29, 2009November 29, 2009 by Martha

One more present down — many more to go. Table toppers are so fun to make, and I think they’re especially pretty if you have some vintage decorator fabric scraps in your stash. These bark cloth pieces were left over from a round of tote bag sewing. Bark cloth is generally pretty expensive, but I try to find cutter or smallish pieces on ebay that are reasonably priced. Bunny will probably recognize this blue tropical — it’s the same fabric I used for her little bag. I was running out of the blue, so I had to piece the last 5 squares — I don’t think it’s too noticeable.

If you use old bark cloth in your patchwork, it’s important to examine the fabric for weak areas or tiny holes — the complex weave and patterns can sometimes disguise problem areas, and it’s such a drag to discover them when you are finishing a project. All of the fabrics are fairly heavy, so there was no need to add a batting. Because bark cloth is loosely woven, I machine quilted the topper on both sides of the seams to prevent raveling in the wash. I used blue thread in the bobbin because I did not want the stitching to show up too much on the backing — I knew it wouldn’t line up perfectly with lines in the plaid.

Bark Cloth Table Topper
Martha Dellasega Gray, 2009
machine pieced and quilted
42″ x 42″

Barkcloth-Topper-1

Barkcloth-Topper-2

5 thoughts on “Vintage Bark Cloth Table Topper”

  1. Amy says:
    November 29, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    Love the bark cloth! This is making me want to dig into the piece I bought at Urban Burp back in May.

    Reply
  2. kathie says:
    November 29, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    very pretty, what a great blue !
    love that you pieced a few of the blocks!
    Kathie

    Reply
  3. jan says:
    November 29, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    Very pretty! It almost looks like you could take it apart and re-arrange it into the original pattern! The blue is very pretty! I usually find bark cloth with tan backgrounds, which are not nearly as beautiful as the blue!

    Reply
  4. Ann says:
    November 29, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    That is VERY pretty – I love the rich colors! I never think to do things like change out the bobbin thread to match the back. That was a good idea. The topper will be very cheery on a table!
    🙂 Ann

    Reply
  5. Allie says:
    November 30, 2009 at 10:13 am

    That’s beautiful! I love bark cloth – I have some old curtains that I use for my closet instead of doors. And I picked up a hand-made quilt at a thrift shop that has some in it. I love the blues in your table topper!

    Reply

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