FIRST ROW
• 1 This old photo comes from Oilcloth International, the largest oilcloth importer in the country (owned and operated by women). It's fun to flip through the swatches on their site.
• 2 Martha has tons of oilcloth projects online, but these are our two favorites. The oilcloth pocket board could be great in a kitchen or home office as a family message center; and the oilcloth coasters are an easy way to use up scraps (plus they'd be beautiful for a bridal or baby shower).
• 3 One of the amazing properties of oilcloth is that the edges won't fray, so you can make simple crafts without sewing. These placemats from Make Grow Gather were cut out with pinking shears.
• 4 You can apply the same principle to an easy tablecloth—no need to hem! This one comes from Twig & Thistle. We like to use oilcloth under a self-service bar at a party, too, to minimize sticky spills.
• 5 For a slightly more involved project, try making oilcloth outdoor pillows. These examples come from Lama Designs, but here are some instructions for making your own from Associated Content.
SECOND ROW
• 6 Use oilcloth to line drawers or shelves in the kitchen or bathroom, where spills are inevitable. This example comes from A Little Busy.
• 7 For a pop of color in a casual room, what about stretching oilcloth over frames and hanging them as wall art? We like this idea with any fabric you’re fond of, but oilcloth is a great seasonal choice for spring and summer.
• 8 Craftstylish has a great idea for making an origami-inspired oilcloth collapsible pet dish for traveling. Great to have in the car, in case your doggie needs water after a hike!
Mendel's is our favorite oilcloth source, and if you're not in SF, you can buy from them online! The etsy shop Oilcloth Addict also has a great selection.
Got any other oilcloth ideas you'd like to share?
Photo of oilcloth frames: Flickr member kristykay22, licensed under Creative Commons.
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Thanks for showing these! Something about showing off oilcloth really makes it feel like spring!
http://www.carinagardner.com
I have a trip into SF planned for next Thursday already...will be stopping there!
http://embritadesign.blogspot.com
I cut oil cloth to fit over the top of my side by side washer and dryer. Not only is it bright and cheery, but it is easy to keep clean, making it a breeze to sort and fold laundry on.
I love oilcloth, but my husband hates it.
I have a big piece formerly used as a tablecloth. I tried to talk him into covering the shelves of a closet where we keep all our tools with it (an idea stolen from www.chezlarsson.com) but even that was a no-no.
We are now working on setting up new shelving-units in the garage, to make place for our patio-furniture next winter. I will use the oilcloth to cover that furniture while in storage. Same for a bigger piece of furniture he can't part with, which will be stored in the garage as well. I will make a cover for that too...
Plus, I will use it to make a cover for the sewing machine.
I was thinking, so keep the fridge top easy to clean (who the hell thought of making fridges in that bumpy freakin' texture???), I was going to go get a piece of oil cloth to cover it. Use double sided tape to keep it in place. I will probably get some for the cabinets now, too.
Well, this Depression reminds me of the earlier one when I was a child. Every September, getting ready for school meant paying a visit to the local "stationery or general" store where I decided on this year's color scheme and selected a yard or two of oilcloth, which my mother and I cut to cover my school books. Its smell still lingers in my memory. Oilcloth was used for table cloths, as well. It was durable, washable, and brightly colored, and added style to a rather somber time.
ShirleyB
I have halloween themed oil cloth table cover!
Oilcloth = Vinyl = Environmentally bad.
As another comment mentions, oilcloth is made from vinyl which contains phthalates. There is some evidence of health concerns with phthalates.
I just wanted to remind/caution folks that oilcloth may not be appropriate for use by children.
From the mendels website (http://www.mendels.com/fabrics10.shtml; Accessed 3/23/2009):
"Can I sell stuff that I make out of oilcloth?
There is no lead in the oilcloth, but the levels of Phthalates are too high to comply with the new standards for items which are going to be sold and are intended to be used by children under 12 years old. So you can still make and sell bags and other things created with oilcloth but items like bibs and splat-mats cannot be sold. "
Covering the top of the fridge is a great idea! I'm going to use powerful magnets at the corners instead of double-sided tape.