My grandnother's Closet Doors

18 years ago

My granparents started building a home in the 1940's, just before the war and a shortage of building materials. The 24' x 24' building that was going to be the garage instead became a small house with 2 bedrooms, one living/dining/kitchen room, and the bigest bathroom ever: the whole basement (toilet in one corner, shower dead center, no curtain, kinda chilly in the winter).

The bedrooms had a double wall between them, creating closet space, with a door opening in each room. I thought is was so neat to be able to enter from one room, crawl through all the stuff and come out in the other room. Only a grandma would let you do this.

There were no wood hinged doors. Grandma had curtains for the doors. These were what she called monk's cloth. Heavy big weave cream color cotton woven with an Indian type parttern in greens and reds and blues.

Today I started cleaning the living room and decided I needed to brighten things up and protect the cat's favorite chair from hair. Wanted something I could whip off when we had company so our guests wouldn't go home with a cat fur covered hind end. So up to tha attic I went. I used Grandma's closet doors to cover the chair. Then I decided to google monk's cloth.

I found out that the material is the monk's cloth and that grandma had done what is known as huck embroidery or Swedish weaving. I thought she had bought this materal ready made. I should have known better, as I have her quilts and crotcheted table clothes and she made all her own clothes and always made seasonal slip covers for her furnature.

This is suppose to be easy needle work, something that even I could do, as it is large enough stiches that poor eyesight will not be a problem. It is used mainly for decorating hand towels and table runners. Patterns can be purchased on line. I want to make pillow covers and curtains. Which will probably not happen as I have never liked doing needlework, preferring to be in the kitchen or in the garden. But needlework has no calories, and can be done sitting down and I am still trying to stay off my feet because of that @** plantars f. stuff. Sounds like I might have a winter project.

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Comments (5)

meldy_nva
18 years ago
Goodness -- you just caused a time warp mentioning monk's cloth! I haven't thought about that for years and years. I can remember having summer dresses made from it [yes, with lots of embroidery] and used it to make DD's pinafores when she was a toddler. That stuff wears like iron, lol.

I would imagine you would enjoy the weaving part. Just start with something small, like a hand towel, so that you can get a feel for it. I did a lot of cross stitch on hucking, so I know it's suitable if you do charted patterns.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swedish weaving.
Josh
18 years ago
What a lovely story. Tibs, Monk's cloth was popular in the 50's and 60's for table covers and chair throws, even drapes, because it was inexpensive but sturdy and came in 72" widths. I remember using crewel embroidery stitches on paisley patterns for a table cover and big floor cushions. You could "wing it" with a big assortment of thread colors and stitches and didn't have to count stitches or be exact...(not my forte). If you made a berry or petal a little larger/smaller it didn't really matter...LOL Fun memories. And I've got a big stock of crewel yarn...hum-m-m-m josh
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calliope
18 years ago
I am familiar with Swedish weaving, but have never attempted it myself. I love its look and have a few tea towels given me by my mother, whose friend did it.

It was pretty popular decades ago, and all the examples of it I've ever seen were done on a material known as huck. It was the same stuff one saw in those big towel rollers in public toilets. LOL. When the roller towels were replaced by paper or forced air, huck cloth nearly vanished from the market. I went to one of the fabric chain stores and tried to get some cuts of it, but was told it would have to be ordered by the bolt. That's a couple hundred dollar proposition and God knows I don't need that many dish towels. LOL.

I am going to google monk cloth, perhaps it's the same thing? Surely similar if it were appropriate for Swedish weaving. I hope you give this craft a try. I love to see the old techniques preserved. My mother used to tat when a child and I am still finding old shuttles in her sewing baskets,tins and machine drawers.
Josh
18 years ago
Sorry, need to correct my posting: On checking the Monk's Cloth out online, unless there are different weaves for it, I think we used it for drapes and table covers (and even made little 6-7 inch cocktail napkins with fringed edges). It was as you described, Tibs. But the crewel work was done on linen...needed the more tightly woven sturdier fabric to hold the stitching tight.

Suzy, my sister had an antique store and used to buy old linens .. the tatting was sometimes so intricate. I've seen photos of course of the technique but never saw it done in real life. It's the type of skill that you wonder how in the world someone came up with the idea. I was blown away the first time I took up a simple crochet needle and a piece of yarn ...but tatting ...oh, my! josh
agnespuffin
17 years ago
I remember Monk's Cloth as a heavy material suitable for pillow covers and table runners, etc. I don't remember it in any color except a natural unbleached looking shade. I had a set of table mats. The big problem was that it shrunk like crazy and your average sized place mat would soon be useful only as a coaster under a glass of tea. It had to be shrunk before you could do anything with it.