Handwoven Hemp-Cotton Yardage

Description

This handwoven-hemp-cotton-yardage fabric is handwoven in rural Romanian villages from locally grown, processed and spun hemp. The fabric is vintage and no longer being produced. The towels are a sturdy plain weave in a hemp cotton blend. These towels are wonderful for the bath or kitchen and grow softer with use. They are also great for dyeing, printing or painting with natural dyes.

Sold in one yard increments. The fabric is 14-16 inches wide.

Hemp is the ancient “new” wonder fiber and this is a huge win to create a more sustainable fiber source. It is among the first agricultural crops. Traces of it have been found and dated to 8000 BCE in China and Taiwan. The plant uses minimal water, is pest-resistant, and fast-growing. It is a nitrogen-fixing plant with a deep tap root that helps enrich and condition the soil. At harvest time, hemp stalks are cut, bundled and dried. They remove the tough outer cortex through a natural process called retting to break down the outside of the stalk. Finally, the fine inner fibers are collected, scoured, washed and sun bleached, and then spun into yarn.

Hemp possesses great strength, softness and durability while its weight and drape are similar to linen and the fabric softens with age and use. Of course, it dyes beautifully. Our handwoven hemp-cotton yardage is handwoven in rural Romanian villages from locally grown, processed and spun hemp. This fabric is vintage, woven between 50 and 80 years ago and may show the its age. The fabric may contain storage and dye or soil marks, weaving irregularities, minor abrasion or holes and other indicators of a handwoven rurally made textile. Weaving patterns and fiber content will vary from roll to roll of the fabric.

Check out our hemp towels!