In the vast world of textiles, you’re likely to be overwhelmed with fiber contents and hundreds of different fabric types. At Weave It we are extremely passionate about fabric and understand that it can be a bit intimidating trying to find the right fabric for you.

To understand which fabric will meet your needs, you first need to really understand what canvas are. Canvas is a heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame. Duck is a type of canvas used smooth weave due to the higher tread count which makes it distinguishable from plain canvas. The word “canvas” has come to mean any type of durable, simply woven fabric made from natural fibers. Historically, canvas was cloth woven from hemp; the root of the name comes from the same place as the word “cannabis.” Modern canvas is usually made from linen or cotton. It is simply woven, as opposed to twill woven like denim.

Cotton and Linen

Linen is made from fibers of the flax plant, and maintains the natural oils of the flax plant after years of washing or years of being covered with paint. Linen is harder to work with than cotton–harder to size for clothing, and harder to stretch over a frame–but the finished product lasts longer. Cotton tends to dry out over the years and become either stiff of threadbare, depending on its environment. The great advantage of cotton over linen is that cotton is significantly cheaper.

Duck Canvas

Duck is the heaviest grade of cotton canvas. The name comes from the Dutch word for canvas: doek. It is typically made with twice as much fiber.

Art Canvas

Before painting on canvas became popular, artists painted on wood. The canvas is usually stretched over a wooden frame and prepared with a coating of glesso, which is a mixture of chalk and gypsum. This is to prevent the paint from getting to the canvas, which ultimately decreases the life of the canvas.

Here at Weave It we make it our mission to keep our clients informed and help them to choose the best material/textiles for the project they desire. Call us today for more information on the products you require.