Fabrics should be in stock by the end of October 2023. Available stock will be offered to our subscribers first. Sign up to the mailing list here.
Water resistant canvas and waxed canvas are something we’ve wanted to see more of in the UK. To that end, we decided quite out of the blue, to order some as a limited edition stock.
Little did we realise that a friend of ours who runs our favourite fabric company (Wattle & Slate) would announce the very next day that they too will be stocking waterproof canvas in the near future! Exciting ey?!
In this post we’ll tell you a bit about each fabric. The waxed canvas is similar to the one we stocked in 2022, but this has a firmer feel with more defined lines. We’ve ordered a small supply in a variety of colours to see what you think of it.
But this is our first time buying water resistant canvas, and we are obviously cautious because we want to provide the best possible product. So we’ve tried to answer the questions we think you’ll be asking below….
Water Resistant Cotton Canvas (WRCC)
Our very limited stock (only 15 metres each of 6 designs) will be arriving in late October 2023. It’s slow because it’s coming by sea so we can keep costs to a minimum. Plus transporting by plane is apparently 47 times more damaging to the environment than shipping by sea, so that’s worth waiting for. In the meantime, we’re testing the sample prints to check how they hold up to various fluids and stains and checking there’s no colour transfer or any other nasty surprises.
We’re calling it “Water Resistant Cotton Canvas” (WRCC) because we really want to highlight that it’s cotton NOT polyester. It is very different to what is normally considered waterproof canvas (WPC).
In this blog post we’ll show you a few examples of bags made using our WRCC. We’ll have more photos available before release.
About this fabric
100% cotton with a protective water resistant coating. This 250gsm (7oz) canvas is suitable for most sewing machines. As it’s cotton, it has a weave and is soft and flowy like standard canvas. It’s not made of polyester so it doesn’t have a plastic feel like many waterproof canvases. In fact, when I compare it to standard canvas, I can’t even tell the difference until I pour my tea over it! If your machine can sew through standard canvas, then it can sew through this.
The fabric is protected to create a water resistant finish that allows liquids to flow off the fabric rather than soaking into it. However, we can’t guarantee it as 100% waterproof so we don’t recommend submerging it in water for long periods.
At 250gsm, this fabric is thicker than standard quilting cotton, which is usually about 150gsm, but you may still wish to add interfacing to it, depending on the project you’re working on. It’s happy to be heated and interfaced, and it reacts well to steam
- Approximate width: 150cm (59″) – that’s 30% wider than standard quilting cotton
- Made in: China
- Material: 100% Cotton
- Weight: 250gsm (7oz)
We’ll be selling it by the 1/2 metre. Purchases over 1/2 metre will be sent in a continuous cut where possible (see quality control below for more information).
Caring for your fabric
CLEANING: We do not recommend washing this fabric as detergents may remove it’s waterproof coating. Do not tumble dry. If you spill something on the fabric, it will run right off. Simply rinse it with water to remove any excess, then hang it to drip dry.
IRONING: You can iron this fabric and fuse interfacing to it without any issues.
Quality Control
Once the fabrics are available, please check the colours in the photos before purchasing, and be aware that colours appear differently in different lights, and on different computer screens. The photos are the closest representation we could achieve to the in-person colour. Some photos will include hardware or finished bags for illustrative purposes but the listing will be for fabric only.
While we do our best to cut fabric accurately, it is cut by hand, and none of us are perfect. There may be a difference in length up to 5%. For example, if you order 50cm, the length may be between 47.25cm and 52.5cm.
For cuts over 3 metres, we can’t guarantee a continuous cut as the fabric may contain flaws that need to be cut around, but we will do our best.
Printed fabric may contain small flaws. We will do our best to ensure your fabric is flawless, but we will allow the following flaws:
- Flaws within 10cm (4″) of the edge of the fabric
- Anything smaller than a 5p coin (18mm or 3/4″)
- Marks on the wrong side of the fabric when these marks do not show through the front of the printed side of the fabric.
Fabric with flaws outside of these parameters will be sold as discounted seconds. If your fabric contains flaws within these parameters, we will usually include extra fabric to make up for the inconvenience.
Why didn’t we place a larger order so there’s enough for everyone?
We know this limited order means some of you won’t get the opportunity to purchase and we’re sorry about that, but here are the reasons behind our decision:
- We’re limiting risk. This is our first ever order of WRRC and we’ll spend the next two months testing the fabric out. The last thing we wanted to do is order 100s of metres on our first order, only to discover in the meantime that the fabric doesn’t wear well with use.
- We have very limited stock space. Our limited edition products, such as this, are stored in our living room. So we need to sell our limited edition products pretty quickly or else our living room would be permanently over-run with stock. We aim to sell out of limited edition products in under a week (that way we can still have friends and family over a couple of times a month).
- We’re not aiming to become a fabric company, we just want to offer a new bag making product to our customers.
- We know you’ll soon be able to get waterproof canvas in other awesome designs, from Wattle & Slate in the UK.
We’ve chosen designs that we’ve not seen anywhere else and that we hope will give your bag a unique, sophisticated and luxury look.
We hope to make the WRCC available to international customers, but it depends on new weight limitations that are being brought in by our courier from October, so we can’t say for sure yet. Quite possibly, this round of stock will only be available to UK customers. But….we may run future rounds if it proves popular….we’ll wait and see.
All the designs we’ll be stocking on WRCC
Waxed Canvas
We will have a limited stock of this waxed canvas in a variety of colours. If it proves popular and sells out quickly, we may stock more in the future. Please join our mailing list here so you don’t miss out on future stock.
This fabric is sold by the 1/2 metre. One piece measures 50cm x 140cm (approximately 20″ x 55″). For one metre, add a quantity of two to your basket. Due to the thickness and stiffness of this waxed canvas, orders of more than 1 metre WILL NOT be cut continuously, as this would require us to send the fabric rolled which would drastically increase courier costs. Fabric will be folded when shipped, not rolled.
About this fabric
This waxed canvas (also known as oilskin) is lovely quality 100% cotton with a wax coating. This 500gsm (12oz) canvas is suitable for some, but not all, domestic sewing machines. If your sewing machine can handle canvas, cork or faux leather then it will usually be ok with this. This thick canvas has a visible weave. When your fabric arrives you will notice that it’s very stiff. As you construct your bag and move the fabric, it will become more malleable.
The fabric weights are referred to as GSM: Grams per square metre and Oz: Ounces per square yard.
The fabric is waxed to create a water resistant finish. However, it is not 100% waterproof.
When creased, folded or moved, the wax marks, creating a beautiful patina as the bag is used. Due to the wax in the fabric, we don’t recommend washing or ironing it. You shouldn’t need to interface it, although depending on the pattern and the desired shape and structure of the bag, you may need to use a stabiliser such as foam, Decovil Light or Peltex with this fabric. In such cases, we recommend using a sew-in stabiliser or fusing your stabiliser to the lining pieces instead (where possible in the pattern).
- Made in: China
- Material: Cotton Canvas with paraffin wax
- Weight: 500gsm (12oz)
Colours we will have available
- Fudge (No.1)
- Chocolate (No.11)
- Dark Teal (No.22)
- Bright Blue (No.23)
- Sunny Yellow (No.25)
- Burgundy (No.26)
- Hot Pink (No.28)
- Light Grey (No.36)
- Khaki Green (No.36D)
We will have photos ready by the time stock goes onto the website.
Caring for your waxed canvas
Over time, the wax will wear. You can re-wax your fabric many times over the years to keep it protected and water resistant. The wax shouldn’t transfer to your clothes when using the fabric but in high temperatures we don’t recommend leaving it in hot spaces such as cars as your wax will reset and your beautiful creases will disappear.
If you have any queries regarding this fabric, please email us at countrycowdesigns@gmail.com.
Adam & Jo
I like all the fabric you’re going to stock. Can’t wait to order. ☺️