Burlap is a material that dates back many hundreds of years. As the raw material for the manufacture of burlap; jute and hemp, grow in India and Pakistan it is easy to trace back the fabric. The very rough fibers of the hemp or jute was used by the Indian’s in the manufacture of rope and twine, it was not until the British developed a loom that was suitable for weaving the course fibers that a fabric was developed, the fabric is called burlap. Many places have burlap for sale now, everything from stores that sell decorative items, to curtain suppliers to agricultural producers.
When burlap is converted into a sack, it has tremendous tensile strength and as a result can carry heavy loads without the fabric tearing or the weave separating. This is ideal for the transport and storage of bulk grain, coffee, potatoes and a host of other bulk commodities. Funny as it may seem, some burlap for sale ends up in the manufacture of carpets and linoleum. It forms the basis for the products, the weave is quite open but very strong and it rather mimics reinforcing bar in concrete. When it is used in carpets and linoleum it is obviously not visible, but burlap is actually quite attractive and is often used in decorating. Many homes, especially those that favor a rustic décor will use burlap by the roll as wall covering or for window coverings.
As burlap is environmentally friendly and strong, it is often used for tote bags, even those designed to carry heavy loads of groceries from the market. After it has begun to lose its appeal it can be simply disposed of and it will disintegrate on its own.
Burlap is not only very strong; it accomplishes this with an open weave. The fact that burlap is open weave as well as inexpensive it makes ideal curtains for those people who want a degree of privacy but they also want filtered light during the day. Burlap is resistant to tearing and can last for years as a window dressing. The one thing that can be considered a drawback is that burlap shrinks when washed. Although this can be an issue, most people are aware of this and take the shrink factor into account when ordering curtains, tablecloths or anything else which is made from burlap and has to meet a certain dimensional criteria.
