Fabric Facts Friday - Gingham

What do you think of when you hear the word  
Picnic napkins,  curtains...?  I see a man in cowboy boots, cowboy hat slightly askance, chewing an a piece straw with one foot on the bale and a gingham kerchief tied around his neck ...pure  nostalgic Americana, right ? 
 It might surprise you to learn that gingham was first manufactured in Dutch colonized Malaysia and also in Indonesia and India.  The Malaysian word "genggang" means striped and is likely the origin of the word gingham.  It probably looked different then since it refers to any plain woven fabric in stripes, checks, plaids or solids.




The mills of Manchester, England began to weave the checkered pattern we are more familiar with today in the mid 1800's.  



The French call it "vichy" and interestingly consider it to be composed of 3 colors-  white, the contrasting color and the color made from the blending of white and the contrasting color when the two are woven together.



 

Another surprising  fact is that it had spiritual significance in some of the cultures which first began making this type of fabric.
  In Indonesia it symbolized the battle between good and evil because of the starkly contrasting colors .
 In Japan it was used to wrap around buddha statues when a child had died.   


 
Gingham has no "right side" or "wrong side" because the threads are dyed and then woven so it looks the same on either side.  It is  one of the most economical and utilitarian types of fabric to make.
 Today gingham is almost exclusivey known as a checkered fabric . It has stayed more consistently popular with children's and men's fashions.
Although gingham has faded in and out of popularity throughout the 21st century,  it is never far from view.

---