Oilcloth vs. Coated Fabric

Friends and customers have been asking, so we thought we’d explain the differences between our oilcloth and our coated fabric. Oilcloth is woven cotton that has been covered with PVC. Its front is shiny (except for the chalk cloth) and its backside is rough. It is a heavy, hardy material that lies well flat, has a stiff body (for tote bags, for example) and stores well by rolling it. The coated fabric is a regular quilting weight fabric that has been covered with polyurethane. There is no PVC or vinyl in it. Of our three coated fabrics, all have smooth fabric backs. They each have a slightly different weight. Where the Zippity Doo Dah has more body and can be rolled to store, the Odyssea and Amy Butler are supple and soft and can be rolled or folded like a non-coated fabric. Oilcloth                                         Zippity coated fabric Odyssea coated fabric         Amy Butler coated fabric All the oilcloths and coated fabrics can be cut without fraying (though the coated fabrics tend to fray with time) and lend themselves to so much creativity! To help, we put together an Oilcloth – Coated Fabric Chart:

FABRIC	MATERIAL	FINISH	WEIGHT	BODY
Oilcloth	PVC	Shiny	Heavy	Full body -stands up on own
Chalkcloth	PVC	Matte	Heavy	Full body –stands up on own
Zippity coated fabric	Polyurethane	Matte	Medium-heavy	Slightly less body –stands up
Odyssea coated fabric	Polyurethane	Shiny	Medium	Less body –more drape
Amy Butler coated fabric	Polyurethane	Shiny	Light	Least body –most drape	—

Next -the Monster List of Oilcloth and Coated Fabric Projects!