Floorcloths

I wish I could sell floor cloths, but I have never had good success with this item. If you’ve ever made one, or owned one, then I don’t have to tell you the benefits of a floorcloth. But, just in case you have never made or owned one, let me list just a few of their great qualities:

• easy to clean
• great for kids and pets
• instantly adds character to a room or hallway
• can be customized to fit ANY size or shape

I’ve made several myself over the years and currently use these 3 in my own home:

Now, I actually did not use a stencil for any of these three floorcloths, but I sure have used stencils for many past floorcloths. Of course, I just cannot locate those photos at the moment! The hopscotch floorcloth pictured above is from Kathy Cooper’s book: The Complete Book of Floorcloths. Kathy also has a wealth of information on her website about floorcloths in general.

When I was doing a little research on the Internet about floorcloths, I came upon a wonderful website for Gracewood Design. Gwenith Grace Jones and Kenneth Wood Forcier have been creating some incredible floorcloths for decades. Gracewood Design uses many authentic stencils from the Early American period (1740-1840) for their Early American Floorcloth Collection, as well as their own stencils designs for their other floorcloth lines. An extensive gallery of floorcloths can be viewed on the Gracewood Design website and is well worth the visit!