Tana Lawn

Aug 09, 2014 2 Replies
F

I was in a fabric shop the other day (big chain which I suspect might be similar to Joannes in the US if I'm picking up the vibes about that place correctly - this chain if full of lower end fabric and not the place where I'd go to purchase fabric for a 'mother of the bride' outfit) anyhow, they had fabric in there labelled 'Tana lawn'. Lots of bolts and in quite pretty plain colours - no prints.



I know what lawn is, and I know what Liberty Tana Lawn is, and this fabric was about the right weight and feel for lawn but then I started wondering abut the meaning of the 'tana' in the Liberty Tana Lawn.



Does anyone know if this 'Tana' is just a part of the trading name for the Liberty product or does it have another older meaning that good sewists from an earlier era would know and understand? I'm fairly sure that I've never heard of the use of 'tana' in any other context other than when it has been applied to Liberty fabric.


Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
K

As far as I know (and I checked with the list from the British trademark database), Tana Lawn is a registered trademark of Liberty. I believe it derives from Lake Tana in Ethopia, (reservoir of the Blue Nile), but I'm not sure.

And yes, Joann Fabrics is the sort of place where you find thin, slick, polyester fabrics under a sign reading "silk". :-(

Kay

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
F

Ah! That makes sense - cotton would probably have been grown in that area I suspect.

LOL. I got the vibes right then about the Joann shop even if I didn't spell it correctly :-))

The shop I was in was not quite as bad as having polyester labelled as silk since the stuff labelled 'Tana Lawn' was most certainly cotton lawn but it certainly wasn't Liberty by any stretch of the imagination. It was the sort of stuff that I could happily use to make summer blouses - light weight so good in the heat but tough enough to survive the washing machine.

Thank you for your answer Kay - I've not posted here for ages but I do remember many of your past responses to questions I've asked. You've always been most informative and helpful.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required