Bias Tape & Notions Reference Chart for the Vintage Fabric Collector Tape Numbering System Sometime during the latter 1950s-mid-60s, bias tape width sizes began appearing in centimeters.
Prior to that during the late 1940s-50s sizes were generally shown in inches. Before that, a number was the sole designation of width.To help you translate numbers on your old tapes, here is the numbering chart from a early Wright’s bias tape booklet: No.
1…………4/16″ No.
2………….5/16″ No.
3………….6/16″ No.
4………….7/16″ No.
5………….8/16″ No.
6………….9/16″ No.
7………….10/16″ No.
8………….11/16″ No.
9………….12/16″ No.
10………….13/16″ No.
11………….14/16″ No.
12………….15/16″ No.
13………….1 inch
Brand Company Bias Tape Fabrics Trims History Ace Sears Roebuck Lawn, fine lawn, nainsnook, percale Seam binding, two-tone rickrack, tyrolean trimmings see other Sears brands AFC The American Fabrics Co.
Bridgeport, CN Superfine nainsnook Lace, rickrack, novelty trims American Maid Virginia Snow Laboratories, Collingbourne Mills/Dexter Thread Mills, Elgin IL lawn, and prints in checks, florals See other Dexter brands Anchorfast Soutache, middy braid Anita Jean Fine percale, Fine Lawn Arcadian UK cotton AWR England cotton B/B [logo is a B superimposed over another B] Percale Barton’s Red E Trim Barton Bias Narrow Fabric Co., NY, NY Lawn, cambric, percale, silk, gingham, taffeta, silk faille BNF seam binding see other Narrow Fabrics brands Beauty Fine fabric, superior quality cotton Beldings of Canada seam binding see Corticelli Belding Corticelli percale blaket binding with matching thread; seam binding see Corticelli Betsy Ross, unknown if connected to Betsy Ross Trimmings listed below Lou-Sil, Japan rayon rickrack Betsy Ross Trimmings Economy Bias Binding Co. Inc. NY Rickrack, percale see other Economy brands Bird of Paradise Assembled Products Co., Williamsport PA Fine lawn, rickrack, bias stripes [in plain white wrapper with blue stripe border] Spiralette trim, binding, loop point tri-color binding, seam tape See other AP brands Blossom cotton see other Assembled Product brands B.N.F.
Bias Narrow Fabric Co. 54 Franklin St., NY X-fine lawn, lawn, cambric name as advertised in 1904 Boiltex [endorsed & sold by Coats & Clark] Creed & Steward Lt., Aurora IL; Boiltex, Div. Coats & Clark, NY, NY & Aurora, IL; Fine percale, percale, extra fine lawn, picot edge Tapes, trims, rickrack, piping, quilt and rayon seam bindings see other Coats and Creed & Stewart brands Bonita S.H.
Kress made expressly for G.C Murphy Co. chain Lawn Rickrack, seam binding McCrory chain Borden Borden Fabrics fancy bias trim Brooks cotton Brook’s Brook’s Percale Bucilla NYC, NY mercerized rickrack Bur-Mil Burlington Mills cotton seam binding, twill tape Butterfly fancy bias trim Cadillac Lawn Rickrack California Brand superfine cambric in turkey red Cameo Hoffman Lion Mills Fall River MA Rickrack, shoulder strapping Cameo Walker Webbing Co. Inc. Fall River MA fine lawn Unsure if this Cameo connected to Cameo rickrack brand Castle Novelties Castle Braid Co. 15-12 Mercer St., NYC fancy rickrack braid, mohair skirt binding est.
Early 1895 or earlier Coats Great Britain Nainsnook see other Coats brands Colonial Rickrack Coquette Percale, silk Quilt binding, Rickrack, extra fine sateen blanket binding Corticelli Belding Corticelli, Box 9, Montreal, Canada rickrack, seam binding see Belding, Corticelli Corticelli Corticelli Silk Co.
Fine lawn rickrack, seam binding Belding Corticelli of Canada, see Belding, Corticelli Cream of the Mill superfine percale, checks, stripes double finish Dandy Tub Tape superior quality lawnDeco-rick Press-on Inc. 16 W. 61 St., NYC 100% virgin wool rickrack Dexter nainsook Dolly Dimple Westfield Mfg. Co. x-fine lawn Doll-dup LouSil superfine lawn Doris Marie Percale, Fine Percale, Fine Lawn E.C. Walker E.C.
Walker, Canada extra-fine lawn Economy Bias Binding Co., NY, NY Percale, superfine percale, Nainsook rayon taffeta seam binding See other Economy brands EDMO lawn Elite S.H. Kress & Co.
Stores fine lawn McCrory chain Emdin Percale, Nylon Excella fine lawn FA Quality Friedberger-Aaron Mfg. Co. Philadelphia, PA Cambric, lawn, percale, combination tape & matching thread Bindings, trims, twill tape, braids Fairloom [Boiltex] Sears, Roebuck Co Rickrack See other Boiltex & Coats brands Fantasy faggoted bias tape Fashion Quality Percale Fifth Av.
Assembled Products Co. Williamsport PA Lawn, fine percale See other AP brands Fifty Five Made for McLella stores lawn see other McCrory brands Fleischers Fleischer’s Worsted Works Philadelphia PA rickrack Fleur deLys Poirier & Lindeman Co.
NY, NY Percale Meteor seam binding Fruit of the Loom Economy Bias Binding NY, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, NY Extra-fine percale, nainsnook, percale, x-fine percale Trims, bindings, twill, rickrack, piping, facings, acetate taffeta & nylon bias seam binding See other Economy brands Geisha UK cotton Good Luck cotton Glossamer Perfectos Series, Specialists, Scotland glossamer luster fabric {ed note: probably a fine nainsnook or lawn similar to Warren’s} Gold Medal Samstag’s, NY Finest Cambric Gotham fine color litho as on other A.P. wrappers A.P.
Co Lawn Possible Assembled Products brand Green Oak Kresge’s Fine lawn, percale, fine percale; some made of Pacific fabric; combo sets Rickrack See other Kresge brands Green Star made expressly for H.L. Green Company, Inc.
Fine Lawn McCrory chain Hearthside Sears Percale Rickrack Highmount BMD lawn Honor Brand J.C. Penney lawn Rickrack see other Penney brands Hope W [in diamond-shaped symbol] fine lawn Household Quality lawn rose logo similar to Araby; see other Assembled Product brands HYCLASS Canada silk bias seam tape Jewel The Jewel Factory Box 999, Pawtucket RI Rickrack J.C.
Penny J.C. Penny Fine percale, percale Rickrack, bindings, trims, facings see other Penney brands J&P Coats Coats & Clark, NY, NYalso manufactured by Boiltex Co., Aurora IL, Divison of Coats & Clark USA Finest percale, Fine Lawn, Fine percale, Percale, Nainsnook, also packaged with matching thread John Martin’s Spool Pets projects series, 1930 and 1935: : Kitty cat, Hal horse, Puppy dog, Bob bunny, Clara cow, Pete pig.
Spool Zoo series, 1931, with fox, bear, zebra, lion elephant and hippo; Twill tape, seam binding; also packaged with matching thread See other Boiltex brands; Boiltex [a division], Coats, J&P Coats, John Martin’s Spool Pets, Green Oak Just Rite Price Shimmin & Kalal Chicago, IL Mercerized Rickrack, Quilt binding KENACO lawn Krelawn made for Kresge’s fine lawn, sometimes with matching thread see other Kresge brands Kresge’s Kresge Co.
Rickrack See other Kresge brands; Green Oak, Krelawn, Kresge’s, Sensation[?] see JP Coats. Lady Dexter Dexter Yarn/ Virginia Snow Lawn, nainsook, percale, Byssine thread combo See other Dexter brands Lady Fair T.
Eaton, Canada Fine lawn Lady Fayre percale Rickrack Lady Gay (cellophane wrapper) extra fine percale Lady Royal Jap Silk Co., Collingbourne/Dexter Mills, Elgin IL superfine lawn see Dexter Larkin made for Larkin Soap Co. Buffalo NY lawn rose logo similar to Araby; see other Assembled Product brands LaSalle Economy Bias Binding NY, NY Percale, Lawn Rickrack See other Economy brands Lella Made for McLellan Stores Fine lawn Rickrack McCrory chain Lily White Nainsook, thread combo Loom Jewels Made by IWDGA Percale Lycoming [wax paper wrapper] Rickrack Madam Lloyd Rickrack Majesty Percale, Lawn Bindings, facings, trims, rickrack, hair accessories, belting, fastenings, shoe and corset lacings Possibly made for Federated Stores of America Marilyn nainsook Marlene Sold Exclusively by Newberry’s [McCrory chain stores] fine lawn McCrory chain Mayflower Brand silk Modern Modern Binding Co., Chicago Rickrack Mutual Brand Fancy bias trimming My Queen UK silk New Fashion England cotton Nufashond Assembled Products of Williamsport, PA Percale, Lawn Rickrack, bindings, tape lace, eyelet, elastic, edgetrim see other Narrow Fabrics Co. brands N.V.B. New Velvet Binding, Kurscheedt Mfg. Co., 356 W. Broadway NYC velvet bindings est. 1895 or earlier NYNCO N.Y. Notions of Chicago Pacific fabrics, blue & white fine-check, percale, lawn Shell Braid, rickrack, middy braid, soutache, rayon taffeta seam binding est. 1900 OMO Bias Tape OMO Bias Tape, Middletown CN percale dress shields est. 1895; bias tape 1918 Paramount England cotton Rickrack Pastoral Cloth Sears bias tape of Pastoral fabric see other Sears brands Penimaid J.C.
Penny Percale, Lawn, Fine Percale, Fine Lawn Rickrack, bindings, tape see other Penney brands Penn Novelty Trim Penn Novelty Trim Rickrack Pepperell Nainsnook bias tape/thread combo Perfect Percale Perfecto UK silk Peter Pan Peter Pan Fabrics, Henry Glass & Co Percale Phoebe Snow Sears cotton see other Sears brands Plantation Fine lawn See other Economy Bias brands Primrose Primrose Trimming Co.
& Assembled Products of Connecticut; 333 W.39th NY,NY Fine lawn Rickrack, bindings See other Assembled Products brands Princess Pat Canada cotton Princess cotton Print Trim Wm. Wright & Sons Mfg., West Warren MA & Orange, NJ Fine cotton See other Wright brands Priscilla Kay Manufacturing Company Ltd.
Canada Fine lawn Prudence Lawn, percale some fabrics made with Pacific Mills fabric, fine Pacific percale Rickrack, braids, soutaches Puritan Rickrack Radiant Lawn, percale Rickrack Rick Rack rayon rickrack Royal double fold with trim Royal Swan Burlington Mills Seam binding Rose of Araby Assembled Products of Williamsport PA Fast colors, fine count, fine lawn Rickrack, piping, quilt & blanket binding; sewing specialties; elastic see other Assembled Product brands S Canada Fine Lawn Sanford (roll form in cellophane pouch) extra fine quality feather stitch braid Scissors Gr Britain cotton Sensation sKs insignia could denote Kresge’s Fine lawn, lawn, fine percale rayon taffeta, seam binding Possible Kresge brand Showboat Ebb Co, NY, NY [Economy Bias Binding Co].
Fine Percale, Fine Lawn S.H.& M S.H.& M, 131 Springer St. NYC Bias skirt binding 1894 or earlier Silhouette The Narrow Fabric Co. West Reading, PA Rickrack, rayon rickrack see other Narrow Fabrics Co brands So-E-Z Fine lawn Star American Thread Stamford CT Fine cotton, nylon, Fine Percale blanket and seam binding Stay Trim Continental Elastic Corp, New Bedford, MA fine percale combo bias tape/thread pack Sterling percale, pacific percale Rickrack Strand Cotton Sullivan Sullivan Smythfield Co.
Percale Rickrack Sunny South Percale Percale Tailor Bird Rickrack, middy braid Talon Talon Div. of Textron NY, NY Percale Trims, zippers Tidy Trim Narrow Fabrics Percale, lawn, fine percale Rickrack, seam & quilt binding, soutache, middy braid, hem facings see other Narrow Fabrics Co. brands Tip Top fine lawn Toray Toray, Japan Tetoron [65% cotton, 35% poly] Triangle C Silk taffeta Trimtex Assembled Products Inc., Milford CN & Williamsport PA; Donahue Sales, St.
Hyacinth, Quebec Canada Lawn, Percale, Rayon Rickrack, bindings facings, trims, piping See other Assembled Products brand Trufold, Trueworth McCoy Jones & Co. Inc, Merchandise Mart, Chicago IL Super quality lawn, fast colors, fine count, silk Rickrack, bindings, notions Invader Tubtex Percale, silk, fine lawn Possibly made for Marshall Field & Co.; Invader was patented by company in 1930 Victor lawn See other Assembled Product brands for similar rose logos for cottons Victory rayon seam binding Walker Canada extra-fine lawn, fine lawn Ward’s Montgomery Ward Nainsnook-finish percale, lawn, fine lawn see other Ward brands Warren’s Standard, J&J Bluebird & Cloth of Gold Warren Featherbone Co., Three Oaks MI Fine nainsnook, nainsnook, lawn, fine percale, habutai; matching thread, silk, combination tape & matching thread Trims, facings, rickrack, boning, seam binding 1883; bias tape from early 1920s to 1960s Wearwell England nylon Winsome Lady Winsome Lady, Issacs-Shorsher Inc NYC, Weston NY Percale Wrights — W&N, Monarch Brand, Meteor Brand, Wright’s E-Z Trim Wm Wright & Sons Mfg., West Warren MA & Orange NJ Extra fine india lawn, fine lawn, lawn, fine nainsnook, nainsnook, gingham, fine percale, percale, Flexicloth, super batiste, batiste, silk, lingerie silk, superior wash silk, heavy-wash silk, soft-finish pure silk, taffeta, cambric, cambritex, lusteray [rayon/cotton], natural linen, combination tape & mataching thread; NRA printed on depression-year wrappers Rickrack, trims, bindings, facings, seam & blanket see other Wright’s brands Yale cotton Brandnames by Major BiasTape and Rickrack Manufacturers [ Includes Seam Bindings Made by These Manufacturers] Manufacturer & History Brandnames American Fabrics.
Co. AFC American Thread Star Assembled Products Bird of Paradise, Blossom, Fifth Av, Gotham [A.P. label], House Quality ?, Larkin?, Nufashond [also see Narrow Fabrics], Rose of Araby, Victor Belding/Corticelli Beldings of Canada, Corticelli, Corticelli of Canada Burlington Mills Bur-Mil, Royal Swan Creed & Steward Lt. Boiltex before becoming a division of Coats & Clark Dexter Yarn. Co./Western Thread/Collingbourne Mills/ Virginia Snow/Leewards 1798 – Dexter Yarn Co..established in Pawtucket RI; mill built in 1813; by 1820 producing knitting cotton, later cotton threads and yarns. 1907 – Western Thread Co. founded in Elgin IL, a yarn and thread dyer for general mills. 1912 – A. B. Collingbourne joined company. Artzilk artificial embroider and crochet thread introduced. 1915 – Western Thread published Encyclopedia of Art Needlwork by Virginia Snow. 1918 – Name changed to Collingbourne Mills. Began manufacturing cotton thread.
Logo was ABC in a diamond for Americ’as Best Cottons and A.B. Collingbourne.
1924 – Collingbourne Mills purchased Berkshire & Becket [1885 ]of Becket MA, silk product manufacturers. This line plus stamped embroidery patterns offered.
1926 – Modern needlework plant built and operated as Virginia Snow Studios. Collingbourne reputed to be largest independent manufacturer of spool, embroidery and chrochet threads in USA.
1927 – Collingbourne purchase Dexter Yarn Co.
1937 – Collingbourne sold to rudy Petzeit and name changed to Dexter Thread Mills.
1938 – Dexter Mills went bankrupt and into receiversip.
1946 – Dexter acquired by Fink and Fried, resellersr of nylon parachute thread; Lustra Nylon thread and Dexter’s remaining sewing lines now offered.
1949 – With introduction of catalog to sell thread and needlwork supplies, a more consumer oriented name was needed. Looking at a world map, one of the owner’s eyes happen to fall on Leeward Islands, thus business was called Leewards.
1969 – General Mills purchased Leeward as part of its leisure-time division.
1985 – Unprofitable catalog division closed in 1984.
Company sold to Munford Inc of Atlanta.
1988 – Company operates as LeeWards Craft Bazaar with 60 stores in 25 cities.
American Maid, Lady Dexter, Lady Royal Econony Bias Binding Co.aka EBB Co. Betsy Ross Trimmings, Economy, Fruit of Loom, LaSalle, Plantation, Show Boat Federated Stores of America Majesty -possible label for stores in its chain such as S.B. McCain & Sons in Northeast Pennsylvania Friedburger-Aaron Mfg. Co. FAQuality Kresge’s Green Oak, Krelawn, Kresge’s, Sensation[?] see JP Coats below. J.P. Coats, Coats Boiltex [a division], Coats, J&P Coats, John Martin’s Spool Pets, Green Oak J.C. Penny Honor Brand, Penimaid, J.C. Penney, Penney’s McCrory Chain Stores include McCrory [in some regions McCrory is called Dollar Zone],- G.C. Murphy, J.J. Newberry, TG&Y, McLellan, H.S. Kress, H.L. Green, Silver, Elmore, Pitts and Kittinger [sold bias tape and rickrick under their store name on the wrapper]. Bonita [S.H. Kress stores], Elite [Kress stores], Fifty Five, [McLellan stores, Green Star [H.L. Green], Kittinger, Lella [McLellan stores], Marlene [Newberry stores] McCoy Jones & Co. Trufold, Trueworth Narrow Fabrics Co., also Barton Bias Narrow Fabric Co. Est.
1900 Barton’s Red E Trim, Nufashond, Silhouette, Tidy Trim, Trimtex Poirer & Lindeman Fleur de Lys, Meteor [seam binding] Sears Roebuck Co. Ace, Fairloom [made by Boiltex], Hearthside, Pastoral Cloth, Phoebe Snow Talon [div of Textron] Talon Montgomery Ward Co. Ward’s Warren Featherbone Co. Est. 1883; made featherbone and whips; early 1920s expanded into notions; 1925 offered full line of fine bias tapes and developed Korseal in 1930s. Discontinued notionsin 1960s; moved to present location in Gainesville GA for production of Alexa line of baby clothes. Cloth of Gold, J&J Bluebird, J.J.
Cloth of Gold, Warren’s Standard bias tapes; rickrack and other notions.. Wm Wright & Sons 1897 company established as W&N for Wright & Nagle. Changed to Wm Wright & Sons in 1905.
1986 – Wrights sold to Newell Industries 1989 Wrights spun off along with Newell spun off with Boye Needle to a Chicago investment firm forming a limited partnership with several Wright executives. 2000 William E. Wright Lt. Partnership buys EZ International, quilting notions company 2001 Conso/Simplicity buys Wrights; name becomes Wm. Wright Co. E-Z Trim, Meteor Brand, Monarch, Print Trim, W&N, Wright’s Notes: as far as can be determined, W&N appeared on labels until 1931.
Monarch and Meteor brands appeared 1916 through 1932 and possibly beyond that. Little information can be found on these two brands. E-Z Trim, a novelty bias tape, was advertised in post-WWI booklets into the 1920s. Print Trim was marketed in the latter 1940s. The arbitrary cut-off date for this Vintage Fabric column is 1960.
To stay within the scope of this timeframe, reference materials published up to that date are the prime source of information to more accurately capture actual thoughts of the time.Joan Kiplinger is an antique doll costumer and vintage fabric addict who learned to sew on her grandmother’s treadle and has been peddling fabrications ever since.
