Burlap—or hessian as it is known in other parts of the world—is a woven cloth usually made from jute. Hessian was a very popular material used in the backing of rugs, carpets and floor linoleum, but it was also useful for making heavy duty sacks and bags. At once time it was not a fashionable thing to see burlap bags for sale, but due to the widespread use of the material used in movies and TV, people suddenly caught on it as a popular material, especially during the 1960’s and 1970’s, but sadly in many cases, for the wrong reasons. Burlap sacks were used to rob banks on TV and in the movies, a well as being used as masks in horror movies.
However, hessian also served a purpose when it came to natural disasters. It was used to make sand bags that assisted people with flooded areas and it proved its capability and durability with heavy duty usage as well as tough situations. There are also many other applications for burlap—hessian—and one of those is clothing. Because its texture is so coarse is can be used for certain types of apparel. Camouflage Ghillie suits are made with burlap because of its open weave as well as its naturally non-reflective properties. In relation to non-disasters, burlap is also used in every sack making for the shipping of coffee and other such commodities that require the right ‘packaging’ for the journey. Because burlap is breathable is can resist any condensation, and therefore anything packed inside it is far less likely to spoil on the journey to its final destination. Green tobacco—the unprocessed kind—is also another material that benefits from using burlaps sacks for transportation.
Other Movies, TV and Clothing
Burlap also made a TV comeback in recent episodes of Doctor Who, when they used the durable material in a two-part storyline called ‘Human Nature’ and ‘The Family of Blood’. The Doctor some up against a family of aliens who use scarecrows—made from burlap—as an mobile army to attack a school in pre-first world war England. The scary scarecrows are empty inside and simply stuffed with hay, but they are lifelike and will kill on sight, making for a scary episode.
To find burlap bags for sale get in touch with the Burlap Store and check out their website for a list of their products and prices.
