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Giant Tapa Cloth |
tikipedia
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 25, 2004
Posts: 488
From: San Diego
|  Posted: 2006-06-24 6:19 pm Permalink
After being skunked during the standard thift store rounds, I was headed home when I saw an estate sale. I ended picking up a huge tapa cloth - 14 feet by 6 feet! The (previous) owner was apparently some interior decorator, who picked up this piece in Hawaii for a project that was subsequently canceled.
The cloth is so large, I didn't have room in my house to photograph the entire thing.
Any suggestions on what to do with a giant tapa? 
The cloth is actually folded lengthwise. Imagine this twice as wide.
This cloth has a really nice pattern.
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RevBambooBen
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Joined: Nov 12, 2002
Posts: 7217
From: Huntikington Beach
| Posted: 2006-06-24 7:56 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2006-06-24 18:19, tikipedia wrote:
Any suggestions on what to do with a giant tapa?
This cloth has a really nice pattern.
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Sell it to me!!! Or, do you need a bar??? 
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lanikai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 15, 2004
Posts: 490
From: Hawaii
| Posted: 2006-06-24 8:48 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2006-06-24 18:19, tikipedia wrote:
The cloth is so large, I didn't have room in my house to photograph the entire thing.
Any suggestions on what to do with a giant tapa?
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Use it as wall covering. Wrap around the corner, if too big for one wall.
hang a long bamboo pole horizontallly just below the ceiling on a wall and drape it over the pole.
Just remember. do NOT ever cut it. Or glue it to some surface.
[ This Message was edited by: lanikai 2006-06-24 21:07 ]
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Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2084
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
| Posted: 2006-06-25 03:29 am Permalink
Try a ceiling. Ceilings have lots of uninterupted space and can be the focal point of your tiki or Hawaiian room. Then on the walls you can paint or cover in bac bac matting and hang all the art you want. It would look fantastic with light sconces shining up highlighting the tapa.
Show pics once you decide. And what great find.
Andy
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freddiefreelance
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 15, 2003
Posts: 2983
From: San Diego, Ca.
| Posted: 2006-06-25 5:21 pm Permalink
Make a Tapa cloth chandalier that's 6 feet tall & 4.45 feet across!
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RevBambooBen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 12, 2002
Posts: 7217
From: Huntikington Beach
| Posted: 2006-06-25 8:34 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2006-06-25 17:21, freddiefreelance wrote:
Make a Tapa cloth chandalier that's 6 feet tall & 4.45 feet across!
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Bondage Tiki??
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Edit!!!
Oh crap. I read it to fast. I thought you said, Make a Tapa Chamberlier!!!!
I've had a Cramps CD in my truck for the last week. " I can't find my mind!!"
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[ This Message was edited by: RevBambooBen 2006-06-25 20:39 ]
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Benzart
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 10309
From: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
| Posted: 2006-06-26 04:00 am Permalink
I saw it rollin past 4th and vine the other day,,,Not a care in the world. If you hurry, you can catch it, Or catch a glimpse of it wheeling along!
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Swanky
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Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4815
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2006-06-26 06:46 am Permalink
That's a pretty big one, but there are many much much bigger. I've seen pieces the length of a tennis court! On the islands, it's used at wedding parties and is cut in strips. You'll notice one end has numbers on it. They cut a piece at each line and give to wedding guests.
Don't fret about cutting it. Use it however you find to use it. Make lamps, wall hangings, bar inset panels, etc. It's not precious stuff. You could cover a skyscraper with how much is made on any one island. It's not exactly common here, but it is not scarce. And, that pattern is not all that rare either. Don't feel guilty about taking your great find and cutting it up to make whatever you can imagine.
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Al-ii
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 248
From: Oceanside Ca
| Posted: 2006-06-26 07:06 am Permalink
Make a big lamp
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=13608&forum=7&start=0
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kctiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 22, 2003
Posts: 439
From: Kansas City
| Posted: 2006-06-26 09:12 am Permalink
If I could get my hands on a piece of tapa cloth that big I'd probably cut some lightweight wood panels (luan or something similar). I'd cut the wood panels nearly as wide as the vertical sections of the tapa design and almost as high as the ceiling. Then I'd get a roll of heavy canvas and sandwich the rectangular wood panels between the tapa and canvas. I'd leave areas of cloth around each wood panel just wide enough to carefully hand sew the tapa and canvas together in such a way that would hold the wood panels in tight enough that the tapa cloth wouldn't sag.
Then I'd put the whole thing up against the wall. It could easily bend around room corners at the sections between the wood panels where the tapa cloth and canvas are sewn together. It would serve as a wallcovering that could come with me whenever I change houses.
That's just what I would do. Have fun figuring out what'll work best for you.
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Psycho Tiki D
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Posts: 1784
From: The river Styx, can you pay the toll?
| Posted: 2009-01-04 2:12 pm Permalink
Found these two 14'x10' pieces of tapa cloth today...
I admit I know very little about tapa cloth. I do have a book on primitive art that explains design from region to region, but maybe someone could give me a quick Cliff Note lesson on tapa.
Not sure what I will do with them but I sure do like these pieces.
PTD
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1961surf
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1896
From: Newport Beach, Ca .
| Posted: 2009-01-13 8:06 pm Permalink
Killer tapa cloth-Jesus its huuggge!!!!!
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TikiGoddess
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 06, 2002
Posts: 417
From: Penna
| Posted: 2009-04-22 4:35 pm Permalink
I have a tapa cloth question and I am hoping someone can assist me and provide an answer. I just bought a large tapestry, its sort of like the one pictured at the beginning of the post. How can I tell if it is real tapa cloth? I know mine is not fabric,and its got a soft feel to it and it feels almost like paper. When you look closely it looks sort of woven. The ends are all uneven and frayed which makes me think its real, but I dont know anything about tapa so I cant tell. I will post a photo when it stops raining here and I can get the tapestry out of the car, I dont want to ruin it in a downpour. Thanks in advance for any info.
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TIKIVILLE
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 22, 2008
Posts: 635
From: Edmonton Alberta Canada
| Posted: 2009-04-22 4:55 pm Permalink
ALL I can sat is you got to be kidding me that you aint' jumpin fer joy to find a tapa that big ...or really any tapa that you can get a hold of !
Dont know waht to do with it ? Is that a discreet way of asking if somebody wants to buy it from you ?
Gotta say considering the work it takes to make one , a large tapa is an amazing find!
USE IT !
WALLS, CEILING!,BEDROOM,BAR!,LAMPS,FRAMES!....go crazy!
Lucky!..............
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Psycho Tiki D
Grand Member (5 years)
Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Posts: 1784
From: The river Styx, can you pay the toll?
| Posted: 2009-04-22 5:59 pm Permalink
Yeah, you might even be able to do something like this...
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=31261&forum=18&18
And still have a huge piece leftover. Tapa is primarily made out of mulberry and other barks, hence the name "bark cloth". It has the feel of material, only thicker and more like pulp. It is heavier than regular material and keeps it form rather well.
Here is a little history from Wikipedia...
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkiXEvO9J5N8AlQVXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzNTk5dXBpBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA0RGUjVfMTAz/SIG=11ro3jdif/EXP=1240534596/**http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapa_cloth
I still have a larger piece and one smaller one, the smaller will be made into a lamp soon!
PTD
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