In ceramics, all things are cyclical. About 60 years ago, all things were glazed and underglazed, or china painted. Also very popular then were the crystal glazes. Chalking was also in style. Then came the era of staining with translucent oils, then dry brushing and its many variations and glazing went by the wayside. Everyone wanted to drybrush. Eventually new products were introduced such as textured glazes, textured stains, metallics, pearls , waxes and so on. Now we seem to have gone back in time and embraced glazes and crystal glazes once again.

Not to be outdone, about 50 years ago, there was a product called suede aka flocking. It gave a soft, fabric textured surface and was widely embraced for a short period when suddenly in the mid 90’s, it was no longer available. But word is out. It is once again on the market!

Back in the 1970’s, Kathy Arnold was introduced to flocking at a ceramic class. Her first project with it were santa boots for her kids. In the 80’s she moved to Missouri and still did flocking. It was new in the Midwest and had to be order from NY.

Marge Bleau announced she was selling the flocking line. Kathy and her father decided to buy it and in 1987 we became the owners. Kathy’s father use to teach ceramics at class in the military so this was nothing new to him. They began doing shows and business was booming. The product sold to race car drivers, who used it on their dashboards to cut down on the glare. Flocking was also sold to fishermen for their tackle boxes, and duck hunters to do their duck decoys. Uses seemed endless. They learned more from their customers what could be done with it than they thought.

Then in 1995, Mr Evo Bartoli passed away, which was a devastating blow and the company paused. By then, the ceramic industry was dying in Missouri as well as nationwide and shops were closing. Vendors were leaving the shows, and business was dying. People were too busy to make their own anymore. They would rather pay someone finish it than paint it themselves.

Eventually Kathy wound up turning to the internet and began selling on Ebay. With that, she was able to reach people world-wide. Facebook opened new doors to reach others who love ceramics as well other hobbies. With the resurgence of interest in ceramics, it can only be expected that the OLD product will be widely received as something NEW.

Flocking comes in an array of colors and is available under the seller name of Katevo Creations. email moonwinds@charter.net Phone: 636-797-5212.