“Made for the Shade and More”, Sewing Savvy, September 2003
Roc-lon® Roc-rol™ is a multi-purpose, 100 percent blackout cloth available in 17 face colors with a white cloth backing. It is part of the Rockland Industries Inc., TLC line, which is short for total light control. When turned into a window shade or drawn drape, it eliminates light, helps insulate against heat and cold, provides privacy and reduces noise in your environment. Some other ideas for use include using it as a floor cloth, for murals, banners, wall hangings, place mats, cloth toys and designer cloth bags. It can take the heat, so iron-on transfers, paints that require heat setting and fusible adhesives are not a problem. It also accepts fabric glues and tapes and is soft enough to hole punch and does not fray according to the manufacturer which enables you to cur designs in any shape. When painting on the cloth, it does not require any surface preparation, thus saving a great deal of cost and prep time. Because there is no show-through, you can design on both sides of a project, making it reversible. Machine Applique and embroidery also work nicely. It is suggested that a clear polyacrylic sealer protective coating be applied when Roc-rol™ is used for floor cloths. This 70 percent polyester/30 percent cotton fabric is available in 36, 48, 54, 72, and 84-inch widths. The 54-inch width retails for about $9.99 per yard and can be purchased from Dawn Company (Ed Findley) at (800) 655-3296 and Jo-Vin (Vinny Pappalardo) (800) 441-9350. For more information, comsumers can call the Roc-lon TLC division at (800) 876-2566, ext. 1323 or 1275.