# Jam jars and gingham **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398 "2013-01-26T02:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/1 "2013-01-26T02:46:13Z")
Why is there often gingham squares covering the lids of jam jars? Not major commercial jams of course, but it’s extremely prevalent on homemade items, at fairs, etc Why gingham? When did this start / become fashionable? Was there ever a reason for gingham in particular, or was it just a ‘fashion look’ that caught on? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/2 "2013-01-26T07:51:35Z")
I’d say it was because gingham is generally a cheaper fabric (because the pattern is woven in), and also it has associations with kitchens anyway, being often used for tablecloths and the like (because it’s cheap). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/3 "2013-01-26T08:10:20Z")
There follows an educated guess; I apologise for this, it being GQ and early in the life of this thread. c1930, flour, feed and provision sacks were often made from cotton material that was suitable for repurposing as household items or even budget clothing. Red gingham was a common choice - and this would have found its way into farmhouse and smallholding kitchen contexts as tablecloths, polishing rags, picnic basket linings, etc. Also, covering a jam jar with a piece of cloth was not just a decorative touch - they didn’t always have screw top lids - but instead, would be closed with a circle of waxed paper, held in place with string. A layer of cloth over the top of this would prevent the paper being so easily damaged. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/4 "2013-01-26T15:00:34Z")
At least in the US, gingham patterns have an “old fashioned” and “farmer” image to them. Your great-grandma wore a blue gingham dress while clearing out the henhouse. If you see a gingham pattern, you associate whatever the pattern is associated with with rural life, days gone by, simplicity, Victoriana, and maybe your own childhood. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/5 "2013-01-26T15:45:17Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > At least in the US, gingham patterns have an “old fashioned” and “farmer” image to them. Your great-grandma wore a blue gingham dress while clearing out the henhouse. If you see a gingham pattern, you associate whatever the pattern is associated with with rural life, days gone by, simplicity, Victoriana, and maybe your own childhood. Didn’t Dorothy have a gingham dress in “The Wizard of Oz”? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/6 "2013-01-26T17:03:47Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Didn’t Dorothy have a gingham dress in “The Wizard of Oz”? She did in the 1930’s movie, and I believe she did in the original book illustrations. I have a facsimile of the first edition of the novel somewhere and I’m pretty sure she wore gingham for at least part of the story, though she also had a solid-color dress at one point. One striking difference between the original book with illustrations and the movie is that in the book, Dorothy is a _little_ girl. In the movie, she’s clearly a teen. Gingham dresses - just the thing for a Kansas farm girl. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/7 "2013-01-26T17:24:59Z")
At least one commercial jams/jellies/preserves brand tries to evoke the gingham effect. [Smuckers](http://www.smuckers.com/products/) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/8 "2013-01-26T17:31:18Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > At least one commercial jams/jellies/preserves brand tries to evoke the gingham effect. > > [Smuckers](http://www.smuckers.com/products/) Bonne Maman brand also uses gingham printed metal lids for the same homemade, country effect. > **[bonne maman - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=bonne%2Bmaman&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oxIEUc-PMMuv0AH4ooCgBw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=644#biv=i%7C0;d%7C0eb3gxhohm-5YM:)** ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/9 "2013-01-26T20:55:17Z")
Gingham, the fabric, is simple woven cotton, so… universal and cheap. Gingham, the style of checks, it easily woven into the fabric to create a pattern that is the same on front or back. That makes Gingham just a long-time favored print design of country folk. And hipster indies. In the Interior Design field, no ‘Country Kitchen’ would be complete without Gingham. And roosters. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/10 "2013-01-26T21:08:14Z")
In the UK too gingham is associated with jam jars and at least one commercial brand uses the pattern on metal lids (the Bonne Maman line - although I’m not sure whether that’s a French, British or US outfit originally). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/11 "2013-01-27T17:35:54Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > In the UK too gingham is associated with jam jars and at least one commercial brand uses the pattern on metal lids (the Bonne Maman line - although I’m not sure whether that’s a French, British or US outfit originally). French, it’s a family business. Not putting up links to their own pages because everything I find has movies, music, moving pics and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jam-jars-and-gingham/648398/12 "2013-01-27T23:13:39Z")
So I guess because it was cheap and available and prettier than plain hessian, then. Interesting how it became the ubiquitous look for homemade / country across so many countries! (US, UK, Australia, etc) Thanks for all who responded