French Country FabricsFrench Country fabrics like Indienne cottons, French Toile fabric, Homespun and French Boutis are not only beautiful to behold, touch and feel, but these French fabrics play a dominant role in expressing color and design, thereby lifting other elements in the room.INDIENNES AND TOILES DE JOUY Printed on cottons otherwise known as Indiennes, designs range from paisleys, various sized stripes, to small and large floral and botancal prints in a variety of colors.
Indienne derives its name from the beautiful and brightly colored flower and animal cotton prints, originally imported through the French East Indian Company from the Indian continent in the 17th Century. These cottons were so popular they posed a serious threat to the silk and cloth industry in France. In 1686 Louis XIV imposed a ban on all manufacture, imports and sales of the cottons, with all stock being seized. This ban lasted for 50 years until it was lifted in 1759 with the help of the influential Madame de Pompadour, mistress of the king. From then onwards the textile industry in France began to flourish. Louis XVI proclaimed the factory to be ‘Manufacture Royale de Jouy’, and later Napoleon presented Oberkampf with the ‘Legion d’Honneur’ in 1806. In the beginning the factory printed woodblock polychrome cottons or Indiennes mainly in botanical and fruit designs that were used for clothing and some soft furnishing. Designs were printed by hand and restricted by the size of the woodblocks which were only 40cm by 30cm, producing about a 100 metres of printed fabric per day. These fine examples, called Toile de Jouy, simply meaning ‘cloth from Jouy’, became the most quintessential of French fabrics. At first these French fabric designs seem rather simple with a limited color palette either in red, blue, violet and brown amongst a few others, printed on a white or cream background. However simple they may look, the art and technique were masterful, almost giving a 3D effect. 
Oberkampf employed the finest designers and one of the best was Jean-Baptiste Huet, who drew one of the first monochrome Toile de Jouy patterns. Known as ‘Travaux de la Manufacture’ which depicted the making of the cloth at the factory, printed in red on a cream background. Sadly, after Oberkampf died the factory floundered without its founder’s strong leadership and eventually closed down in 1843. Even though other countries and factories in France produced similar toiles, to this day the name that remains is ‘Toile de Jouy’.
French Country fabrics consisting of loosely woven linen, hemp or wool, spun in the home during the 18th and 19th century and woven by weavers in Alsace on narrow looms into solids, stripes or checks. These fabrics were then used for bedding, grain bags, table linen and even clothing. Because of the narrow loom, there was often a seam on larger pieces of Homespun fabrics, and the texture was not as smooth and regular as industrial weaves. Homespun was also used for ‘kelsch cloth’ today known simply as kelsch… basically meaning a mattress or plumeaux. The cloth was sewn on three sides into an envelope with ribbon ties to close the open side. This envelope was then stuffed with straw or feathers. Needless to say, Homespun has become a treasured French Country fabric to collect.
STRIPES There are two stripe patterns which are immediately recognised as French Country fabrics. The first one is traditional mattress ticking, with the most common colors being blue or gray.The second is a design of stripes in different widths mainly in blue, pink, creams and beige.These French Country fabrics are mostly used to cover cushions for chairs, daybeds and sofas.
FRENCH BOUTIS Previously called ‘Broderie de Marseille’ in the 17th and 18th centuries, and since the 19th century has also become known by Provencal women as Boutis. French Boutis is basically whitework that is corded and stuffed, and was originally used as covers or quilts for beds. Boutis can also be in patterned prints and are much collected today, being used as throws for sofas, chairs and beds.
CREATING THE LOOK
TIP If unsure how to combine checks, stripes and florals, the safest option is to keep the underlying color theme the same. You may also be interested in: French country walls and floors French country colors
|
The famous landscape monochromes were printed with figures in pastoral scenes, hunting scenes, chinoiserie, military triumphs, antique follies, and farm life, depicting vignettes of general life in the 18th and 19th century.
