Victoria Magazine, September/October 2012 arrived this week in the mail. I was delighted to discover some EXCELLENT writing about my FAVORITE FRENCH cotton and linen Toile DE JOUY.
Several of my French Country Style Totes, Sachets and Bags, are made out of upscale French Toile de Jouy. Either in all Cotton, or all Linen and some Vintage Toile. It is a rather complex procedure to create this stylish fabric. You will see below. First I like to show you some of my own collection that I do sell from my Zen Cart powered on line Boutique 'Mariette's Back to Basics'. Below this post you will find some links, also a link for the REAL French Toile de Jouy fabric per meter for € 88.00. YES, it is very expensive but you will learn why.
This is just part of the blue Toile de Jouy collection in an upscale decorator fabric.
Available at my Zen Cart powered online Boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics
Angels and Roses...
Toile de Jouy originated from India. An exotic fabric...
That's right: once banned by King Louis XIV to protect the French fabric trade...
Lovely red Toile de Jouy...
THE HISTORY of TOILE
Retyped text on behalf of those other countries (from total 209) that can't read English, so they can use the translator.
Pardon my PASSION for Toile de Jouy...
Captivating storytellers, toile patterns have been adored the world over for their romantic imagery featuring flowers, fauna, and idyllic scenes of genteel country life. (Hence my French Country Style collection at my Boutique).
The craze began quickly when the first printed cottons were imported from India to France in the sixteenth century. Lightweight and washable, these wildly colorful block-printed indiennes were met with an exuberant fervor that virtually paralyzed the French fabric industry. So imminent was this threat of competition that, in 1686, King Louis XIV commanded an embargo on the importation of all cottons and issued a decree to arrest anyone who violated the ban. Despite these deterrents, the quest continued to flourish in secret.
When the ban was lifted in 1759, the coveted printed cottons eventually rebounded from their scandalous beginnings, and French factories regrouped in hopes of fulfilling the demand themselves. Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf was one of the first to manufacture block-printed textiles in France alongside the crystalline river Bièvre in the town of Jouy-en-Josas; hence the expression toile de Jouy. It was only a matter of time before the industrious Oberkampf adapted the faster and more precise copperplate printing method, a technique already implemented in both England and Ireland that produced sharper engravings with expertly rendered variations of shading and light. This process paved the way for commissioned artists to design extensive patterns depicting elaborate themes and historical events with detailed human subjects and complex scenery.
Not surprisingly, toile motifs continue to proliferate in the modern age with playful compositions such as the comic-strip-like Marquis de la Paillette. Created by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, it portrays a cultural time line with jet planes, skyscrapers, and scenes from the eighteenth century.
Hope you enjoyed this piece of history on the special Toile de Jouy fabric!
Below in my former post about {Angels and Seraphims - French Country Style} you also find lots of information and other links.
Do you own something made of authentic French cotton or linnen Toile de Jouy?
