Sajou Museum & Heritage Toile du Jouy Manufacture Embroidery Kit- The Bleaching

Description and Details

A beautiful Sajou cross stitch kit depicting the bleaching stage of Toile du Jouy production at Jouy-en-Josas.

Following the maddering process, the parts of the cloth with no fixative remained pink. The cloth was spread out in nearby fields to be bleached by the sun, with workers moistening the fabric with water seven or eight times a day over several days. The building in the background is where the cloths were hung to dry in an attic measuring 111 metres long, fitted with a series of dormer windows to assist airflow.

The chart measures 161 x 127 points, giving a finished size of approximately 30.8 x 25.2 cm. The embroidery looks wonderful worked in reds or blues.

The kit includes:

• A full-colour A3 pattern chart
• A guide sheet ‘Interpreting the Stitches’ for achieving a fabric effect
• A 35 x 26 cm piece of off-white 32-count linen
• Six cards of Retors du Nord embroidery thread: 2033 x 2, 2447 x 2, 2469 x 2

This design is taken from the larger Toile du Jouy Manufacture chart, which features all stages of production alongside swatches of Toile du Jouy fabrics. You will find further charts and kits in my shop inspired by the historical textile collections of France’s great châteaux and museums.