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

Description and Details

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

Because the maddering process could only produce a limited range of colours, the cloth was sent to the print factory for the application of greens, yellows and blues. These colours were hand-painted by a team of women known as ‘Pinceauteuses’ (Paintbrush Ladies), who made their own paintbrushes from their hair. In 1793 there were 300 Pinceauteuses at the factory, but in 1808 Samuel Widmer (a nephew of Oberkampf) invented solid green by printing a layer of yellow followed by a layer of blue, which began the decline of their craft. The final finish was a layer of glaze — a mixture of wax and starch passed through a heated calender. Some pieces were even polished with an agate stone to add sheen and depth to the colours.

At its peak between 1780 and 1805, the factory employed over 1,000 workers — rising to 1,400 if the Chantemerle textile mill at Essonnes, which wove the cotton fabrics, is included.

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.