This very fine French woolen dress fabric, know as
muslin of wool, was first produced in the Mulhouse
region of France in the 1830s. These elegant dress goods
were called Delaines in both England and America.
In 1836, Jose Hofer of Mulhouse began
weaving a combination fabric with a cotton warp and very
fine wool for the weft. Advances in the steam style of
printing which included the development of a single
print paste containing the dye and the mordant plus the
rapid ageing of the fabric in a steam chamber allowed
for complex designs (some overprinted with wood blocks)
and colors on the fabric.
Intense Prussian blue and deep greens
were especially popular colorations. These fabrics were
used for both clothing and decorating and are frequently
found in Log Cabin/Pineapple quilts in America.
Weave history into your quilt project
as Margo captures the essence of these rare European
fabrics in the Delaines Collection.
