Toile 101

Many people have asked us what Toile is. Is it a type of fabric, is it a print,how many types are there? So...we thought that we would take advantage of the fact that the March 2011 cover (featured above)of Country Living magazine features a great example of Toile. To start off our lesson, here is some background information on Toile.

Better Homes and Gardens has defined Toile as the following:

The popular print that most people associate with the word Toile originated in a town in France called Jouy-de-Josas in 1770, by a man named Christophe-Philippe Oberkamph. He developed the print and named it Toile de Jouy. Translated, this French term means, cloth of Jouy; the place in which it originated.

Typically the cloth is made of cotton or linen with the print over a white or light colored background.

There are various themes in the world of Toile. Most typical are Toile fabrics showing an outdoor scenery including foliage, trees, and men and women. It is common to see two lovers or a gentleman trying to woo his sweetheart.

Collage

Free picture collage generated with Smilebox

Little bites of Escape at Everything Toile

No, it's not a patisserie or a petit four, although art can be sumptuous. We are working on a collection of art work inspired by vintage paper. There's nothing like beautiful, old, fragile paper to get us into a creative mode! Paper is a part of history, has a story of it's own...reminds of times past. Since we feel it is important to surround ourselves with things that are beautiful and inspiring, all of these works of art will look delightful on an inspiration board. I have bits of these at work, they are like little bites of escape during a busy day at the office.