Paris flea market finds: french florals textiles

I found this vintage fabric remnant in a Paris flea market, and loved the shades of fuschia pink and the bold floral prints. I wove two border pieces with 8/2 cotton, and a silk noil backing with just the lightest pink stripe. The finished size is perfect for a throw, a blanket that fits nicely at the end of a bed or over the back of a couch, or a decorative “bed footer.”

Side borders:
- warp and weft in 8/2 brassard cotton (color brique)
- 175” warp
- 18 EPI – 14” wide on the loom = 252 ends
- weave two pieces, each 60” long
- twill weave

Backing:
- warp and weft in mill ends silk noil
- 100” warp
- 12 EPI - 42” wide on the loom = 500 ends (double weave)
- tabby weave

Finishing: machine wash delicate on cold, hang to dry with a finish in the dryer once damp

This 19th century toile quilt remnant was another Paris flea market find - it was intact except it had been cut at one end, so I bound the cut edge with matching red fabric, then used scraps of the fabric to patch several worn spots on the back. Other worn spots I “mindfully mended” on the sewing machine by creating a “patch” of repeated stitching. The end result is a perfect throw blanket size, or even possibly big enough for a twin guest bed.