Quite possibly the best example of one of these sheets I have ever found, this is a superb unused 19th century hemp peasant sheet, made from two panels of handspun and handwoven hemp stitched with hemp thread into a sheet. This is a relatively finely-woven sheet and it has delicate handrolled hems. This piece has never been used, and the original deep oatmeal colour of the hemp remains, shot with darker thread which may very well be nettle, although there is no way of knowing. Nettle was sometimes used in combination, or was used alone by the very poor who had no fields to grow hemp - the transformation of nettle into fabric was even more arduous (and painful) than hemp. You can see the striped effect across the sheet made by the different quality of threads being dropped into the weave. It’s quite something to find a sheet like this in this condition, still unused. It is a document, and is far rarer than the heavily embroidered fine linen sheets I sometimes find. This is in perfect condition. I have soaked and wahsed it and dried it in the sun.
These sheets make beautiful throws, or pair them up with a fine linen sheet and use them as a light breathable blanket during the summer months.
This sheet is sold on the understanding that it is not cut up or dyed. I sometimes sell used pieces of hemp on my sale instagram account @lagrossetoiledeux - but pieces of this quality deserve to remain intact as a testimony to the huge amount of generational skill and labour that would have gone into making them.
This measures 195×262cm.
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please message me via the contact form and include the title as it doesn’t automatically transfer across.
Quite possibly the best example of one of these sheets I have ever found, this is a superb unused 19th century hemp peasant sheet, made from two panels of handspun and handwoven hemp stitched with hemp thread into a sheet. This is a relatively finely-woven sheet and it has delicate handrolled hems. This piece has never been used, and the original deep oatmeal colour of the hemp remains, shot with darker thread which may very well be nettle, although there is no way of knowing. Nettle was sometimes used in combination, or was used alone by the very poor who had no fields to grow hemp - the transformation of nettle into fabric was even more arduous (and painful) than hemp. You can see the striped effect across the sheet made by the different quality of threads being dropped into the weave. It’s quite something to find a sheet like this in this condition, still unused. It is a document, and is far rarer than the heavily embroidered fine linen sheets I sometimes find. This is in perfect condition. I have soaked and wahsed it and dried it in the sun.
These sheets make beautiful throws, or pair them up with a fine linen sheet and use them as a light breathable blanket during the summer months.
This sheet is sold on the understanding that it is not cut up or dyed. I sometimes sell used pieces of hemp on my sale instagram account @lagrossetoiledeux - but pieces of this quality deserve to remain intact as a testimony to the huge amount of generational skill and labour that would have gone into making them.
This measures 195×262cm.
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please message me via the contact form and include the title as it doesn’t automatically transfer across.
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