Sajou indienne fabric motif collection

Wecome in our indienne floral fabric collection!

Here you’ll find all of our products related to the theme of indiennes: fabrics, embroidery, and also all the items we have created with our fabrics or their motifs.
By clicking below on Read more about the indienne collection, you will learn many interesting things about indiennes, including the origin of their name.

Also, see the articles about our indienne cross-stitch collection in our Museums and Heritage Collection.

➜ Click here to find out more about Sajou indienne fabric motif collection

Why indienne fabrics?

We have kept the name indienne, even in English, as this is how they were universally known for centuries. Yes, even in England where French was the official language at the time. It was also used to designate clothes made from these same fabrics, notably dresses and nightgowns. Some fabrics were also known as “painted cloth”, as certain colours were hand painted on the fabric. The Portuguese, as the first to import these textiles into Europe, called them “pintados’ (painted). Some of you may prefer the terms “calico” or “chintz”, but we find indienne so charming, so that is why we have kept it. In any case, there are so many terms to describe cotton fabrics, we are overwhelmed with choice. In historical documents, Indians refer to kalencars or calencas, a specific technique for cloths painted with a sort of reed pen. Palampores were large painted cloths used for bedspreads (from Hindi palang – bed and Persian push – cover). Be it calico, chintz, nankeen, khaddar, poplin, muslin, twill, batiste, or percale, we are spoilt for choice for different qualities of cotton fabrics.

By visiting our section Indienne fabrics in swatches and clicking on Find out more..., you can read an article on the production of indienne fabrics.

The origin of the word chintz

The word chintz, which designates lustrous fabrics, comes from the Hindi “chint”, which means variegated, colourful. After a while, the meaning changed to designate all glossy fabrics, whether white or printed. In the 18th century, the English greatly improved lustering, thanks to calendering and rolling techniques. Nowadays, the chintz effect is obtained by applying a permanent primer called “everglazed”, obtained from chemical resins.

By visiting our section Indienne fabrics by the metre and clicking on Find out more..., you can read an article about what is known as "The Affair of Painted Cloths", in other words, the eventful history of indienne fabrics, including their rapid success, the prohibition they faced, smuggling, the establishment of the first indienne factories in Europe, and more.

The use of indienne fabrics in decoration and clothing

The fashion for indienne cloths has never stopped. These fabrics are still very present in furnishings, for curtains and drapes, stretched on walls, to cover armchairs and all kinds of seats. These gorgeous fabrics are wonderful for patchwork, cushions, bedspreads and quilts. They can also be used for clothing: classic shaped shirts or blouses, small tops of all kinds, dresses, skirts but also accessories such as tote bags for shopping, storage kits for embroidery materials, bags to carry your sewing or knitting items. The charm of indienne fabrics has not waned and their appeal remains as strong as ever.

Maison Sajou offers a wide range of indienne fabrics, both by the metre and in swatches. In our collection, you will find some indienne fabrics that are true stars:

Les Coquecigrues, by the metre, in 50 x 70 cm swatches and in cross-stitch kit,
The indienne from Napoleon’s campaign tent, by the metre, in 50 x 70 cm swatches and in cross-stitch kit,
The pineapple from the private apartments of the queen at Versailles Palace, by the metre, in 50 x 70 cm swatches and in cross-stitch kit,

And of course, our series of cross-stitch projects on the theme of indiennes in our Museums and Heritage embroidery collection.
Indienne fabrics are also featured in our embroideries dedicated to the Oberkampf Manufacture in Jouy-en-Josas.