CHENILLE: AMERICAN WOMEN'S INGENUITY Quick, who invented the light bulb? The car? The telephone? The chenille bedspread? It's understandable you'd get three out of four right. We aren't generally taught about the inventors of textile art in our history lessons, but I say it's high time we include such lessons in our curriculum. Just think of how well you'd do on "Jeopardy." With that in mind, here is the story of a girl named Catherine Evans Whitener, who lived in Dalton, Ga., in the late 19th century. In 1895, when she was 15, she decided to sew a household gift for her brother, who was to be married. From reading ladies' how-to books, Catherine was familiar with a technique called chenille, French for "caterpillar." The French dressmakers used to apply this decorative stitch (comprised of fuzzy cut threads) as a trim. Catherine adapted their instructions and made a unique bedspread. Her sister-in-law loved it. So did everyone who saw it. She began taking orders for Catherine to fill. Catherine rallied the local ladies, and soon an industry was formed. Within a short time, Dalton was the chenille capital of America, and seamstresses inevitably began their own bedspread ventures. The first creations were pure white and made by hand, featuring the polka dot and hobnail patterns you might recognize from your great-aunt's linen closet. By the '20s, chenille was being made in increasingly complex patterns in factories across America -- to this day, in fact. Dalton, meanwhile, moved on to become the carpet capital of America, adapting Catherine's techniques to broadloom floor coverings. It's the only major industry in the world founded by women. Today, the entire history is commemorated in Dalton at the Hamilton House Museum, run by the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society and Archives. Up north, in High Bridge, N.J., there's another chenille museum, presided over by the self-described Queen of Chenille herself, Christina Lynn Whited (whose surname is oddly reminiscent of chenille's inventor). At her CoCo:Chenille shop, themed displays of chenille unfold regularly: One month it will be peacocks, another cowboys. Christina can look at a spread and immediately tell you its age: "Apricot was a '30s color. In the '40s they moved away to stronger burgundy tones. The '50s ushered in the era of the 'central figure,' like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, a Buck Rogers spaceman -- invariably in some shade of brown." Today, Christina and other textile artists you'll meet at antiques shows resurrect old chenille and turn it into pillows, stuffed animals (in the shape of anything from Scotties to teddies), baby blankets and even clothing -- dresses, jackets, beach robes and bath robes. The trick is to cut around the damaged parts. If you have old, worn chenille tucked away in your closet and you can sew, consider trying your hand at projects like these. If you can't sew, commission someone to do the work for you. You could also turn your vintage chenille into window curtains or a shower curtain (with a liner, of course). Cherish those old spreads, even if your grandmother saw them as castoffs from yesteryear. They're part of American history. COPYRIGHT 1999 ME INK |
| * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Please feel free to email me. I check it daily and will make every effort to reply in a timely fashion. Call me directly, at 908-638-4426, alternate number if busy: 908-638-9066, to place your order. I am available 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. EST. Please call during those hours only. CoCo:Chenille, Inc. 76 Main Street High Bridge, New Jersey 08829 Telephone: (908)638-4426 or (908)638-9066 Email: christina@cocochenille.com. Use a subject line that includes the word "chenille". Emails with no subject or without the word "chenille," will be deleted as SPAM. Web: www.cocochenille.com I will not make your email address available to anyone else and will maintain your privacy. Copyright 2008 / CoCo:Chenille, Inc./Christina Lynn Whited |