Antique French Hemp sheet with gorgeous weight and drape. It has been used and loved and washed many times which makes it lovely and soft.
The regular washing has bleached the fabric and so it is mainly chalky white in colour with some straw like patches when held up to the light. This is normal as hemp is a totally natural fibre which shows through the weave of the cloth. It gives it the rustic farmhouse look.
This is early 20th century.
Made on a narrow loom probably directly on the farm the hemp was grown and processed. Hemp is different to linen in that the weave looks almost string like with speckles of the original fibre visible as well as slightly ticker thread. It was a considered a hardwearing textile.
The simple red hand embroidered initials of J C are a sign that this would have been part of the trousseau of a women of a modest means from a farmers family for example.
The two initials are a slightly different size and style because the ladies initials would have been embroidered first and her husbands only once they were engaged.
A girl would start preparing her trousseau with her mother and other female relatives from a very young age.
There is a simple hand stitched hem on both ends of the sheet.
Because of the minimal embellishment this would make a lovely farmhouse style table cloth. It can also be used for curtains or blinds, as a throw as well.
It measures 200x270cm