Sewed muslin was a

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

imported from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in the late 18th century. Related to

tambour lace In classical architecture, a tambour ( Fr.: "drum") is the inverted bell of the Corinthian capital around which are carved acanthus leaves for decoration. The term also applies to the wall of a circular structure, whether on the ground or rais ...

, it was worked on very fine

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate hands ...

, and used a variety of stitches to create motifs, usually depicting flowers and plants (hence its other name, ''flowered muslin'').

Sewed muslin industry in Scotland

A notable developer of the industry in Scotland was Mrs Jamieson, the wife of an Ayrshire cotton agent. Seeing a philanthropic opportunity, she set out to teach local farmers' wives and daughters the trade, focusing on firm satin stitch, overcast fillings, and fine lace stitches in cut-out spaces. The designs were drawn up by professional draughtsmen in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

before being sent out to be

embroidered Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

by outworkers. They were then bleached, made up, boxed and widely

marketed Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

, proving especially popular in North America. In 1791, the industry provided (often part-time) employment to as many as 105,000 women and children in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, or approximately 86% of the entire workforce. The impact of the industry on the local population was noted by the minister of

Houston, Renfrewshire Houston ( ; sco, Houstoun), is a village in the council area of Renfrewshire and the larger historic county of the same name in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Houston lies within the Gryffe Valley on the banks of the River Gryffe no ...

in the 1790s, when he wrote that it allowed many young women "not only omaintain themselves, but obuy fineries." The muslins used in this industry came largely from local mills: the first cotton mills had been built in west Scotland in the 1770s, and by the 1780s the quality was high enough to supply the demand for fine white muslins, which became ''de rigueur'' to achieve the neo-classical style of dress. The Ayrshire whitework industry was a victim of its own success, starting to decline from the 1830s onwards, after the patenting of the first embroidery machine in 1828, which allowed similar motifs to be produced at a fraction of the cost. It continued in popularity until the 1850s, when a combination of over-production and cotton shortages imposed by the

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saw to its demise. Sewed muslin from the wider Glasgow area came to be known as Ayrshire whitework, and is extremely similar to French whitework. The main difference between them is that French whitework is usually worked on

cambric Cambric or batiste, is a fine dense cloth. It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often g ...

rather than

.Margaret Swain, ''Scottish Embroidery: Medieval to Modern'' (BT Batsford, 1986), p. 21.

References

18th century in Scotland Embroidery Industrial Revolution in Scotland Textile arts {{textile-arts-stub