DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L Archives

From: Greenwood <>
Subject: Muslin Flowerer
Date: Wed, 02 May 2001 11:45:08 -0700

I have seen the term "Muslin Flowerer" used within the linen, or cloth industry. It is associated with the cloth used
to make calico. The pattern was usually one of small flowers regularly spaced about on cotton/linen cloth, whichever
was the cloth of that area. Some were densly packed designs, others less so.

A more common term seen on censuses was Muslin Sewer, Printfield Worker or Bleachfield Worker. Muslin Flowerer is most
certainly the proper term, mis-interpreted by a transcriber. It was rarely seen in the censuses I was looking through.

There was another query about this term, but I think it might have been from the Stirlingshire list, the cloth industry
was very large there. That person had the term right, but didn't know what it meant. We think it is properly defined
as the above flower-printing process. However, we still don't know for sure if the flowers were inked on with
repeatable blocks of flowers cut into wooden print-blocks, or hand inked individually. Possibly stitched ? The time
involved in that endeavor would be tremendous.

Meg Greenwood / Oklahoma, USA [former quilter, familiar with Calico designs and muslin, but present-day]

Original query -
Mike Calder very kindly sent me some entries from the 1841 Census, one of which
is below. Could someone please tell me what a "Mushin Flowerer" would be?
Janis

This thread:

• Muslin Flowerer by Greenwood <>