As was discussed in part one, chenille refers to fabric with a thick pile. In the 1920’s and 1930’s Dalton, GA became the “chenille” bedspread capital of the United States. This was largely in part to Catherine Evans (later Catherine Evans Whitener) who revived the handcraft of tufting. Hand-tufted bedspreads have an embroidered appearance and because of the thick yarn, they were commonly referred to as “chenille”. Despite being incorrect, the name stuck.
Tufted bedspreads were made by stamping a pattern on a sheet, typically muslin and filling in the patterns with yarn. Demand was so great that “spread houses” were used to stamp the sheets. The stamped sheets were then delivered to families in the south along with yarn to be tufted. Haulers would then make their rounds picking up the spreads and carrying them back to the spread houses for finishing and dyeing.
U.S. Hwy 41 was a main highway for travelers going through Georgia. Clotheslines were often filled with bedspreads, including the most popular peacock designs. This area became known as “Peacock Alley.”
You’ll want to read more here….
https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/chenille-bedspreads
Sandra Mahs collected bedspreads for more than 20 years. Read about her here….
If you’re ever able to make the trip to Dalton, Georgia, be sure to make arrangements to see this exhibit….
http://www.bandyheritagecenter.org/exhibitions/thread-by-thread
