Like their wood carvings and painted furniture, the fabrics of Hindeloopen carry similar intricate motifs. I have a fondness for the traditional Dutch folklore fabrics and during our visits such places as Spakenburg, Marken and Hindeloopen, I sensed a strong Asian influence in the designs.
The Dutch East Indian Company traded with Japan, India and Indonesia and brought back plaids from Indonesia, Chintz and paisley patterns form India and floral designs and silks from Japan. Japan was closed to the outside world, but carried on a trade with Holland, which did not promote their religions, unlike the Spaniards and the Portuguese. The Japanese influence shows up in the porcelain ware of Delft Blue, with its jars and vases of Japanese shapes and floral designs.
Japanese practical designs of peasant wear that designated its trades with aprons, headgear and bibs, made their way across the oceans and into the Low Lands and out to its rural provinces. Smaller villages showed their own adaptations to these designs and gradually created their own identity. The mix and match of patterns, common in Japan, found it's way into the folklore patterns of the Low Lands. Lace also made its way up into the provinces and added to identity of the wearers origin or village.
Today the Hindeloopen fabrics are sought after by quilters for their patterns and colours. They are expensive, but well worth the price. I have already started my stash and will add to it along the way.
What could be more appropriate in a 1908 Friesian skûtsje than the colourful folklore fabrics of Hindeloopen?
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