Communist Tablecloths and Other Crazy Soviet Fabric Patterns

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Ever heard of “communist tablecloths”? These amazing patterns were popular at the dawn of the Soviet Union, circa the 1920s and 1930s, and onward, as textile production became incredibly complex. We’re pretty entranced, not just with the amount of detail in these fabrics but, more so, with the clever way that delightfully propagandist imagery of revving tractors, smoke-pumping factory pipes, and babushka-clad women taking a sickle to wheat are woven in between opulent florals and pretty, constructivist squiggles. Spotted at English Russia, here are a few of the craziest patterns we’d love to get our hands on.

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: English Russia

Image credit: Pinterest