Mulquinerie is a landmark of French sartorial heritage and high craftsmanship, and is the art of weaving and trading fine fabrics composed exclusively of linen: whether plain flax cloth, 'linon'[1] or batiste.

This activity was predominantly developed within villages as a substantial rural proto-industry, hence mulquiniers working on métiers à tisser in their home' basement while breathing from "bahottes" or "blocures" to obtain the most propitious humidity levels.

The activity was ubiquitous in the towns of the former Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin, the Cambrésis sub-province or the Thiérache including Saint-Vaast-en-Cambrésis, Saint-Hilaire-lez-Cambrai, Haspres, Saint-Quentin or Neuvilly.

[5] Among the oldest mulquinerie ancestries are the Lecygne and Legueil families tracing back beyond the 17th century being fabric dyers, textile artists, embroiderers, patternmakers or hand-spinners.

The French mulquiniers' patron was Saint Veronica of Jerusalem whose representations they celebrated biannually (summer and winter) as in many pious Christian countries.