The weaving of silk ribbons (sometimes called narrow-weaving) was carried out in a number of European cities in the 18th century, notably in the French cities of Lyon, Paris, and Tours, alongside the production of elaborate wide silks for furnishings and dress. Saint-Chamond and Saint-Etienne in the Stéphanois, some 40-50 kilometres south of Lyon, gradually became the main centres of the production of the most fashionable and complex silk ribbons, such as this. In France, ribbons were generally between 3 and 22 cm wide, guild regulations stipulating they had to be less than 40cm in width, in other words at least 10cm narrower than a dress silk. The engine loom (métier à la barre), first used in 1604 in Leiden, was only adopted in France from 1736 and officially promoted by the French government from 1769. It allowed the production of eight or more ribbons at the same time on the same loom, but was only suited to the weaving of simpler ribbons initially. It began to be used in Saint-Chamond and Saint-Etienne from 1750.