Ribbons tie it all together

Nineteenth century French textile designers often used a ribbon motif  as decoration for their central pattern while also letting the ribbons create a link between the larger elements in a design. This simple design motif was versatile and popular and remains so today.
The first below is a late-19th century fabric that uses a lacy-looking ribbon. The next example, with the white background from mid-19th century, has elegant striped ribbons with lacy edges.

The next three have very similar ribbon-tied motifs and all three from the late 19th century.

The next is a late-19th century cotton damask ticking with a meandering ribbon motif.

The last is a 1920s fabric with a large-scale motif of flower-filled baskets, jauntily held together with lavender ribbons.