Ahhh! It’s happened…we are finally THAWING OUT here in New England. I tell you, dear readers, it was a L-O-N-G winter for us! Spring makes me think of freshly-laundered linens gently swaying in a soft breeze, flowers covering vintage floral hankies, soft cotton, embellished pillowcases and lovely linen vintage tablecloths, painstakingly embroidered by hand. Linens of yesteryear still bring on the charm today; they are “spring” on fabric. April’s blog is dedicated to vintage linens: tablecloths, hankies, afghans…OH MY!
I bought the cutest tablecloth from the 50s and I live it. So bright and cherry.
Hi Lisa, OOOOOo…fifties tablecloths are the best! I agree, they bring on the cheer! They are so much fun! Enjoy! Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
What a wonderful post! I too love old hankies and linens. I have some hankies that I found in my great grandmother’s purse along with some old vintage greeting cards. I’ve gotten some great treasures at yard and church rummage sales. I live in Florida and love when I come across an old tablecloth with Florida decorations on it. You do have some beautiful linens!
Hi Cindy! Thank you so much! How special it is that you have your great grandmother’s hankies and cards! Oh, and I love the vintage tablecloths from Florida! I don’t have any, but I’ve seen some. The Florida graphics are some of the best vintage ones! Fun! Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
After my mom passed away many years ago, I found a complete pieced quilt top that I remember my mother piecing with the church women. Fast forward 35 years….cleaning out drawers to repaint and there it was, wrapped in tissue, pristine. As a Christmas gift last year, I wrapped it and sent it to my sister from our mom. A very dear friend has completed that quilt as of February. It is amazing. And the quilt top is over 50 years old…awesome!
Oh Diann, what a beautiful, awesome story! You’ve brought tears to my eyes. How special is that quilt?! So sweet. I love that you gave it to your sister, started by your mom and church friends, and that a dear friend finished it. I know your mom is smiling in Heaven! Thank you sooo much for sharing with us. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I think your going to love your box of things I sent you! Loved your blog this month! ♥️
Hi Connie, my sweet friend, thank you! I am so glad you liked the blog. Talk soon. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hello Nicole,
There is a wonderful product you can get at quilt shops or online called Retro Clean. I have used it and it works magic if you follow the directions! I have saved so many vintage quilts, linens, and fabrics with water stains (from floods, etc.), rust stains, blood stains, etc. I testify it’s worth every penny. I’m just saddened they didn’t create it sooner to save so many lovely textile pieces that were tossed through out the years. Here in California it was $15.99 for the 16 oz. Package. http://www.retroclean.com
Thanks for your inspiring share!!!
Hi Binky! OMG thank you for sharing!! I checked out their website and it looks awesome!I have never heard of it before. Looks like a great product; I will have to try it. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Someone once gave me a hankie box. It was beautiful but, alas, I was young and didn’t know what it was so I didn’t take care of it so now it’s gone. Kicked myself many a time over that. When I have a vintage dresser scarf or table topper that is so stained nothing works I tea dye it. Not too dark but it hides the stains and only slightly changes the colored thread.
Hi Marlene, I feel your pain! My grandmother could design and sew anything. When I was a teen, about 13 or 14, I was visiting and we were looking through her closet. She had a beautiful sunny yellow dress she sewed in the early fifties. She probably designed, it, too. It no longer fit her of course, and being only 14 at the time, it fit me and she gave it to me. I wore it and wore it, (I loved vintage even back then), and when I grew out of it, I think I tossed it. Makes me sick to think of it. She saved it all those years! Looking back, it must have been sentimental for some reason, because they lived in a tiny, tiny one bedroom house with only that one closet. I would have loved to have it today, but I was young, and didn’t think.
I love the idea of using tea dye to cover stains, too! Great idea, thank you for sharing! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Its fun to see all your vintage linens and hankies and how you use, care for and display them. Wish I’d kept a few of my ancestor’s things. Saw a pretty quilt idea making hankies into butterflies for each square. My friend is working on one with hankies her friends are sending her or she finds.
Hi Diane!Oh what a great idea! I bet the hanky butterfly quilt will be just so adorable! Great idea for making a quilt. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
as always I loved your blog today! I have a lot of old vintage linens that belonged to my Mom and Grandmother. I need to use them more, especially after seeing your pictures of how you used yours. I also have old quilts too!
Hi Denise, thank you…How special that you have your mom and grandmother’s linens – I’m glad you’re going to use them! Vintage linens were meant to be used! I think that is what is such a big part of the charm of the past; people used “fancy” items like tablecloths and pretty linens everyday, and if you take care of them, they will continue to last. Love that you love old quilts, too. Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I also love collecting old linen and cotton tablecloths and napkin sets as well as crocheted handkerchiefs. They make the table look special, and using cloth
napkins is environmentally friendly and also makes the get together feel special.
Will keep an eye out for old quilts after your blog.
Hi Renate, I agree! Using cloth linens as opposed to paper makes any meal “special”. It seems that very few stores carry even “new” table linens anymore. Hopefully they make a comeback, as the move to greener living continues. Aren’t they fun to collect? Happy Hunting, and thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Reading your blog today reminded me of a couple of my most favorite pieces (among many tablecloths, quilts, doilies, afghans, and old nightgowns from Germany). When I got married (41 years ago-doesn’t seem that long ago) my Mom gave me a hand-quilted and hand-embroidered Southern Belle quilt that she made for one of my gifts. Needless to say, that one stays on my bed! 🙂 Then I found a white crocheted doily in the shape of a Southern Belle (dress with umbrella) at an antique shop. I tacked it on top of a burlap pillow that adorns the bed! I love the old mixed with the new as well, such as burlap pillows. I haven’t ever seen another doily like this as I travel across the USA each year visiting unique shops or antique places! Both are true treasures!!
Reba, first off, how wonderful you’ve been married 41 years! We were married 25 last year. 🙂
What a special keepsake you have with the quilt. And the doily! Sounds like a beautiful mix of old and new for sure. Love that look! And burlap looks so cool in decor. I love it. I need to remember to use it more. It adds a lot of charm. There’s some great antique shops here if you ever breeze through Connecticut! Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I too have several vintage linens, hankies from my great Grandmother, table clothes, pillow cases and dresser scarves that I did as a child, quilts from an Aunt and great Aunt. Thanks for tweeking my thinking, I love them but using them daily, guess I just take them for granted, no more. I’m going to get out some tatting lace, from great Grandmother and great Aunt, and make it into something, like trim for some towels for my ladies wash stand I use in my bedroom (it is part of a bed set from my Grandparents) they got it in 1910 as a wedding gift. Whew I got windy about all of this, thanks again for the super writing and great pictures. God bless.
Hi Joan! You just put a huge smile on my face with this comment. I love that I inspired you like that! Would love to see what you make! I don’t do tatting but I have a friend who makes beautiful pieces! And I think it is super special you have your grandparents’ bed set. Thanks for reading and commenting. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Thank You for your story on vintage linens…I have been collecting them for years…Have you ever seen Huck weaved towels? Or Swedish embroidery? The time and effort put in to create vintage linens was amazing…An elderly friend gave me the recipe for an “antique linen” soak, she called it I’ll share it with you.
1/2 gallon of warm water
1/2 c. Cascade dish washing soap
1/2 c. Biz powder
Soak as long as needed Repeat if needed.
A friend soaked a “dirty brown” quilt in a bathtub…it looked new after two ” soaks”
Hi Julie! I looked up what Huck Weave towels are…I remember those! I haven’t seen any in years, but there were some when I was growing up. Swedish embroidery is beautiful! Thank you for the recipe! I will have to try it if I have something very yellowed! Thanks for sharing it with us! Farmgirl Hugs, my dear friend, Nicole
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Nicole, these are very beautiful pictures. My mother, your grandmother, had beautiful linens, crocheted doilies and bedspread, but I do not have any of them. I love the vintage hankies you gave to me.
Love you,
Mother
Hi Momma, so glad you like the hsnkies! I remember my grandmother’s crocheted bedspread. So beautiful. Love you, Nicole
Hi Nicole, I have some of those calendar tea towels from my mother and also a suitcase toiletries case like the one shown from her and I am using it to store some things in. I also have doilies packed away that were hers and the Retro Clean may be what I get to clean them up if they need it when I find them. Thanks for a lovely blog and thanks to Binky Thorsson for the URL for Retro Clean.
Hi Sandi, Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed the post. I am going to try that Retro Clean, too. I had not heard about it before, but it sounds good! Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
So appreciate the vintage inspiration! In the farmhouse, I’m more of an antique/prim/old-fashioned gal, but with the new camper I’ve come to love looking for vintage finds to spruce her up. I came across some embroidered tea towels for a song at a fun shop, and stitched them across some toss pillows to help them fit better into the retro camper look…thanks again for the inspiration!
Hi Mary, Oh that sounds lovely! I adore tea towels, new and vintage, and sometimes they are too pretty to use as “towels”. Making a pillow is a great idea! I bet your camper looks so cozy and home-y! Enjoy! Thanks for reading and commenting. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Have you tried quilt soap or a degreaser with borax to remove the stain on the blanket? ..or even peroxide or a combination vinegar and baking soda…id try all those before I toss anything. As for the holes in the item …to do an embroidered flower around the hole makes it a conversation piece…I’ll add an arrangement of embroidered flowers around a hole first going around the hole with a blanket stitch then add a few tounds aroubd that round, then do some flowers and leaves. Can make a hole in my blanket look exquisitely pretty. You dont see the holes you see the beautiful flower arrangement. Just an idea. Susana
Hi Susan, I will try the borax…haven’t done that before. I did try the vinegar and baking soda. I love your idea for holes in things! Lovely! Very “Make do” which I love. I would never toss something (especially vintage!) just because of holes. There’s always something to do about it. Thanks for the great comment! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole, I love your vintage collections. I too have been a collector of hankies, scarves, tablecloths, runners, oh and I found a great find at an estate sale on vintage linen calendars…about 20 or more of them for 10cents each… I love them. I was lucky and had the year my husband and i got married, found the years of both my sons births, and some other fun years….I too tie hankies on my train cases, on my vintage handbags, and at one time I had tons of vintage gloves but I ended up selling those since I didnt wear them enough..I love my vintage table cloths I change them out quite often usually weekly, I have so many and I like to use them..I use the larger ones for curtains to hide things on shelves sometimes…loved the post…be Blessed. Neta
Oh Neta, we are so like-minded! I also have some vintage gloves, too, but I usually just have a few for display as I don’t wear them much, either. What a lucky find – calendar towels at 10 cents!! The cheapest I have ever found them was $2.00 a piece, and I was doing a happy dance at that price! Thanks for reading and commenting; it’s always great to hear from you. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I use vintage embroidered napkins and cotton hand towels for bathroom hand towels. I keep a stack folded on the sink. They are pretty and everyone can dry their hands on a clean towel. I keep a vase or large jar on the counter to deposit used towels.
Jeri, What a GREAT idea! I love that! Sounds so pretty, too! Thank you for sharing. Farmgirl Genius repurposing, for sure! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole