Vintage Linens
Sometimes “New” is not always “Improved”. Gone are the days of shopping at W.T. Grants, the local five and dime stores that carried everything you needed for your home.Notions departments, Domestics or Linen departments were well stocked with a vast assortment to choose from and all at very affordable prices.
Linens were made in mills right here in
the USA. Housewives in the 1950’s had a ritual of changing curtains,
linens, dresser scarves, doilies with the seasons. They had so many
choices of colors, fabrics and styles.Now we have the big stores, the Walmarts, Targets ect., who have pared down our choices of items to purchase , stocking only what they perceive as a fast turnover, items made overseas and cheaply made.
Below are some examples of items that
have never gone out of style or usefulness. Items that help us “Go
Green” with little effort, that give a big value for the money and if
you know where to look can be easy to find.
1. Linen, damask or cotton hand towels. Trimmed with lace, tatting,
embroidered, monogrammed, plain , woven or stamped with an all over
design. These versatile towels can be for the kitchen or the bath. These
vintage kitchen towels dry dishes faster, are lintfree for glasses, dry
fast, can be bleached and make a pretty decorating statement and wear
well. Collecting colorful souvenir towels, many are made out Irish
linen, the best wearing fabric makes drying dishes a trip down Memory
Lane remembering favorite trips and places. 1950’s bright coloful
florals make any kitchen cheerful.
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| Linen Hand Towels |
Towels for the bath with pretty embroidery, lace trims, appliques,
add color and decorating excitement to the bath. Fingertip towels for
your guest bath is a special touch, they dry fast, you can display
several, each guest can feel like they are using a towel just for them,
not one the whole family has used for a week. Fabric instead of paper, a
green alternative.
2. Hankies, yes those delicate little squares of fabric. They come in all colors, embellished like little works of art. Cotton, linen whatever your favorite. Monogrammed, decorated with flowers, crocheted or tatted edges, enbroidered, the styles are endless.
Forget the
kleenexs crumbling and shredding in your purse or pockets, collecting
lint so you can’t remember if it is clean or used. One pretty hanky can
be quickly retrieved when a sneeze is coming on or a tear starts to
fall. It can be washed and used over and over again. I even put one in
my jeans pocket, they are small and dainty and just have a corner
peeking out over the top of the pocket, making a little fashion
statement. It’s a perfect little gift to give someone for an occassion
like a wedding or a “just because” thinking of you little gift.
Beautiful white or ivory trimmed with lace hankies just what every
brides needs and teary eyed guests too. In my bookshop I suggest a
pretty hanky with every sappy romance novel bought. Or with a book ,
tucked inside like a book marker. A hankie can be mailed inside a
greeting card as a little token gift. Start carrying one with you and
you will be going green and enjoying one of these little pieces of
textile art and never go back to messy wasteful tissues again.
3. Aprons. So practical and so much fun. I know we are not wearing pearls and high heels around the house like June Cleaver in the 1950’s show. We are working girls, rushing home from work trying to get dinner on the table and family activities taken care of. Aprons had a very practical use, protecting one’s clothes while in the kitchen. What thoroughly modern gal has downtime after work to change out of her work attire and into casual before preparing dinner? Many have to rush out the door after dinner with kid’s activities, social meetings ect and need to stay properly attired to go out again. Grab a handy apron and start your frying pans.
Aprons were a daily attire for past generations,
they were washable, had 2 pockets for all kinds of stuff, came in handy
for a quick dusting, wiping when unexpected guests arrived, gathering
eggs or produce from the garden, there were so many handy uses for them.
Bet they always had a hanky in one of those pockets for wiping a teary
eyed child’s face. There were sturdy ones for everyday, Sunday dinner
fancy ones and holiday themed ones. Usually made with leftover pieces of
fabric trimmed with whatever embellishments that were in the sewing
basket or purchased at the five and dime. In our busy lives these little
works of textile art can save a beautiful designer outfit from a splash
of spagetti sauce any day. My cousins and I even had an apron themed
family reunion, each gal was given an apron that reflected her
personality when she arrived, we called ourselves the Apron Sisterhood.
No one took theirs off till the end of the party, they just felt so
comfortable wearing and they certainly did their job protecting our
clothes and keeping cellphones and stuff in the pockets. We have great
photos and memories and a souvenir apron to keep.
4. Dresser Scarves and Doilies. What an assortment the previous
generations had to choose from at the linen department. All types of
fabrics, trims, embellishments, whatever your decorating style there was
one for you.
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| Crocheted Runner Mat Dresser Scarf |
Try to find a dresser scarf now in Walmart or Target. No
way. thrifty housewives would buy plain linen and then iron on a
transfer pattern and the embroider the design or do cross-stitching to
make it their own creation. I remember the magazine called “Workbasket”
( we sell lots of this vintage handcraft magazine in our shop now)
would come every month and have a pull-out iron on transfer for you to
use. In this economy where many purchases of new furniture are being
put-off , redecorating being done on a limited budget, what better way
to protect your furniture, cover up a well worn dresser top or just
change your color fabric accessories is to use dresser scarves or
doilies. Before you slide that brass lamp across the beautiful finish of
your furniture consider protecting it with one of these cloths, whether
plain linen, embroidered, lace or colorful floral it does double duty
decorating and protecting. Washable, inexpensive and so practical.
Pretty lace doilies look great under a glass top. The glass protects the
furniture top from sweating glasses of water, nailpolish anything that
mars the finish or could spill.
Okay we brought to everyone mind these great little inventions
from the past, things that we grew up with and took for granted. Now
that we are “Big Girls” with homes of our own, we realize that Mom had
some great ideas, why did we not follow her example? She was saving and
Going Green with these 4 handy items long before it was fashionable.
Okay you see now the usefulness of them but where do you find them? The
big stores aren’t going to have them, certainly not a selection of any
of them or the durable fabrics, the pretty details and best of all, made
in the USA. Well here is the fun part. Visit your nearest antique and
collectibles shop, find a dealer who specializes in vintage linens. They
are not expensive, easy to find and fun to collect. One of my shops is
just filled with linens from yesterday, I stock racks full of dresser
scarves, tablecloths, shelves full of towels, baskets with hundreds of
doilies. I am a “Linen Lady”. Completely hooked and in love wih the
handwork of my mother’s and grandmother’s generations. I rescue, wash,
iron , stitch and put up for adoption these little works of textile art.
Damaged pieces are redesigned, maybe cut up made into new things, trims
saved, pretty pieces framed as wall art but never ever thrown away till
all uses are exhausted. Even worn-out old linen has a new life as the
softest gentlest dustcloths ever. Handcrafted items are a direct link to
the person whose hands toiled for hours creating these pieces made with
love for her special family. Maybe you will want to try your hand at
creating your future family heirlooms. What granddaughter wouldn’t love
having her Gram’s apron?
For more vintage linens and textiles please visit our Vintage Linens and Textiles For Sale page at https://www.facebook.com/VintageLinensAndTextilesForSale
For more vintage linens and textiles please visit our Vintage Linens and Textiles For Sale page at https://www.facebook.com/VintageLinensAndTextilesForSale
