so, instead of planting anything new… (no, not laundering linens today, I am taking long weekends in the summer!) … I have been making plant markers for my specimen hosta border.
Hosta names are fabulous! Besides “August Moon” and “Blue Angel,” “Jimmy Crack Corn” is one of my favorite hosta varieties as well as one of my favorite hosta names. There are approx. 7,500 hosta varieties and the “collector” in me wants to have one (or more) of each!
gotta love summer!
Here in New England trees are leafing and we are finally opening windows. The heady smell of lilacs is strong. Interspersed with glorious sunshine, we also have some drizzly days: my favorite kind of day to bury myself in my linen closet. If there are days that you, too, are swept indoors, consider them a chance to dabble in your linen cupboard!
Take time to refold, reshuffle or just touch your linens. One of the nicest things you can do is to attach a note onto your most cherished heirlooms. Include your name and the year you are writing the note, how you acquired it and any lore that you know. This will be so helpful in the future!
My favorite notes have read something like this: Pillowcase embroidered by Jane Smith, age 12 in 1910. She was my great grandmother. Signed Jane J. Smith, 2007. Massachusetts.
or
Coverlet given to me from Mother. It is 100 years old in 1960. (signed: Jane J Cobb, Trenton, NJ)
or (I am paraphrasing from memory)
This shawl was made by Jane Smith from wool she sheared from her own sheep, then spun and wove by hand. She lived in XXX around 1828-1865. It came to me from Great Aunt Nell for my birthday in 1914.
you get the idea! even if you have no idea of the year it was made, try to record everything you do know, or have been told, about it. You will be especially glad later on that you took the time to do this.
If possible, use 100% cotton fiber paper and attach with a very skinny pin taking care not to pierce the middle. Attach at a seam or loop a pice of cotton string through a buttonhole or other opening. Do not attach a safety pin through lace; it invariably will tear the lace.
Most of all… enjoy!
There are lots of ways of collecting vintage things and going about collecting.
1. to acquire and hoard them (this is ok; it protects them for future generations)
2. to display them in a “no touching” way
3. to use them (and to be prepared to sometimes use them up)
4. a combination of the above.
You can also control your acquisitions by depth of focus. Only lace? Only one type of lace? Or, even only lace from a certain part of the world. Or, take monograms, for instance! You could choose to collect monograms. Or perhaps only hand embroidered monograms. (But that leaves out many superb monograms that have been fashioned from lace instead of by sewing.) Or perhaps collect only monograms with certain letters, maybe letters you like the shapes of or, possibly, only letters that form your own monogram. Or your family’s or your cat’s!
There are also more specialized collections: some repair, reuse and recycle into other things such as crafts projects, making quilts or human or doll clothing. In an even more rarefied strata, some people put together a specific collection as a gift to posterity, hoping to find a museum (or even a grandchild) who will curate it.
Let me guide you toward the type of quality and price to pursue…. if you think you could not bear to use a $75 guest towel, then perhaps a $12 one would be a better choice. Or, you can collect tiny scraps of lace to hold on to and learn from and then, later, when you know the techniques that grab you, you can go on to buy a collar or cuffs or a lappet. Consider napkins to use, sheets to sleep in, old undies and nightgowns to wear! Or, even easier… a nice little stack of fabulous hankies or doilies… they often have many of the techniques at an affordable price and they are easier to store because they are small.
Most people will advise you to not buy items that are damaged because it is the perfect and rare ones that hold value. I believe that a damaged, but affordable, item can be a wonderful way to learn what really good techniques are so that you can familiarize yourself with them and spot them later. A scrap of 18th century toile may be tiny but affordable. An 18th century coverlet made from that toile will be priced out of reach.
Ask yourself honestly what you think you want to do with the things you are acquiring and let that be your first buying guide. Although I grant that most people who stumble on the world of antique linens do not have a plan in mind and just want that pretty thing that so attracts them. If you nodded yes to that idea, then sadly, you will probably be hooked and it won’t matter what you want to do with them. They’ll just pile up and up and up and you will be ankle deep in linens. And, then knee deep. And then, there is no going back.
The year 2009 is an economic challenge for everyone. With so much uncertainty in the economic world, it’s hard to justify the purchase of anything nonessential!
This may not be the time to amass oodles of things to your linen closet. Or, to add to your collections… unless you are offered something superb that fits your area of interest to a tee. It’s really a perfect time to go through your linen closet to reassess, refold and rearrange the heirlooms that you are preserving.
If you have something that you are saving for a special occasion, bring it out now and put it on display! It’s time to brighten your heart by appreciating all of the things that you love. (This includes people and places as well as “things!”) Your special treasure may be too fine, too fragile or too grand to actually use but you can drape it over a door or fasten it on a wall or over a bannister where it can be seen and appreciated for its workmanship, color and age!
Let’s call this the time for living rather than acquiring! If not now… when!?
Happy New Year to Everyone!
May we all be well.
If you think you are ready to tackle the laundry… Make your list and gather (or buy) the items you will need. Nothing brings you to a stop faster than not having the right thing on hand.
1.
RESTORATION, a product from engleside products, lancaster, PA, 800-553-2637
http://www.englesideproducts.com/
or substitute oxyclean
2.
a gallon of plain white vinegar (for rinsing)
3.
whink brand liquid rust remover
4.
laundry detergent (whatever you have on hand)
5.
chlorine bleach (OPTIONAL, use only as a last resort)
That’s not so long a list!
Because of the number of emails that I get on this subject through my antique linens website, I know that laundering and caring for antique and vintage linens and textiles consumes many of us. Because I did not have time to answer each and every question, I added a “tips on laundering antique linens” page to my site. (http://www.antique-linens.com/launder.html) But, daily, my mind is on the ever-growing list things that I have learned through more than a decade’s worth of washing things to sell.
First off, when did we get so scared of laundry!? From ancient times (or today, in ancient places) when rocks and the riverside were the method… to laundresses, hiring space on a laundry barge on the Seine River in Paris in the 19th and early 20th century, to the invention of soap flakes, scrub boards, laundry powders, chlorine bleach and modern laundry detergents, surfactants, softeners and scents, laundry was a yearly, monthly, weekly or daily chore. As more chemical products are invented along with washing machines and dryers, I wonder if we feel more removed from our washing than in days gone by?
Courage, my friends! Laundering and storing vintage Christening dresses, antique linen sheets, lace collars and cuffs and anything else is not rocket science! So, gather your heirlooms and your inner strength (I know it’s there!) and follow along as I help demystify the process for you!
In some ways, it’s easier than ever before because we have a wide range of products at our fingertips. In some ways, it’s harder because we have become limited by our washers and dryers and can’t get outside of those boxes. Let’s go!
RULE #1. Use what you have
a. common sense.
b. whatever resources you have at your house. (if you don’t have a bathtub in which to soak linens, substitute whatever you do have, a bucket, a sink, a plastic storage container, look around.)
RULE #2. Breathe.
a. Don’t begin anything when you are rushed. Especially if it is your first try.
RULE #3. Do not do anything to jeopardize your piece.
a. If you are truly worried, first soak in vinegar water and rinse it in plain water to remove chemical residues from prior washings that might interact with whatever you are about to try.
more to come…
Ok, call me crazy, obsessed or addicted… and you would be right. I am wild over old things in general and antique linens/ textiles in particular. I am new to blogging but when I am laundering and ironing the linens in my collection and the linens I sell, constant patter runs through my brain as I think of things I’d love to tell anyone (everyone) about using splendid old things!
My interest in collecting antiques (living, breathing, sleeping antiques) rolled into the decision to become an antiques dealer. I figured “If I enjoy these beautiful old items so much, maybe someone else out there shares my interest, too.” And, Voilá! (not quite that instantaneous, but I am a pretty determined individual and whatever interests me, I jump into wholeheartedly!)
As my little hobby business took off, no one has been more surprised than I. Linens are stacked everywhere and they have taken invaded my life and my house! Customers become friends, other dealers become friends, the techies become friends, strangers become friends… and the web has linked us together in ways not fathomable just a mere few years ago.
Living amongst antiques gives me an appreciation for times gone by when everything one owned was made by someone’s hand. The idea of something being precious enough to hold onto, use, maybe repair and pass on is fascinating. Other ands have touched and enjoyed these things! After they pass through my hands, other hands will continue to enjoy them, too. It’s a nice thought.
my life is way too hectic to start blogging… hmmn, so is everyone else’s!
