Vintage Linens in a Strained Economy

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!?

Damask and Lace at 2008 Year End

Happy New Year to Everyone!
May we all be well.

Thoughts on White Linen Damask

I have been reading White Figurated Linen Damask, from the 15th to the beginning of the 19th century, by Dr. G.T. van Ysselsteyn, published in Den Haag, 1962.

Dr. van Ysselsteyn commented that it was the expectation that, in 10 year’s time (then being the 1960s), figured damask will have disappeared even from the inherited trousseaus. This is due to: items being lost or destroyed during the wars, worn pieces being used as rags and polishing cloths and large houses haven given way to smaller ones, which have no room for the large formal dinner parties that require formal state linens. Cocktail parties do not require such large tables and quantities of enormous napkins. Styles also changed and the English and American use of placemats on bare tables became more popular everywhere.

The Author also stated that “damask requires special cleaning. It has to be cleaned with soft soap in a brass casserole, laid out on grass to be bleached and has to be pressed cold between rolls. This can still be done in the Netherlands but it is expensive and is therefore not suitable for everyday use.”

The introduction goes on to say that these linens “… are relatively cheap. Collections are rare. The material is not spectacular, photographs give a better impression than the object itself. Only those with a sound knowledge of the fabric and, with love for the hand-labor of their ancestors, want to collect the antique material.” Well said!

So, if you love and appreciate white linen damask, you are a member of a small club, indeed.

Autumn Laundry Weather

Autumn means an abundance of seeds and berries for our little bird friends but this also means that it is time to keep an eye on linens that you are drying out of doors in fine weather. Those luscious blueberries, elderberries and mulberries can make more work for you if they have been eaten by a birdy who then leaves droppings on your laundry! Ruefully rewashing them is the required solution. Live and learn.

Gorgeous August Weather is Great for Laundering Linens

The hot, dry, breezy weather here in southern New England is perfect for air drying your antique linens as well as your family’s laundry.

And, it is win win win… it’s free, it’s green and the laundry gets an outdoor smell of freshness and sunshine that can’t be duplicated!

Just bring it all inside before the thunderstorms arrive!

Antique Linens, Glorious Linens!

You love it. It speaks to you. You want it.

But how will you use this glorious antique or vintage textile or linen once you carry it home?

Dig deep, search your soul… and be truthful with yourself. (because nobody knows you as well as you do)

What is your goal? Are you a collector? Does the piece fit into or expand your collection in a meaningful way? Will it be used or do you have a place to display it? Does that even matter? If it ends up sleeping in your linen drawer or linen closet, is that okay with you? Only you know your search criteria, your storage and display concerns and the state of your piggy bank. So, consider your goals… and if you still want it, my advice is to include it in your life.

My story is that I buy the things I love, things to which I respond viscerally, even if I don’t have an immediate use for them. later, when a project comes up and I need “just the perfect thing” for it, I’ll search my linen closet and, voilá!, sometimes that perfect thing appears! I call it “going shopping in the closet.” Nothing confounds me more than when I remember the “perfect thing” that I passed up and did not buy! I always seem to need it later…
don’t you?

Uneven, blotchy color after laundering an antique textile

This is another specific problem that I have run into.

Uneven, mottled color can look like a mix of white and yellowish blotches or sometimes it can look like a mixture of blue and white. It result from the fabric surfaces not being submerged equally and the cleaning treatment not getting permeating every fiber. One would think that detergent would reach every fiber when the item is being washed in a washing machine, but it doesn’t… especially when the textile is bulky or big, such as a sheet.

To prevent this problem:

If you are starting out with a sheet or bedspread that has been stored badly and is rusty or just plain dirty, make the first wash a long soaking in your bathtub with plenty of water and plenty of swishing. (of course, I recommend using a product called “Restoration,” which is my favorite because it really works for me. Purchase from: http://www.englesideproducts.com)

Just make sure that your item has lots of space to float so that the water and the cleaning agent can permeate all the fibers.

If you already have this problem and are bothered by it, it is worth a try to solve it.

First, soak the piece in water with a little white vinegar added to remove any chemical residue.

Then, soak it well in plain water. (twice, if you want to be extra careful)

Then, soak it for a day or two in water to which a little laundry detergent and a little bleach (1 cup per bathtub, maybe? or less) has been added, making sure to stir well.

Repeat with a vinegar rinse and a clear rinse. Hopefully this will have helped!

I have had good outcomes with this method, as much as I hate to use bleach. An alternative might be to buy dye remover and follow the instructions on the box. I bought some last year but I have been too afraid to use it so far.

Love and luck!

Mindful ironing!

Many of my customers enjoy ironing; it puts them in a contemplative mood and they feel as though they have accomplished something.

It is, however, still a chore!

Some rules

my rules, of course!
I never ironed one thing until I started to collect antique linens. I use a 1950’s vintage rotary mangle iron and I do not use a hand iron, ever, so adjust my advice to your own situation.

Use the hottest iron you can find (on linen and cotton fabrics)

Don’t use steam

Iron most items when they are just barely damp (some coarser items may need to be almost wet in order to press out the wrinkles)

Iron them until you have pressed out all the dampness (or hang or drape immediately in a place they will continue to dry

Iron on the wrong side with a pad underneath (especially embroidery)

Smooth and tug gently, but firmly, to spread the fabric

There is a trade-off if you iron folds into your items (such as napkins and guest towels): the item looks fabulous but the folds will be slightly weakened

Do not take your eyes off your task

Use starch only if you will be using the items shortly

Do not use starch if you will be string your items for any length of time

Don’t even iron them if you will simply be storing them for a long time

Fold them once they have cooled

Storage thoughts soon… gotta run! I am about to launch my redesigned web site shortly!

http://www.antique-linens.com

specific problems… frail or fragile

if the item is fragile, but handle-able, such as a very old Christening gown, first place it inside a mesh bag or pillowcase and gently wash by hand. the case will support the fabric of the item.

if an item is not washable such as some beaded brocades, lightly dab it with a slightly damp sponge.

I do not usually launder silk, having destroyed some in the past. I have sent embroidered silk shawls and scarves to the dry cleaner with success.

with an item that is extremely frail and likely to fall apart with handling or washing, I recommend that you either find a conservator or accept it as is and live with it.

not all stains can be removed without destroying the textile. If I can not live with the condition, I usually try to launder the piece, knowing that it may not survive.

if at first

If you drain your soaking container and some of the laundry still has has stains or discoloration, repeat the soaking process with “restoration” or other “oxygenated cleaner.”

When the soaking is finished, drain, then refill with water and some clear white vinegar which pulls out soap residue. I use a good splash in my large Victorain clawfoot tub, probably about 4 – 6 ounces. Again, let it soak for 10-20 minutes and swish occasionally. Drain again.

Refill with water. If the water is quite cloudy, rinse another time and refill. Normally, I do not have to do this unless the items were extremely filthy. For 100 years of storage stains, one rinse is usually all I need.

1. soak with “restoration.”

(optional) 1b. re-soak with “restoration.”

2. rinse with water to which a little white vinegar has been added

3. rinse in clear water

(optional) 3b. rinse in clear water a second time.

4. drain away the water

5. drape items on a clothesline, from showerhead or against the side of the tub just until they are wet but not sopping wet.

6. let items drip until they are nearly dry but still a bit damp. you can leave them against the inside of the tub, hang them from something or lay them out on your grassy lawn. (if you hung them outdoors on a line, you have skipped this step.)

7. when dry to touch but a teensy bit damp, gather them, bring them to your ironing place and put them inside a plastic bag to keep them evenly moist.

8. get out your iron…. GO!

9. make sure your iron is clean. make sure it is hot. since I never ever ironed anything in my life until I developed a passion for antique linens, I bought a vintage ironrite rotary mangle iron and taught myself to iron. It arrived with its original booklet and the instructions are what I followed. Sorry, i can’t speak to using a hand iron. Found them frustrating; I don’t know how.

10. do not use steam. the cloth should be slightly damp and that will release steam.

11. choose pieces to iron that you are in the mood to iron. If you are in the mood to tackle a sheet or tablecloth, do not iron tiny things like handkerchiefs! save them for a “small day!

12. heat and pressure are the two things that you will exert on the items. tug corners and designs gently into place with your fingers.

13. use starch if you like but only when you will be using the item in the near future. otherwise, the starch may attract moths or mice that eat it and the fibers that happen to get in the way. I do not starch anything. the intense pressure and heat from my mangle iron provides a crisp finish.

13. fold when cool.