linen

I’ve written a few times about collecting and caring for vintage linens. Several times I’ve taken a chance on otherwise beautiful stained linens on sale for a dollar or two, hoping I can remove the stain and restore the piece to perfection. Sometimes I’m successful, other times not so much. If, like me, you’ve got a few tablecloths, napkins and other scraps with beautiful embroidery or lace work, but can’t use them because of a big old stain, here are a few ideas for salvaging the good parts.

I was once in a shop full of clothes made from vintage damask tablecloths. As you can imagine, there were very feminine looking dresses, lots of dressy kids clothes – not much in the way of menswear. An old tablecloth can be used in lieu of most fabrics to make things like throw pillows, napkins, purses and curtains. Brightly printed tablecloths from the fifties and sixties can be turned into colorful stuffed bears and dolls. You can cut the embroidered corner of a tablecloth, napkin or tea towel into the shape of an oval or square. Turn the edges under and sew the embroidered piece onto a throw pillow. The embroidery can also be framed and hung on a wall. Doilies can also be sewn onto a pillow or turned into wall art. A doily can even be incorporated into a child’s dress as a pretty ornament.

A trip to a crafts store can yield all sorts of ideas for your damaged vintage linens. Buy a lampshade frame and cover it with a colorful old apron. Buy a picture frame and turn it into a pretty padded frame. Make a plain, cardboard hatbox into a thing of beauty by covering it with luxurious vintage fabric. The possibilities are endless!

Vintage ladies handkerchiefs have been quite collectible. They are dainty, charming reminders of days gone by, and lovely little textile delights. I’m not going to extol all the virtues of the lovely linens, for someone else has already done a very fine job of that, instead, I’m going to talk about mistakes in buying hankies. Or, more accurately, how to deal with the mistakes you’ve made in buying vintage hankies.

Every so often, I come across a rummage sale with a little old lady, or her family, selling her vintage hankies. Often I’ll thumb through the stack of hankies (acting slightly disinterested so the price can be negotiated, of course) and ask how much they are. They’ll reply with something like “Oh, how about 10 cents a piece” or some other small sum, and I’ll grab all ten for a dollar (or if it’s a larger stack, make them an even lower offer on them all, because I am both cheap and greedy). Or they will be in a baggy or box for so cheap, that I decide to take my chances and buy them before someone else can beat me to it.

Often, I find when I buy in bulk, and have paid without looking, that the hankies are not exactly in wonderful, collectible conditions. At any rate, the odds are in a lot of them, that not all will be fine or even vintage. Has this ever happened to you? What can you do?

Well, if they are new, you can certainly use them for their intended purpose (and everytime you blow your delicate little nose, you’ll remember to look before you buy and blow your money!). But if they are less-than-perfect, be it a small stain, an unraveling rolled edge or frayed area, — even just brand new, yet very pretty, isn’t there some way to enjoy them?

Of course, there are always the little cheater-tricks to use with hankies, or any linens, really. A hanky with a stain in the center area can still be used like a doilie under plants, under teacups displayed on shelves, and the like. But I’d like to think we are all more creative than that. *wink*

New, unused hankies make wonderful ways to present gifts. You’ll find many with ‘Happy Birthday’ or other celebratory embroideries, as well as cheery floral themes. Instead of expensive and wasteful tissue paper, why not use a dainty lady’s handkerchief to wrap your gift?

With larger gifts, or gifts of food, use new clean hankies to line the gift basket, with another hanky on top to hide the gift itself. This presentation goes over so well, that I inspired one gal to do this for all her shower gifts. It was a stunning presentation, and the hankies were mementos of the special event as well!

For non-food related gifts, you may also use vintage hankies in good condition, which may not be so valuable or rare. Simply fold around the gift, and tie the hanky itself in a knot to secure it, or tie with ribbon.

You’ll often find hankies decorated with themes that match the gift, as is the case with this tiki printed hanky and the tiki mug. The hanky itself becomes an extra gift too.

For those that sew, there is always quilting. But even for those of us who do not sew so well, there are other options.

Try sewing or tying knots to make hanky curtains. Rather simple to do, and yet so charming to see, these curtains are soft, breezy, and as individual as you’d like. This works well in country homes, Shabby Chic decor, and if you choose the hankies carefully, the color and pattern combinations will be lovely in a baby’s room, or any romantic room. (Even homes with modern decor can find hankies with ultra swank mod prints on them.)

You might even try table runners, dresser scarves, and window toppers. Make large panels for use on canopy beds, or as replacement for mosquito netting.

Quick stitch pillows are another option. Vintage hankies make adorable pillows. (They are making reproduction hanky pillows now too!) You can add embellishments such as vintage buttons, old lace, ribbons, bows, tatting, crochet, embroidery and other needlework to make them even more unique and hide flaws.

Along with the standard pillows, there are Dream Pillows, pillows sewn in a pocket format, stuffed with fragrant herbs. Non-sewers can easily do the smaller sachet versions. And Tooth Fairy Pillows are sweet little pillows with a pocket to hold precious baby teeth which, once removed, can be replaced by a few coins from the tooth fairy.

For hankies which are too stained, have holes, unraveling threads, etc, and cannot be used as whole squares, there is still hope! Cut and remove as much of the pattern, or parts of the pattern, such as individual flowers etc, and use them for other sewing projects. These scrappier pieces can be saved for making crazy quilts, be applied to vintage aprons, t-shirts, jeans, fabric purses, tea towels, cocktail napkins, other projects. Tip: Creating as set of tableclothes and luncheon napkins to put with mixed table settings is lovely. For example, imagine a table set in all white and blue floral motif. With nothing exactly matching, but everything complementing itself, your friends will also be complementing you on your artistic eye and crafty ways!

Sometimes the design itself is lovely, but the hanky is too far gone, too fragile, to be of much use itself. In these cases, you can use the hankie as a pattern. Use an overhead projector to create the image on nearly any surface, and color it in. Works well on furnature and walls. Think how great a baby or child’s room would look with some of those vintage designs!

With all the different vintage handkerchief designs and colors, you’re sure to find projects which fit your theme, decor, and occasion perfectly. And that’s nothing to sneeze at.