Antique linens and lace items added for September include Linens from the Wanamaker family estate, handmade Cantu lace tablecloths, Leron, D. Porthault, Marghab, American and French linen sheets, handmade wedding hankies, Asian textiles, handmade Figural Cantu lace, linen sheet sets, 18th and 19th century lace, small Appenzel lace tablecloths with provenance, Lace hankies, Linen sheets, bed linens, 18th and early 19th century early whitework hankies, Banquet linen tablecloths, round lace tablecloths, Alencon, and point de gaze, hand made linen bedspreads, pillowcsaes, Madeira handwork, also Brussels lace, Irish lace, linen napkins, tablecloths, linen towels, handmade lace doilies and more! Antique linens are very affordable and make unique and memorable gifts that will be treasured for generations! FREE USPS Priority SHIPPING for US orders over $100. For shipping under $100 its a FLAT RATE OF $3.00 per order using USPS. For our international orders over $100 we will discount SHIPPING cost by $6.00. For order questions CALL or FAX 603-672-5048

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Condition: Used

Linen is a wonderful fabric, its usually heavy, smooth and cool to touch, it drapes beautifully. Linen is the luxury of fabrics for the bedroom, or bath, and with a bit of extra care it will outlast cotton. Linen is a strong fabric but it doesn’t take well to agitation like say from a washing machine. I advocate hand washing for small items if washing only one or two. For large items with stains or large batches I suggest this method, which is the one I use. I wash by soaking my linens. I usually use a 5 gallon plastic (never metal) bucket (cheap to buy at a hardware store) I usually use 1/3 cup of regular Tide (I have heard good things about Ivory snow too and 3 heaping Tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. I then fill the bucket about ¾ full of warm water and stir till the powders have dissolved in the water. I then add the linens. A bucket will hold one large sheet for soaking or one large tablecloth and a few napkins. Don’t put too many items in; you should be able to stir the contents around a bit. I then let this soak overnight, but you can soak them up to 3 days safely. For OLD extra stubborn stains I also add 1/4 cup of Clorox 2 (not bleach) to the mixture before adding linens. This soak will get out most stains. The idea is to soak stains as soon as you can after they get stained. If items are not stained a simple 10 minute soak in mild soap will do. I NEVER use fabric softener as it coats the fibers with silicone, which inhibits linens absorbency. Once the items have finished soaking I then dump the entire contents into the washer, I spin the dirty, soapy water out then refill with water, I slosh the linens around with my hands for a bit then spin the water out and repeat the rinse (I NEVER allow the washer to agitate!) and put them in a dryer on moderate heat and dry til barely dry, if you want to iron right away then til damp. I always iron linen on the COTTON setting, on the backside of the linen keeping the iron moving on a well-padded board. I do not bother to iron sheets for my own use as I prefer them soft and I don’t mind the wrinkles since they get that way anyway. I also do not use starch; linens should not be stored once they have starch on them. I also rotate my linens so items get used on a fairly regular basis. When ironing fancy embroidery cutwork and needlelace etc. be careful not to tug on it or get the iron caught in the brides as this will tear or weaken the fabric. It is essential to have a thick padding under the item before ironing padded or heavy embroidery, then if the item is damp you can apply VERY gentle, even traction as you iron, start at the middle of the decorated part and work out to the sides and edge on middle or low cotton setting so it won’t scorch. Generally the padding allows the item to move and stretch without the need for much traction. If you have never ironed fancy cut or embroidered items practice on a poor piece until you get comfortable doing it. I use a Rowenta Expert steam iron, this way the linen gets plenty of moisture from the steam to get those wrinkles out and I can iron them when they are dry instead of damp. If you follow these directions your linens will give you many years of joy and service. Extra notes: Oxyclean works well instead of the borax for removing age staining I have also read that Natures Miracle (found in the pet store for treating pet stains) which has enzymes that break down protein stains also works well as an overnight pre soak for linens. I haven't tried this but it does make sense that it would work on whites. To find out more about linens and linen care go to my links page where I have links to some sites that have more linen info.

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Antique Linens and Lace at Pieces of History - Antique and Vintage Linens, Period Lace
6 Powers Lane
Brookline, NH 03033
US
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Updated: Thursday, September 02 2010
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