sorting and storing french linens

So yes, it is true that antique linens make for a lot of work - but in my books it is worth every minute.

There is simply nothing like slipping in between freshly pressed, heavy, smooth linen sheets.  It is addictive!

Guests to our cottage always comment on the 'linen experience', they even call them magic and claim that they replace sleeping tablets!

So as we approach the end of the summer, I like to take stock of my sheets.  Refresh the lavender in the armoires, sort the pillow shams by size and dream about the next ones I may find at a fair or auction ....  like I said, addicted.

French vintage cushions

AT LAST!!!   DONE!!  Remember how many weeks ago I was telling you that everytime I tried to make my cushions I got waylaid playing with the pretty fabrics.

Not so today.   I can at last show you the new cushions I have made, some for my home and some to go into the store.  There are more to come but today, the first day of spring, I show you the pretty flowery set.

All the cushions are hand made by moi ... I used only vintage French fabrics, including some antique  linen sheet fabric, some antique unused dishcloth fabric and the really pretty, nicely shabby vintage cotton prints, that are so much more charming than new.

 The cushions are made to different sizes, but all fit around standard pillow sizes so clients will be able to find the fillers easily.

Hope you like them, I'd love to hear your comments.

With a bit of luck (tomorrow or Wednesday)  I shall be able to show you the dog beds I have also made from vintage ticking and grain sacks.

A demain mes amis, thank you for reading me!

precious items on the move

At the risk of overkill on the whole monogram thing ...

these beauties are about to fly away ...

to a good home, a very good home actually.  They are

my favourites and I simply couldn't let them go with

showing their beauty to my friends.

Enjoy,  I certainly have

huge monograms, 100 years old, the second one still has 

the embroiderer's chalk showing ... SIGH 

And if you'd like to dream and swoon about finding treasures like this, then pop over and see what Karin at La Pouyette found,  but you are warned, it is breathtaking, so make sure you're sitting down before reading!!  Here's a taster ...

vintage french linen - to have and to hold

I've already told you how much I love old French linen, well today I'm really excited because  this weekend I've been able to find several unusually beautiful bed sheets to put into my etsy shop.

One of my really great pleasures in life is slipping into bed between freshly pressed linen sheets.  Best of all vintage linen.  I love the weight of the linen, the soft smooth texture, the way they feel cool in the summer and warm and comforting in winter.  I never sleep better than in old French sheets.

Today it is still possible to come across bed linen, over 100 years old, and in perfect condition.  If you are lucky it's monogrammed, if you're very lucky you get ladder work, lace or other embroidery too.  Sometimes there are slight signs of wear, or even a tiny and perfectly darned hole, to me this just adds to the charm.

Traditionally the most beautiful sheets were embroidered as part of a young girl's trousseau.  The wealthier the family, the more ornate the handwork,  and the finer the weave of the metis, or cotton and linen mix.  There are few places today who produce such fine and long lasting materials.

A fine bed sheet with a deep turn-down was particularly useful after childbirth when  the mother "laid in" and received polite and congratulatory guests in her room.  Today that same deep turn-down looks wonderful when the sheet is used as a curtain., just flip over the turn back and fix hooks to the fold, and you have a pretty and unique curtain.

When I am lucky enough to find antique sheets that have never been used, I particularly enjoy watching the linen fade from slightly blotchy beige, to a beautiful smooth creamy colour.   The first thing to do is to soak the linen sheet or pillow cases or cloth in cold water for 24 hours.  After that I wash it once or twice at a lukewarm temperature.  The material is softened without damaging the fibre.   After this, as the sheet is used and washed it becomes progressively whiter.

The best thing is that when they're not being used on beds, they even look great in the linen cupboard!