Pretty Vintage Designs

Loops of Linen & A Monogram

I'm not sure how to title this on my inventory list. There are swirling bits of linen ("cutwork") joined with intricate embroidery. Plus, don't cha know? a monogram built right into the design...

"Isn't this the height of nonchalance?"
----- Barbara Streisand in "Funny Girl"

Very little floral work. I like it. In fact, this cloth is gracing my table as I type up this post. I imagine the original owner selecting a design that would allow her centerpiece to set right there and not conflict with the graceful design.

I have a cell phone and a Post It pad near the center of this cloth right now. Hmm. That is just not at all classy.

I can hear my father saying, "You can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can't take Brooklyn out of the girl."

Forgetaboutit.




Pineapples

In my quest to find as much embroidery as possible, I came across this stunning piece. This is a 44" square piece with a medium dark coffee thread on an off-white linen. Not much linen here at all. Rather than merely embroider the outline of each flower and leaf, the talented woman/women that worked on this piece created dynamic shading through the use of various stitching techniques. I am in awe. I'm still afraid to put any food or beverage on this piece out of respect for the artists.

I was surprised at the weight of this piece. Surely this cloth was created by an embroidery master.

I also find that I pet this cloth as I walk by it. I believe that ownership of a Madeira tablecloth is merely that of a guardian. I hold this for future generations. Every time I touch or stroke this piece, it is pleasure to my and applause to the original artists. I find that possessing a tablecloth of this beauty requires not only my visual approval, but my tactile involvement.

Acquiring - Start at the Beginning

I've just never been a collector. I did not receive gifts of linen and frankly, I had no idea what I was doing. I freely admit that life with a round glass table was easy and uncomplicated. A glass table is good for breakfasts, dinner, paying bills and art projects.

I don't feel bad about this lifestyle, yet I just yearn for "pretty". I don't know how to proceed!

Woe is Me

Yeah, I dismissed family traditions and found myself without any Madeira tablecloths. Maybe because I had not married? My mother still had two or three of these cloths in her possession at the time of her death. They went to my older sister who had always been a leading member of the Madeira Linen Fan Club. If such a thing ever existed.

I became interested

For me, the natural starting position of any acquisition is my beloved EBay. I stared out in October 2008 as I began to search under "linen tablecloths" to do my investigating and some purchasing.

I started out with boring. Er, simple. Below are two photos of a non-Madeira. Yeah, I kinda lived in a non-creative world. This is a lovely 48x48" square linen with concentric squares. This work is known as Drawn Work. I purchased this from the UK and it is purported to be from someones holiday in Scotland. I dunno. Like the idea of a holiday, so, I now had my first linen.











I purchased a few other cloths and began, whoo hoo, my "collection". At Christmas, I showed my brand new little-bitty collection to my older sister. She was under impressed with my selection. I think she got a kick out of seeing me get started on this path.

What I quickly did was RESEARCH. I read up on linen fibers and linen care. I purchased some of the wonderful RESTORATION cleaner for vintage linens. I helped my sister reclaim some old linens she had inherited. And yes, we soaked out 40 year old gravy, cranberry and wine stains from the old tablecloths she inherited.


It was like going to Confession and being Forgiven!