Vintage Linens

It has been ages since I posted photos of vintage linens here; in fact without looking back, I think the last time was when I inherited several boxes of linens from my friend Denise who died last year.
Since then I have been given some more, but even though I wash and press them within days of getting any, it can be months before I get around to photographing them!  Here are some doilies that I was given recently:

There are more from the same lady, but I will post them in the next day or so - the crocheted and lace doilies.  There are also tablecloths and teatowels, still to be photographed.
While on the subject of doilies, I have finally made a start on the doiley quilt for the Olivia Newton-John Centre.  I bought the background fabric last week at The Quilt Shop, and cut it into blocks, then started pinning doilies on to the blocks ready to hand sew.  I think it is going to be rather lovely!

What does one do with damaged linens?

I would never dream of cutting up any of my precious linen collection to make something else!  But people do, and they can be very creative too.  I even find it hard to part with finely embroidered items that have substantial damage to them, and I have had a stack of them in a bag for some years, waiting for inspiration.  Enter Pinterest :-)  After finding dozens of ideas there, I printed off some examples, and decided on one style.  It meant cutting the best embroidered bits off my linens, into pieces all the same size.  Sometimes the remaining stitching was too small, so I joined two bits together to come up with the size I wanted (4" x 5.5'").   Next, I pulled out some fabrics from my stash of small pieces, and cut 1.5 inch strips to match the embroidery patches.  I sewed the strips at the bottom, then along one side of each piece, to give me these:

I have since sewn them together and put a pale blue border around it, which looks very sweet.  Once I put a back on it and bind it with a darker blue material, I will post another photo.

Updated photo of finished table runners in Japanese fabric.

Just remembered that the previous photo of the table runner didn't have the binding done on it.  So there they are together, and the second photo of course is the back of them.

Strippy block quilt top.

Remember those strips I was making into blocks last month?  Well, I finally ran out of strips which was such a good feeling to see the scraps bin reduced in size!  I took the blocks to the Quilt Shop and moved them around on the design wall in several configurations before I decided to make them up like this.  Our tutor said it was boring and I should have mixed them up, but when I tried doing that, I wasn't happy with the result, so boring it is!   (she wasn't being rude by the way - she is is very creative and helpful - and honest!).  Now, what to use for a border....I saw a similar quilt on Pinterest, and it had no border at all, just made up as a quilt as it was.

Any suggestions?

Rabbit cushion

My friend Glenda gave me a length of rabbit fabric some time ago when she was having a cleanout.  She said she had intended to use it but never got around to it, so I may as well have it.  I offered to make something for her using the fabric, and she was delighted when I presented her with this cushion for her birthday yesterday!  I used a dark pink for the first narrow border, and a light green for the outside border, as both colours are in the background of the rabbits.  I used a paler pink fabric for the back of the cushion.

Using up leftover Japanese fabrics

I really should make more of an effort to keep this blog up to date!  I will be picking up some vintage linens from a friend next week, all going well, so there may be something worth posting here then.  In the meantime, I have made two table runners, or mats, with the fabric left over after I made my Japanese quilt.
This one will be going to Aiko, my friend in Japan who sent me the fabric last year.

These photos were taken on different days, hence the difference in tones.  The second photo shows the colours of the fabrics much better.  It will be a runner for the coffee table in our lounge room, and will complement the quilt which is on the couch nearby.  I still have to put the backing on it and bind it, and plan to use the same binding as in the first photo, as I have just enough fabric left to do it!