I suspect that not too many of us actually enjoy doing laundry, am I right?
Sorting, shoving things into the machines, realizing after washing that you left a kleenex in a pocket, drying, folding and then putting away. Not exactly fun times.
But I have to admit that I actually do enjoy the process of laundering vintage linens.
They are so lovely to handle, and there’s something so satisfying about a crisp stack of freshly laundered and pressed white linens.
You may remember that I purchased a few vintage pillowcases at the Fridley garage sales earlier this summer.
After I took them out of the ziploc bags that they came in and inspected them a bit more closely, I found that they needed to be whitened up, and a couple of them also needed a bit of mending. So I thought I’d share that process with you.
The first step for me is to soak them in some OxiClean, or in this case, a generic oxi-based cleaner from Target.
I usually soak them for at least a few hours, or even overnight.
Then, after removing them from their oxi bath, I wash them on the gentle setting in my washing machine. Except for the more fragile ones, those just get rinsed by hand in the sink.
Next, I hang them on the line in the sun for a full day to get a little natural, non-chemical bleaching.
I have an ancient clothesline that is attached to the carriage house on one end with some serious looking hooks.
It has probably been there forever, it was there when we moved in 34 years ago. I wonder how many generations of laundry have been hung out to dry on that line?
Once they’ve had their day in the sun, I like to press old linens using starch.
I have a sneaking suspicion that very few people iron with starch anymore. The last time I ran out I had a difficult time even finding it in the shops. Comically enough, I came across two full cans of Faultless premium starch at an estate sale a while back for $1 each, so I snatched them up. I’m fairly certain they’d never even been used.
You get a fabulously crisp result using starch. In fact, I suspect that these vintage linens were originally meant to be starched.
I wish I could say that I press my linens outside in the garden on a pretty wooden ironing board while bluebirds sing in the trees nearby …
But that’s just for photo shoots.
I actually iron in my creepy, spidery, damp, very much non-blog worthy basement. Maybe I need to rethink that? Now I’m regretting all of the fabulous vintage wooden ironing boards that I’ve sold over the years.
The next time I see one I should snag it and then keep it handy in the carriage house, or maybe even the potting shed, for outdoor ironing.
Anyway, back to the starching. This is usually the step where I find out that my vintage linens are far from faultless. As I’m laying them out on the ironing board and pressing out each wrinkle, I find all of the flaws that I didn’t notice before.
I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m not much of a seamstress, despite my mom’s best efforts at teaching me to sew. But I can manage a little simple mending with a needle and thread.
Does the fact that the needle packaging says “West Germany” give you an idea of how old those needles are? I’m sure I purchased those at a garage/estate sale too.
This repair didn’t take much effort, and was easily accomplished while watching my favorite gardeners on YouTube.
My repair job isn’t quite faultless either, but it will do the job.
The amount of work that went into some of these pillowcases is quite amazing.
Sadly, some of them are just too far gone for my simple mending skills though.
Such is the case with the pillow case that I was using on the wicker chaise that used to be my front porch.
The work on this one is so beautiful, just check out the detailed embroidery on that monogram …
and that floral border. And the cutwork is painstakingly detailed.
Living on the three-season porch for over a decade had really done a number on it though. The fabric itself was deteriorating and basically shredding in some spots.
And unfortunately, even just a gentle soak weakened the fabric so much that when I hung it on the line it totally fell apart.
So sad. I did get years of enjoyment out of it before this happened though, so I’ll console myself by remembering that.
If any of you locals are looking for some lovely vintage pillowcases, I took a few of these in to Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater last week.
I priced them low, ranging from $12/pair to $18/pair for the prettiest ones, so be sure to head down there soon!
q is for quandie 
Oh my heart! I just love those vintage pillowcases and have collected a few over the years but I’m always on the lookout for more. And I needed that info on how to get them white! I’m lucky to have some that were from my Grandmothers and I cherish those especially. I would buy the sets you took to the shop in a flash if I was there! The last time I bought some on ETSY the seller included a note to tell me that she had purchased them from an estate sale up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was the estate of an artist of some sort and she had mostly embroidered cases, but no lace. I would love to find some old lace as well but it does look tricky to repair. Thanks again. This was an early morning boost to my soul.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed this post Jan 🙂
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This was so sweet to see and brought back memories of my grandmothers. And I confess that I love to iron and sleeping on a crisp pillowcase is a wonderful thing! Next question though. Would you share your favorite gardeners from you tube. I would love to see some of them too.
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A crisp pillowcase is the best, especially on a hot summer night. And hmmm, maybe I need to do a Sunday morning in the garden blog post about my favorite garden vlogs. Good idea Sheri 🙂
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OH you are a woman after my heart! I love this post.I do the same things with vintage linens and use as many as possible-nothing feels nicer than those vintage pillow cases on the bed. Thanks!
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They just don’t make ’em like they used to!
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Oh my ! I do love vintage pillow cases. Especially the hand monogrammed ones. I will say yours are lovely. I have such fond memories of my grandmother with her sprinkle bottle ( glass with cork and metal top with holes.) if she didn’t get them all ironed she put them in refrigerator ☺️. You could look for the ironing board that was built into the wall. My is from the forties and pulls down. I love it!
Smiles,
Alice
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Oh yes, the sprinkle bottle … and putting them in the fridge. I have heard of such things, but never knew my grandmother to do that. And now that you mention that bottle, I think we saw one in an antique shop the other day and were thinking it was for sugar. I forgot all about using it to sprinkle things before you ironed them! Those pull down ironing boards must be so handy 🙂
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I think it’s so neat that you have a clothesline. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one. Those pillow cases are beautiful. I cannot even imagine the hours that went into all those stitches. Thanks for the heads up on the Target Oxi-Clean. I only buy white sheets and towels thinking I will try some for those. I find ironing calming and yes a crisply pressed pillowcase is very nice. I should start doing that!
Like Sheri above I like to know what gardening YouTubers you fancy.
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I love hanging my wash out on the line in the summer. I joked about ironing outside with the birds singing, but I do literally hang clothes on the line while enjoying the sounds of a summer morning. It’s so peaceful. And I will have to share my fave YouTube gardeners soon!
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What lovely linens. Such vintage beauty. You’ve got some real treasures.
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Thanks Valerie!
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I love them too. I especially love all the old ones I got from my grandparents and parents when we cleaned out their houses. I cleaned them up like you do and then I save them for my nieces and nephews. When they get married I give them a set of pillowcases and I tell them that three generations before them laid their head to rest on these, or their parents or whomever they may have belong to in our family, and pass them on. Fortunately there are lots of pillow cases saved in cupboards for special occasions that never were used and look quite nice.
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What a lovely idea! How lucky all of your nieces and nephews are!
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How beautiful. I love vintage linens,the handwork is amazing and that isn’t saying a lot!!Imagine the time devoted to such careful work. Have a great day and hope someone buys your linens and loves them as we do
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Me too!
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They’re beautiful! I refuse to iron now so I didn’t know starch was hard to find. But if I had vintage linens, I definitely would iron them. They’re truly beautiful!
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LOL, well, vintage linens are pretty much the only thing I iron these days. Now that I’m retired, I no longer wear any clothing that requires pressing 😉
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I love vintage linens ♡♡♡
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They don’t make ’em like they used to, that’s for sure!
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Your pillowcases are gorgeous!! I also collect lovely vintage linens – pillowcases, dresser scarves,etc – and doilies. I use the pillowcases on the beds, display a few of the licenses and doilies, and save the rest for future projects. And I use my Grandma’s wooden ironing board for ironing. I got it from her in the early 1970s, no idea how old it is. Oh, and I use starch when pressing fabric for quilting. Love this post
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Oh, I didn’t realize one might use starch for quilting fabric. Totally makes sense!
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*linens = not licenses! auto correct !
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I loved this post! I was just in a vintage shop last weekend and had to make a few purchase in the linen department. As for starch and ironing, my mom always ironed the pillow cases. She passed away last October at age 89 and still starched and ironed her cases every week.
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