Vintage Finds

While out junkin' recently I found a huge trove of vintage doilies to add to my ever-growing collection.

 

Along with the doilies I also snatched up this basket.  Not sure if it's really old, but I love it.  Though it's nice and roomy, it's a bit flimsy so I can't use it for fruit like I had planned.  Maybe I'll just keep the doilies in it?

 

I also found this rusty, chippy, old scale.  Now this!  This I really love!

 

I placed nearly 20 different objects on it and shot way too many pictures.  Just saved a few to share with you (don't want to be obnoxious!).

 

It's sitting atop our hoosier, next to the jadeite-colored bread box.

 

Pretty, vintage finds make me so happy.  Hope you have a happy day!

Vintage Doily Table Runner Orders

I've had a couple more Retro Revival vintage doily table runner orders recently, and thought I'd share a few pictures...

 

 

I love making these!  Though labor-intensive because I hand stitch them together, I never tire of designing the placement of the doilies for each runner ~ it's like piecing together heirloom puzzles.

Each runner is unique.

 

Shabby and romantic but still modern somehow.

 

Perfect for everyday use or special occasions. 

 

I have more listed in my Etsy shop if you'd like to take a look.

Oh Doily Night {Vintage Doily Christmas Tree Skirt}

 

For those of you who've followed my blog for any length of time, well you know I'm crazy about vintage, crocheted doilies.  And that I'm always looking for new and creative uses for upcycling my enormous stash.

 

My latest creation is a Retro Revival Christmas tree skirt.

 

For this project I cut out a 56" hexagon of muslin fabric and randomly pinned over 30 doilies onto it.

 

 

 

Then I meticulously hand stitched all of the doilies onto the muslin.

 

 

If you look closely at this picture, you can see the antique, lace collar I sewed around the center circle.  It fit perfectly!

 

 

 

I lined it with more muslin so that it's nicely finished.

 

 

I used all sorts of doily shapes in varying shades of white and ecru.  It's even prettier in person and I'm in love with it!

 

And bonus ~ the current issue of GreenCraft magazine loves it too!  They've featured it in a three-page spread!

 

 

 

Eke, I'm so excited!  Hopefully, someone else will be too ~ I've listed this heirloom-quality beauty in my Etsy shop and it's ready for shipping.

 

 

Hope you all have a creative day!

Customer Doily Table Runners

Remember the big vintage doily table runners order I made for a wedding reception?  (Click here for the original blog post.)

I used these vintage lovlies...

...And meticulously hand-stitched them together:

...To create two runners totalling 128'!  I snapped a couple pictures before shipping them:

Eke!  The bride's wedding planner sent me these pictures from the reception:

It makes me so happy to see these!

This is another runner I made for Jessica, who wanted it for her dining table:

She loves it so much that she shared a picture with me:

Erica, another of my customers, shared this picture ~ the runner I made for her bedroom dresser:

Really, there is nothing better than hearing from my customers!  Seeing my creations in use thrills me beyond words!

Secrets to Cleaning Vintage Linens

I was busy yesterday, laundering some of my vintage, crocheted doilies and tablecloths.

I'm asked from time to time about the best way to clean vintage linens and though I'm sure many methods exist, these are my secrets for transforming cruddy linens into lovely linens...

For lightly stained or discolored linens I submerge them in water, pour lemon juice over them and liberally sprinkle them with salt.

I hang them in the sun for a few hours, letting the sun, lemon and salt work their magic.

Then I rinse them and hang them to dry and waalah!

My "secret soak" is required for heavily soiled linens.  First, I heat up a few gallons of water on the stove.  I want the water really hot, but not quite boiling.

While the water heats up, I pile the dirties into my favorite galvanized tub (just about any container will do, even a sink)...

...and collect the rest of my supplies:  For each gallon of water, 1 cup of Borax powder and 1 cup Oxyclean powder.

I sprinkle the detergents into my tub, pour the hot water in and mix the water well, using an old wooden spoon, until the soap is well dissolved.  Then I drop in my linens and let them soak for about two days, stirring them a couple of times each day.

Then I rinse my linens.  It normally takes three really good rinses to get out all of the detergent suds but if that doesn't get them all out, I'll add 1 cup of distilled vinegar to 1 gallon of water, swish the linens around a bit and rinse with water a final time.  Lastly, I'll hang them to dry.

Bright, free from discoloration and stains ~ clean!

If you're going to give my methods a try, please take a few minutes to spot test your linens to ensure they won't be affected, after all, many of these vintage linens are quite delicate.

Any of you out in Blogville in need of a generous stash of vintage linens?  I have these to give away for free (you cover the postage please)!

I've laundered most but not all of them.  Many are in pristine condition but some are damaged and should work for your projects.  It's a collection of doilies (most handmade but a few factory), dresser scarves, pot holders, kitchen scrubbers, etc.).  There are probably at least $100 worth of vintage linens here.

If you'd like these, please shoot me an email at Cindy@RetroRevival.Biz and let me know.

Update:  Dani reached out to me first and I'm sending her these goodies ~ I'm sure she'll make very good use of them!

And don't forget about my July blog giveaway ~ these sweet, vintage salt & pepper shakers.

Share a comment on any or all of my July posts and you're automatically entered to win.  Drawing is July 31st.