french linen sheets...what to do with them.... and how to keep your whites white

a rumpled stack of antique french linen sheets

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all having a great week....

I wanted to tell you guys a little bit about how I got started collecting Antique European Linens and different ways to use them in your home....

This might be the longest post I have ever written....

be warned....

I started collecting antique European linens about thirteen years ago....At that time I couldn't afford to buy the sheets, so I started out collecting napkins and hand towels.......

At that time we lived in the Santa Ynez Valley... There was a shop called Persnickity in a nearby town called Los Olivos...

The owner of the shop was the sweetest person and had the most beautiful shop.

She always had antique dressers filled with European Linens.

... This sweet lady is the one who is responsible for helping me start my collection. : )

She actually closed her shop around the same time we moved to northern California...

I really wish I could contact her and thank her!

There are so many ways to use vintage linens in your home....

I wanted to share a few ways I use them in my own home...

Remember I started collecting linens 13 years ago....

It didn't happen over night...

a french oyster crate filled with lavender pillows made from french linens

I love using antique linen to make lavender pillows....

I call them lavender pillows because they really are like a pillow...

I have more lavender pillows then a person could ever imagine.....

These lavender pillows are all made with antique french linens....

except for the pretty pale pink floral printed pillow on the bottom right hand side of the oyster basket.

That print is a Cabbages and Roses Hatley Linen Print...... I just love how that print looks amongst the  antique linens...

Thank you sweet Melanie for sending a piece of this lovely fabric...

My mother covered  this lampshade with a vintage linen hand towel....I think that was about 6 years ago... and it is still white : )

My Aunt Sonya (a.k.a. Aunt Mickey) actually shared a great tutorial on her blog, on how to cover a lampshade.

You can read her post by clicking here.... Vintage Station

I think it is the cutest lampshade....

I used an antique linen sheet to reupholster my chair....

I actually wrapped the linen sheet around the chair to hide the hideous upholstery for almost two years before finally finding someone to reupholster it. You can read about my chair makeover here........ 

(I wish I was Marian from Miss Mustard Seed, because if I was, I would have been able to just do it myself, Marian never fails to amaze me : )) 

I am so happy with how it turned out.

Right now I just use a European monogrammed sheet to cover our down comforter.

I like how clean and simple it looks against the rustic doors.

I use European linen sheets to cover my couches...

I can't tell you how much I love these sheets...  They are truly a lifesaver and I think they are a beautiful way to protect your couches...

One of the reasons I use vintage sheets to cover my slipcovers is because I do not have a washer big enough to wash my slipcovers.... It is kind of a hassle and is somewhat expensive to run them down to the laundromat... I only have to wash my slipcovers twice a year.... I however wash my sheets about once a week......  Antique linens that are in good condition are really very durable..... They should last you a lifetime... Their texture gets even better with each washing....

On a side note....

I promise  you can live with white furniture and still have a young family (even a large family) and or pets....

We have a few rules that everyone has to follow in the house to help keep the furniture white....

We do not eat on our furniture and we take our shoes off before entering the house.

That is it.

I am not going to lie, when my white couches first arrived, I left the plastic on for almost a month....

You can imagine what my husband thought....

All of the pillows on my couch are made from antique European linens...

My sister has made most of the pillows in my house...

 As you can see this is a large couch...

It takes three sheets to cover this couch....

Each sheet is a different shade of white...
These do not come off when company comes either...
I think they are a beautiful addition to a white slipcovered couch....

I do not iron the sheets after washing them either... : )

I love that sort of rumpled look.

I think it makes the couches look even more inviting to sit on....

(I love using pretty french fabrics with touches of red in the pattern)

Basically I use vintage linens in every room in our house...

I also wanted to share with you how I keep my linens looking white and smelling fresh....

First of all I have to tell you I never have used Bleach on my linens.....

I only use oxiclean to brighten my whites.... It works really well for me...

It can brighten your whites in just one washing....

If I do get a stain that might need to be removed, I usually just add a little oxiclean to hot water and let the linen soak in the hot water oxiclean mixture for a couple of hours....

I always wash my linens with Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Laundry Detergent, and I of course use the lavender scent.  I am a big fan of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products....

I also love their dish soap, hand soap, and all purpose cleaner....

The lavender scent is my favorite.

I actually discovered their soap after reading an article a couple years ago in the O at Home Magazine...

The story of how the company began is a very inspiring story....

You can read about it by clicking here!

After reading their story.... I went out and bought some of their products...

and I have been hooked ever since the first day of trying their cleaning products.

I actually do not like to use any sort of fabric softeners with my linens either....

I make my own lavender sachets to throw in the dryer with my sheets....
I decided to experiment and try using dried lavender in the dryer with my linens.....as I have an abundance of dried lavender...
I am now hooked on throwing those little sachets in the dryer with my linens.

I actually just added a lavender package to my shop the other day....

It includes 6 lavender sachets and a bag filled with 3/4 lb. lavender, made from an antique french and or European linen hand towel, so you can refill your own sachets.

I think it would be a great addition to any laundry room....

I came up with the idea for this particular package because of Rie's laundry room....

 I hope you get a chance to look at Rie's laundry room.....

Rie's entire  home looks like it is straight out of Country Living...

She really has a special touch she puts on every room.

I am sure it won't be long before we see Rie's  home featured in Country Living.

As you can see I am very passionate about Antique Linens....

I will be sure and show you in the near future what items we made for the shop with these beautiful french linens.

On another note....

I wanted to answer some questions that I get emailed almost daily about The Nate Show ...

I thought it would be easier to answer them in a post, as I have to apologize for not being able to get back to everyone lately....  I am having a very difficult time being able to keep up with my emails, and I am truly sorry for that.

I am trying really hard to get back to each and every one of you, as soon as I can....

First of all I need to apologize for ever telling you guys that you could watch my segment on the

 Nate Show on their website.

I just assumed it would be put on their website.

My segment unfortunately did not get put on their website....

I then asked if the segment could be uploaded to you tube, and found out,

it cannot be uploaded to you tube due to copyright laws.....

I am really sorry for all the confusion.....

Anyway the entire trip to N.Y.C. was a trip my two daughters, two sisters, and I will never forget.

On a final note...

I would like to thank these wonderful bloggers for posting about my shop this week.... I am so grateful for all of your support.... THANK YOU!

Deb~Cappuccino Cottage

Tami~ High Street Cottage

Christina~ Down and Out Chic

Donkey and the Carrot

Tarah~Between You and Me

Have a great weekend!
Take Care,
Maria

P.S. The drink I had in my mason jars for my last post....
was pink lemonade.... : ))