Using vintage linens in the nursery

 I love vintage linens but don't like to stick them away in the drawer.  So, I love to repurpose them when and where I can.  The nursery for my great-nephew will include some repurposed vintage linens.

I was looking for a bear lampshade for the nursery, because I had bought a baseball lamp from an Etsy seller.  So, I was delighted to find another Etsy seller who specializes in making lampshades and even more delighted to see that she had a bear lampshade made from a vintage linen.  The shade was the perfect size and color for the lamp and for the nursery.  Some things are just meant to be.

My niece has a vintage wicker rocking chair that her grandmother gave her.  While it is perfect for the nursery, the cushions needed to be recovered or replaced.  So, I recovered the bottom cushion and made a new cushion for the chair back out of a vintage linen which was actually a dresser scarf.  I cut the scarf in half.  This side will be the front of the cushion - and notice the teddy bear.

And this side will be the back of the cushion.

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And so I begin . . .

Not only do I display vintage decorations during the holidays, but I try to incorporate some of my other vintage items into my holiday decor.

DINING TABLE CENTERPIECE

As I was thinking about a centerpiece for my dining room table this year, I had the idea of using one of my flow blue pieces as the base. The piece is a planter that I normally use in my living room.

I have a vintage Coby tree cluster. It is a tree made of ornaments that slide onto a center support. Because of its size, it makes a perfect centerpiece. It sits perfectly on top of the flow blue planter that I wanted to use as the base of my centerpiece.

USING VINTAGE LINENS

I also wanted to incorporate some vintage linens into my centerpiece. I could have just covered my table with the linens but I decided to take it a step further and use some vintage doilies tucked into the planter at the base of the cluster tree.

I tried a couple of different variations. The first is using a white and a blue doily tucked into the planter.

In the second variation, I've tucked the golden yellow doily into the planter at the base of the tree and I've added a red striped tablecloth below the topper.

Using vintage items in such a fashion allows me to better coordinate my holiday decor and it also means that I don't have to store so many items after the holidays are over.

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A Kitchen Redo

I don’t plan on redoing my kitchen/dining room anytime soon. But if I ever do, I will use Etsy to plan it and to stock it. I’ve put together a treasury for a red and turquoise kitchen. It’s so bright and cheery and has a farmhouse look to it.

'Ideas for my next kitchen/dining redo' by TouchingThePast

Vintage Red Kitchen Canister... QuietRainz $8.75	Vintage Pillowcases - Croch... VintagePDX $24.00	Vintage Pillowcases Bright a... HarrietsDaught... $19.99	Vintage Wood Kitchen Dish D... VintageChichib... $23.00
Original Vintage Tablecloth-... EmbellishOnBro... $40.00	Vintage Red White Blue Plaid... MargsStuff $15.00	10 Ten Vintage Furniture Cab... ALovelyTimeAgo $45.00	Vintage Canisters Bright Red... monjardinVinta... $24.50
Turqouise Blue Breadbox from... flattirevintag... $42.00	Gorgeous Red Crochet Trim, 4... PineyRoseDesig... $12.00	French Country Farmhouse Sty... ASentimentalJo... $35.00	Vintage Roses Tablecloth Blu... TheSquirrelCot... $6.00
Vintage Cherry Wall Hanging ... AntiquesGalore... $20.00	Vintage Placemats and Runner... LookHiLookLow $12.00	30% OFF TIL 11/30 Vintage An... amysdeliciousv... $21.00	Sale Set of Vintage Linens B... IndulgeYourShe... $5.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

The treasury has lots of vintage linens. If you’ve read my prior blog entry, you will have seen that I used pillowcases to make coverings for my dining room chairs. That’s why I included two sets of pillowcases in this treasury. I like the idea of coverings, but I also like the idea of mixing and matching them with the two sets. I’m thinking about using the red striped tablecloth as roman shades and the rose damask tablecloth as curtain panels with the roman shades. I’m currently doing something similar in my bedroom now with a rose damask tablecloth I purchased on Etsy. Then, I would use the red crochet trim on the bottom of the roman shades. My other thought for window coverings is to use the roses tablecloth as roman shades and then use the set of floral vintage linens as valances.

The linen tea towels I would use for the purpose they’re intended. I love draping vintage tea towels on the handle of my oven. I would also use the placemats and runners for their intended purpose, on my table.

I can just see the red wing pottery bowl filled with red apples. And the cherry wall hangings will pop on the walls which I’d paint in a light turquoise color. I have white cabinets and appliances and have no plans to change those, because I love the clean look they give a kitchen. One thing I love to do is to replace knobs and handles to match my décor, so I’ll use the turquoise knobs for another pop of color.

At this point, I’ve almost talked myself into redoing my rooms. :) I guess I’ll just have to find someone who will allow me to redo their kitchen.

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More on vintage linens

My dining room is really small. I have a round table and four chairs. It's really a combo kitchen/dining area with a bar separating the two rooms. This is where I have the vintage tablecloth window coverings.

I recently replaced my table in the dining room with a round glass-top table. The legs of the table are in the Bentwood style, so I purchased four Bentwood style chairs to go with it. I stained the chairs which had been stripped of paint and recovered the seats in a designer chenille fabric.

CHAIR COVERINGS

The backs of the chairs were not in the greatest of condition, so I came up with an idea to cover them. I purchased a vintage set of monogrammed sheets and pillowcases with crocheted trim. The monogram happens to be the same for both my first and last names. I outlined the shape of the chairback on the pillowcase and sewed around it.

Even though I had cut the vintage tablecloth in two for my window coverings, I really don't like to destroy a vintage item if I can help it. So I didn't cut the pillowcases and was able to sew a seam around the inside without too many problems with the extra fabric on the inside. If I ever decide that I no longer want to use the pillowcases as my chair coverings, I can rip the seams out and have pillowcases again.

They're not perfect by any means but I think they look ok.  I have a vanity and intend to use the monogrammed sheet from this set as a cover for it.

VALANCES

I love filet lace and have bought quite a few pieces of this over the years, mostly dresser scarves. The theme in my guest bedroom is french country. I decided to use three of the filet lace dresser scarves as valances over the shades. I also have two of the dresser scarves draped over the chairs which are sitting under the window. I did not have to alter the dresser scarves in anyway.

 

 

I have a large filet lace tablecloth that I use as a shower curtain in my guest bathroom. I use a lining behind it and it gives a very french country feel to the bathroom and ties the two rooms together.

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Using vintage linens in home décor

I love vintage linens but when I buy them, I want to use them. I think so many people put linens in a drawer and they never see the light of day again. So, I’ve started incorporating what I buy into my décor.

Sometime ago, I wanted to replace the window coverings in my combo kitchen/dining room. I was looking around a shop which sells vintage and antique items and spotted a vintage tablecloth for less than $5. It was very colorful with birds and butterflies and flowers, and I couldn’t resist buying it. At the time, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with it. But when I got it home, it struck me that maybe I could use it to create window coverings.

NOT A SEAMSTRESS BUT I GET BY

I’m not a seamstress by any means, but I do have a sewing machine and can sew well enough to get by. After determining the size of the tablecloth and the size of my windows, I discovered that the tablecloth was a perfect size to create the two window coverings. I cut it down the middle and then cut the top off to use as a valance on each window. I bought some fabric to use as a liner and sewed the pieces together. I sewed some rings onto the back of each panel and threaded a piece of string through each so that I could use them as roman shades. I glued some beaded trim on the bottom of the valances.

These are pictures of the resulting window coverings. For very little money and a couple of hours of my time, I have a totally unique pair of shades for my windows. And I’m able to indulge my love of vintage linens - and see them everyday instead of having them stuck away in a drawer.

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