Featured Are these valences? Antimacassars? Chair arm covers?

I so know what you mean.

 

Greg, I'd love to see the Gibson Girl.

I forgot about dish towels with calendars... I think my mom had some, too. Most of her linens that were left are somewhere in our storage unit. Whether I'll ever get to see them again is debatable. I *really* need to go into production mode and try to just move a lot of stuff, at whatever price.

 

Hi Pat,
Next week is time to move all the textiles around. Every six months I take them out, shake them and refold a different way and repack. I am always buying old cotton pillowcases to store stuff in. I buy new polyester batting and wash it at least five times before using. The conservationists at the MET told me to do that before using it. They say it sometimes has trace elements of different chemicals in it from manufacturing and always wash at least 5 times, better 8-10 but my stuff is not like the stuff they handle. NO sharp creases and refold several times a year. Twice is all I can manage. I will post some photos then change that to take some photos then and post later. I forgot school is out and I have my charges from 7AM to 6PM.
greg

 

Antimacassars are usually much larger as they were designed to lay over the backs of upholstered furniture to protect it from Macassar - the hair oil used in the 19th century. I'm sure yours are arm covers. Very beautiful.

 

Greg, sounds like a lot of work. If you can, please do post photos! And thanks for the info about polyester batting... had no idea about that.

LLace, thanks. I think you may be right.

 

Pat those are simply stunning.
"-)

 

Thanks, Pearls.

 

Oh, oh, oh .... I know, I know, I know .... <giggle> These are arm chair arm and back rest head covers! They were also used as trivets on a tea table and fireplace mantle "doilies"! And They are crocheted, and they used "crocheted" cotton to make these. They used a crochet hook about as tiny as a fish hook to crochet these lovelies. Making these "doilies" was not for the impatient crochet crafter; it took weeks to master the tension gauge in the "seasoned" crochet-er's hands for the size of the piece to keep it uniform. I buy these whenever I find them. I've never paid more than $20 for one and that one was exquisitely detailed.
Folks who Crochet, Knit, Tat, Quilt and Embroider have discovered their crafts are labors of love because they are never paid their worth. They do it because they are genetically programmed to. I swear it's true. I'm a master quilter (which means nothing more than I have bragging rights to other quilters <grinning>); I should know.

There are two fail safe ways to accurately find out what the fibers in a piece is. One ... taste it, two ... burn it. <laughing> Take a teeny tiny snip off of the fringe and put it on a glass plate and use a bic lighter to burn it. If it smells like burning grass or plant material, it's linen. If it smells like singed fabric, it's cotton. Or, these could be wool, and wool smells like burned or singed hair. If it's got a polyester base to it (then it would be from the 1970's), it'll ball up when it's burned and it will have a chemical odor. Hope this helps.
JoAnn as always ... I buy junk and sell antiques

 

When I was to be married, all the wedding gifts were put in one room in my house. My dear grandmother, who could no longer see or hear very well, was quite sad that she could no longer go shopping for me. I asked her to come with me to see everything, and she came with me, biting her lip.

Right there in the middle of everything, I had put the full-sized bedspread she had crocheted for my trousseau, and the granny-square afghan she had made in pale blue and white.

She cried. I cried. My mother cried. Very satisfactory all 'round!

 

Oh Silverthwait, what a beautiful memory you have of your grandmother and that day.

 

JoAnn, thanks for the info and welcome to Antiquers!

Silver, that was such a kind and loving thing to do!

 

Thank you PatP. It's a nice feeling to be received. I was hoping nobody would be offended by my "name" buy junk sell antiques. I have to remind myself from time to time that one man's junk is another's treasure. But an item's dollar price is based on what someone has actually paid for it, not what someone wants to get for it.

 

Isn't there a saying "One man's junk is another man's treasure" or something like that? So true!

 

Yes PatP, that's a quote. I'm certainly not smart enough to come up with that statement! <laughing>

 

OMGosh!!!!!!! <laughing> I love reading King of Thing's comebacks!