Old Linens

While I was staying with my parents in Brooklyn, my mother brought a large shopping bag full of linens from the basement, so that I could choose some cloth napkins to bring home. Looking at the assortment of old tea towels, placemats, pillow cases, and napkins made me a bit nostalgic, so I am indulging myself with this post. All the linens were made by the company established by my father's father and his sons––Parisian Prints––and are probably 30 to 50 years old. When I was a young girl, my father took me on a trip to their factory in Mount Joy, PA, in Amish country. I remember watching with fascination a marvelous machine that allowed a woman sitting in front of a large pattern to move dozens of needles to "hand embroider" pillow cases. (I wonder how much I misremember.) It seemed magical. I imagine that now all this is digitized.

Above are two tea towels that look as though they could have been made as tourist items for Vermont, one with a leaping deer and the other with a skier. I hope you can see why I couldn't resist sharing them.




This is a set of table runner, placemat and napkin that I think is a lovely design, with applique on transparent fabric. And below are cocktail napkins made for the family, probably 50 years ago. The style of these linens is that of Madeira, a island of Portugal; they may have been made there, or in China. Wherever they were made, it's wonderful to have these vintage items, a bit of family history, to use and enjoy.