Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do people still use table linens? I have a handmade set that my mother made, probably about 70 years ago. They are a lovely ecru-colored heavy linen with cut-work embroidery. There are 4 place mats and 4 napkins.
What can I do with them? I don't do the sort of entertaining that calls for table linens, and these have been lying in a storage box, wrapped in tissue paper, for several years now because I can't bear to throw them out.
Do people still use such linens? Would there be a market for them? I would hate to get rid of them but they should be used and enjoyed, not stored away out of sight.
Is there some way they could be adapted for other uses?
I am sure some people use such linens at least for special occasions and main holidays.
I do use table linens when I eat at the dining room table. I also appreciate restaurants that serve food on tables covered by linens.
If this isn't your thing, perhaps you can sell it on Etsy so someone else could admire it in their home?
Or perhaps your kids would love to have them?
Status:
"This too shall pass. But possibly, like a kidney stone."
(set 16 days ago)
36,042 posts, read 18,321,149 times
Reputation: 51098
This is hard, and it's the topic of the huge best seller, "The Magic of Tidying" by Marie Kondo.
You've got stuff you don't want, that you feel obligated to be attached to.
You could donate them to one of those antique/junk dealer shops but there's not a huge market for other family's heirloom linens. Because other families already have their heirloom linens that they don't know what to do with, either.
If you have a lot of those things in your life, I would strongly recommend reading the book - it's short - will take you about an hour. And it will free you of the guilt of not continuing to store those items you don't want or use.
Just use them.
Every night for dinner.
We only use cloth napkins in our house.
I even carry them in my backpack when we travel. If a restaurant has paper napkins, we pull out our cloth ones.
Do people still use table linens? I have a handmade set that my mother made, probably about 70 years ago. They are a lovely ecru-colored heavy linen with cut-work embroidery. There are 4 place mats and 4 napkins.
What can I do with them? I don't do the sort of entertaining that calls for table linens, and these have been lying in a storage box, wrapped in tissue paper, for several years now because I can't bear to throw them out.
Do people still use such linens? Would there be a market for them? I would hate to get rid of them but they should be used and enjoyed, not stored away out of sight.
Is there some way they could be adapted for other uses?
I was going to say throw pillows too, as for place mats you could use them on your furniture to protect the surface, also you could take a napkin and frame it, if it’s hand made it would beautiful to display your moms work. You could use the mat on your kitchen island , put a floral bouquet on it. You could use the napkins as hand towels in the bathroom. At least you would get use and be bake to see them.
What a wonderful idea! That probably would never had occurred to me, but the fact is that I do use throw pillows, and I have one with a cover I could easily replace with a couple of these place mats or napkins. Just a few years ago I recovered two throw pillows, so at least I know I can sew well enough to do that again.
I was going to say throw pillows too, as for place mats you could use them on your furniture to protect the surface, also you could take a napkin and frame it, if it’s hand made it would beautiful to display your moms work. You could use the mat on your kitchen island , put a floral bouquet on it. You could use the napkins as hand towels in the bathroom. At least you would get use and be bake to see them.
I love the framing idea too. Mama had a lovely lace handkerchief that had belonged to her mother or grandmother, I think, and she had it matted and framed.
I also love the idea of using these to cover throw pillows, that you and suzy_q2010 suggested. My cat rarely pays any attention to my throw pillows, so probably would not shred these, but framed and on the wall I know they would be safe.
Just use them.
Every night for dinner.
We only use cloth napkins in our house.
I even carry them in my backpack when we travel. If a restaurant has paper napkins, we pull out our cloth ones.
I like cloth napkins too. The problem is laundering them. I don't have a washing machine of my own and wouldn't trust linen goods to the apartment commercial ones. Yes, I can hand-wash them -- but I don't have an ironing board either.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
