stacks & rolls of linen

by | Mar 1, 2017 | All Things Home, Antiques, Favorite Finds | 62 comments

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Before we get hip-deep in linens, I just want to say a huge thank you for all of the kind comments left on yesterday’s post.  I’ve been struggling a bit with writers-block and, quite honestly, being in a bit of a funk, and those comments unclogged the cork!  Seriously!  I know I sometimes get stuck in my own head and getting a glimpse of how this work can and does impact and encourage others is like a stimulant for my creative soul.

Thanks for the pick-me-up.

So, I received an order of linens late last week and was in nubby, antique, blue & white linen heaven as they were unpacked.  Kriste organized all of them in stacks and rolls on our work tables and I had to leave the work at my desk and venture over to pet them.

I order them from a supplier in Europe that I’ve worked with for a few years, so I don’t get to actually see and feel them before I buy them.  And pictures rarely do them justice.  If you’re a linen-lover like me, you know how a certain weave and texture can get your heart racing.  It’s hard to appreciate those nuances in a picture, but I’ve learned over the years that my supplier knows what I like and I’m always happy with what I order “sight unseen”.

These monogrammed tea towels immediately stood out to me.  (I’ll have to share that cross-stitch pattern, because it’s lovely!)

And I also got several grain sacks…

…stacks and stacks of tea towels and tablecloths…


…and the rolls.  Oh, my friends, the rolls.  Does anyone else think rolls of linen are just gorgeous?

I told Kriste that I just want to sit them in a basket or shelf in my house just for the pure enjoyment of it.  I think these are better put to use in projects, though, and having rolls of linen that are strictly decorative would be a bit of a waste.

Kriste said she just wanted to roll up in a particularly pretty piece like a burrito.  That might be a waste as well, but it’s debatable.

So, I think we’ll do something a little different at Lucketts this year and we’ll have a cutting counter where shoppers can buy antique linen by the yard.  That way, if someone wants a long roll, they can buy that, and if they just want a small piece for a project, they can have it cut to size.

But, of course, I might have to keep some for myself!  This windowpane fabric is currently the front-runner…

One word.

Yummy.

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    62 Comments

    1. Paula J Runyan

      Drool! I may have needed to wipe up after reading that!
      I am going to have my supplier find me just the right roll or two for using as a stair runner next winter.
      And your idea of a cutting counter at the market is just amazing!

    2. Karen

      Oh the window pain! That is my favorite as well!!

      • harriett

        Pain-ful, isn’t it!

    3. Jan

      Oh, please! Won’t you sell some online?

    4. Sally

      You sure know how to pick linens. Everything is gorgeous. I think you have a great idea to sell this yardage at Lucketts. It’s going to be a hit. Even though I cant go to Lucketts, I can’t wait to see how these sell. You better have some sharp scissors!
      Great marketing, keep adding new and exciting product.

    5. jacqueline pankuck

      Oh my goodness…I am drooling!

    6. Gina

      Can we just lay it all out on a bed and snuggle in for a few hours…….and then roll up like a burrito! Ah the small pleasures in life……they are the most fun and lovely.

    7. Kim

      I have to chuckle, tell Kriste that one of my favorite memories from childhood was literally rolling myself up “like a burrito” in a large white linen tablecloth under the fig tree on a gorgeous spring afternoon in my great-grandma’s backyard in Alabama! I remember lying there in the warm sun, all snug in the fabric, listening to the birds in the trees, thinking life could be any better. 🙂 To this day I can FEEL it.

      • Kim

        Oops, that should say “life COULDN’T be any better”!

        • Monica

          I love your comment. Makes me want to be there right now!!!

      • Sheri

        What a lovely memory to treasure!! ♥

    8. Dodie Leibecke

      Oh my gosh! Not just YUM but double YUM!
      YUM YUM!!!!!
      Tickets already ordered for Lucketts…..can’t wait!
      Of course first stop will be Miss Mustard Seed!
      So excited to see all the wonderful goodies you will be bringing!

    9. Angela

      *sigh* i love it all and am so far away……Lucketts is on my bucket list if you can imagine.

    10. Justin

      I wonder if you got an inexpensive down or faux down throw (from like Target) and covered it in one of the rolled linens like a duvet and did those pull-through quilting knots to keep it in place… Wouldn’t that make a neat throw for a family room? Maybe wash and fabric-softener the heck out of it so you can actually cuddle up with it to watch TV?

      🙂

    11. Rebecca

      I loved the expression “pet”. That is what I do to a lot of clothes and fabrics. I can’t help myself! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that pets fabric!

    12. Carswell

      Those rolls would make fantastic table runners. It would be lovely to be able to buy specific lengths, although I would be just as happy to buy a roll.

      My farmhouse table was built for me by a friend, the top is made from two very wide antique boards he had in his stash and the legs are turned from old pine studs that were removed when I took down a couple of walls during the renovation when I bought my house. All that is in aid of saying that the table is not a standard size and I have a tough time finding runners that are the right length for the table top.

    13. At Rivercrest Cottage

      Thinking about your funk and all the things you’re involved in these days, I have to wonder if maybe you don’t have time to visit other blogs as you once may have done? I get so inspired from other people’s blog (such as yours) and their projects that I can fill a notebook with things to try and write about. Maybe just taking an “Inspiration” break to connect with others may help get you going.

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, that is a great suggestion! I do actually take time to scroll through Instagram, Pinterest, and sometimes blogs, to get inspiration. I do keep blinders on to some extent, though, so my creativity isn’t too influenced by someone else! I find that engaging in other creative endeavors, like painting and music, or going out shopping or “tooling around” does a lot for me creatively.

        I’ll share more about my funk sometime, but there has just been a lot on my shoulders lately and I think that weight has made it harder to create, write, and enjoy some of the very fun projects I’ve been working on. It’s just a season of life, though…

    14. Milena

      My heart also goes pitter patter for vintage linens. Especially tablecloths and embroidered pieces. I could look at them all day. I change them seasonally in my home. Make sure to keep “a few” for yourself! Milena

    15. Rowena Philbeck

      Those are amazing. I do counted-cross-stitch and some of those would be awesome with a pattern in them.

    16. Cheryl Jamieson

      These are so beautiful. The feel of great fabrics is unmatched. I’ve never been brave enough to order from Europe.

    17. Julie B.

      I want to make a ribbon for a faux boxwood wreath I just completed. Having a difficult time finding the right fabric… These are perfect!

    18. Cheryl

      Yummy is a great word for this, lol!

    19. Connie J Harbor

      I suddenly realized, as I scrolled through the pictures, that all of the monograms were “U M” and that made me wonder if they might have been a collection from a single individual or from one family. Like what you sometimes find (if you are really, really lucky!) at an estate sale or auction… You may need to change your name to Ursula Marian! They are all so beautiful – and I absolutely agree, the windowpane takes the prize!

    20. Wendy

      Marion, are you able to get these rolls of antique linen in BLACK? I know you love your blues, but I have lots of projects in mind that would look great in black. I’d sure buy some yards of that!

      • Sheila

        and I’d be in line to buy if you had some in red!

    21. Vickie Hutchins

      Oh, I was hoping it was VH. Darn!

    22. Marianne

      Marian, I am like you ! I love vintage linens and rolls of it. I could just enjoy looking at it all day!

    23. Nelle Jane

      Just remember that you are an amazing, creative person who enriches more lives than you could possibly count everyday!!! Funk or not, we love you!! I found you when trying to learn to make slipcovers for my mother’s old arm chairs, and your boys were little ones playing in the next room. You inspired me to “just go for it” and I slipcovered 5 chairs!! My 46 year old sofa is next on my bucket list. . You taught me to live old linens! You are awesome and greatly loved!

    24. Elizabeth

      Marian, I’m sorry that you have been experiencing a funk and that life is weighing a little heavily on you right now. Keep the faith. Things will improve. We care about you!

    25. Kathy T

      If you’re going to sell yardage, make sure you have two people to handle just that, with a yardstick taped to the table and sharp scissors! You will probably only need them the first day, because you’re sure to sell out. If I lived closer, I’d volunteer just for the chance to play with the beautiful fabric!

      • Heather Anne

        I was thinking the same thing! Oh my! Too fun!

    26. Joan Dorrill

      Blue and white linens are tops in my mind. After that, linen from old, soft, white table cloths which I use all the time (not ironed) and then, I cut up the ragged ones into kitchen dish towels. Would love to buy some of your blue and white linen, by the yard, about two yards if possible. I like plaids, checks, and stripes.
      Love your work of all kinds.

    27. Katherine

      Oh Marian!
      Think I have to disagree with you on full rolls just sitting (gorgeously!!) in a basket — not a waste but an incredible luxury! Just imagine the excitement every time you looked at that basket full of gorgeousness and the dreaming about all the wonderful things you could do with them. No reason for you not to enjoy them that way until they go to Luckett’s with you. Brilliant idea to sell as cut to order pieces— you make so many folks SO happy!

    28. Julai

      Amazing linen. Are these really antique or vintage linen? How old does linen have to be before it is considered vintage or antique? How on earth do you get so much old linen and uncut rolls of it?

    29. Maggie

      Love it all. Can’t wait to see what you will do.

    30. Ruth

      Love the vintage linens!!!!!

    31. donnajean

      Pretty lady, don’t fret. You are such a talented and resourceful lady..I am sure you will be back to normal soon. It is something all creative people experience. It is just overload from all those wonderful ideas swimming in your head..
      LOVE those linens. Will you be selling any on line??

    32. Lori

      Please consider selling some on your site

    33. Linda

      Window pane. (not pain) and it is just pure loveliness.

    34. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!)

      Oh! My! Marian! Just love those linens! They are beautiful!

      Would you please consider selling them on line for all us gals who live too far away to go to Lucketts?!

      Blessings!

      • Laurie

        Hi Mary-Ann,

        I’m a Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint retailer in Ontario Canada. Although Marion and I don’t buy from the same source, I also buy similar linen in Europe and have them in my store. So if it’s too far away for you to go to Luckett’s, you can consider coming to my store in Creemore, Ontario – Heirloom142. Cheers! Laurie

    35. Patricia Kasparian

      I would love to make a linen purchase at your online store. I’m determined to learn to go back to sewing from all the pretty on this blog, so your linen would be perfect!

    36. Megan

      I was thinking the same

    37. Kristyn Baker

      Oh they are just beautiful!!!!!

    38. Jen

      Love ❤️
      I also would love to order online! If not from you, your supplier?? ?

    39. Teresa

      Please, please, please sell some online!! Love all that beautiful nubby goodness.

      And I truly hope that whatever you are carrying on your shoulders gets lighter soon. It sounds like you have so many wonderful things going on in your business right now and I hope you get to enjoy them. Especially China! What an adventure. : )

    40. Debbie V.

      Could you please sell some of this online for your readers who aren’t able to go to Lucketts like myself???

    41. Suzanne

      I love linens and have many of my mothers embroidered pillowcases she made! To this day I’m always looking for ways to use them which is pretty easy to do if you enjoy them as curtain valances or bedskirts, or under a sweet lamp on your bedside table where they remind you of your Mama every time you turn on the lamp. So of course I would love your linens! Don’t you think your linens are a piece of art? The material, the color, the patterns, all delicious looking for great curtains, duvet covers, valances, etc.
      And I’m so glad your talent allows you the courage to showcase all of it!
      Good for you! And keep on keeping on!
      Suzie

    42. Heather Anne

      The linens are just lovely! I would come to Luckett’s just to be your cutting counter gal so I could touch and see them up close!!!!

    43. Karen

      So funny that most of the linens are monogrammed UM…………………just add Y and it spells YUM !

      LOVE them and LOVE you and your blog ! XOX

    44. ALICE A. CRAWFORD

      Hi Marian, and first let me say I love you new hairdo, it certainly becomes the shape of your face. Very pretty!
      Now about those linens and the rolls. The word “roll” reminded me of what my grandma had in her washroom just off the kitchen. BTW, this was on a farm back in the early “30’s.
      Attached to the wall, next to the cabinet that held the sink and pump, was a contraption that held a roll of linen. It was a little bit like a paper towel holder but it held a long continuous roll of linen. It hung down about three and half feet from the top and as it got wet (or dirty) the next person could pull on it and it went back up the other side. It was one continuous roll about the width of what I see on your website. I’m pretty sure my grandfather made it since he was a carpenter, it wasn’t fancy, just a dowel to hang it from and a dowel holder.
      Funny, how at 82 I can remember something like that, yet, I will walk into a room and then ask myself, “why did I come in here?” You jogged my memory.
      Thank You for sharing,

    45. Carolyn

      I love linens! ❤️ Especially the classic white and ivory colors.

    46. Michelle

      Oh my, I’m swooning!!

    47. Jo

      My family is very hard on everything in the kitchen. The only items that stand the test of time are linens like these. It is true what our grandmothers say, “They don’t make things like the used to!”

    48. sandi magle

      LOL, ‘ I had to leave the work at my desk and venture over to pet them.’, which so cracked me up. Tactile is what it is all about. I was a tactile potter, I like to say, with fiinger prints, ridges and obvious alterations to shape your hand. I knew if someone picked up a pot/piece and their fingers fell into the ridges, it was going home with them. Then there were those/bean-counter-board-of-trade types, that wanted something cheaper because of a finger print or one of my (intentional) dents and wanted to know why—it was there. “Because I wanted a part of me–in your pot, and it is handmade.” Thank-fully those people, would pass my pieces up. So—I just love what you said, and I would be tempted to wallpaper a room with those gorgeous linens. Sandi

    49. Botanic Bleu

      Marian,
      All of those linens are beautiful… I LOVE blue!

      And I LOVE that your blog site once again allows me to find several of your posts right on the home page, just a click away. Here I am after midnight catching up my MMS reading. You know blog friends are sort of like real-time friends. You don’t get to see every friend every day, but when you do get together you catch up with one another.

      Judith

    50. Sophia

      These are fantastic linens and photos. Great work!

    51. Lindsay

      Omy word, gorgeous just pure gorgeousness. This is exactly how I envisioned recovering my dining room chairs and doing milk or chalk paint for the table,…..these are timeless, classy and just down rt perfect. And the monogram, Oh melt my heart ?

    52. Cristy

      Can someone buy these online? I do not live close by and I really want some of the linen for my house. We are remodeling a 1902 small town house and this is perfect.
      Thanks!

    53. Sandy

      Any chance you would share the name of the supplier?

    Hello!

    Marian Parsons - Miss Mustard Seed

    I’m Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, a wife, mother, paint enthusiast, lover of all things home and an entrepreneur, author, artist, designer, freelance writer & photographer.  READ MORE to learn more about me, my blog and my business…

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