It was a dark and stormy summer afternoon in a small house nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. I was six years old and spending some of the summer with my great aunt and uncle. I was bored since I couldn’t go outside so my aunt went to the lean-to off the kitchen. She came back with a handful of 1930’s and 40’s feed and flour sacks and announced we’d make some doll clothes. The thunderbolt had struck – I was in love with those brightly colored and gaudy prints! I could only bear to cut one into a doll dress and saved the rest.

By my twenties, I was honored to have inherited three family quilts and a few other family pieces. I began actively looking for vintage textiles. Through study, I learned how to identify and date fabrics, identify hand-work and quilting patterns and techniques. Then I learned how to restore the linens by careful hand-washing, stain removal and line drying. As often happens, I outgrew my collection and decided to share my “found treasures” by offering my antique and vintage linens through a brick and mortar antique shop. I have loved being able to open my Etsy shop and have met fellow “linen lovers” from across the globe.

I find most of my textiles through estate sales. There’s nothing more fun to me than sorting through old boxes and stacks of linens. After sitting all day at an estate sale, I hopefully drive home with a few pieces and the process starts. The textiles are sorted in the driveway and often hosed down there. A few at a time are transferred to my freestanding wash tub and soaked in a mild detergent, rinsed and the real work starts. Stains and condition are noted and the stain removal starts. To finally make it to the final rinse and line drying, some pieces have gone through four soaks and stain removal procedures. Then the hand ironing begins! All of this happens in my little laundry room, back yard and the lower level ironing and storage area.

It is my true pleasure to offer part of our textile history to appreciative customers today.