Most people haven’t set a fancy dinner table with lacy tablecloths since the 1950s -- nearly five decades ago. Unused family heirlooms are often neatly folded and tucked away for safekeeping. Or so some may think. Unfortunately this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Frequently, old lace and lacy linens are needlessly lost through benign neglect than through careful use. Believe me, it’s better for antique lace to die at a party than rot in the closet! Even if linens were put away freshly washed, the mineral residue from tap or well water chemically changes over the years. Oxidized iron residue is responsible for many of the brown rusty spots that appear on otherwise clean linens. Sugar residue, caramelized over the years, also causes brown spots.
And woe for the lace that’s been stored in cedar chests and closets. These were designed to keep moths out of wool, not to store linens and lace. The acid environment of a closed wooden chest can cause deterioration to this delicate fabric.
Lace and linens should instead be wrapped in clean cotton muslin or acid-free tissue, and kept in an acid-free environment. Stored linens, wedding veils, and lacy vintage clothing should be inspected and aired every couple of years.
Yet even if you’ve put your lace out of sight and out of mind, old lace and lacy linens can usually be restored with a gentle hand wash. Soak the dirty lace first in plain warm water, changing the water several times until it no longer turns yellow. Next use a gentle detergent or soap if necessary. Rinse thoroughly several times.
A word of caution, however. While most lace and linens found in today’s closets are not of museum quality, it’s wise to check the worth before aggressively washing and wearing any old lace. Who knows? Grandmother’s favorite tablecloth might have more than sentimental value.
Using an Heirloom Christening Gown
Nothing warms a grandparent’s heart more than seeing a grandchild welcomed into the family wearing a christening gown that’s been passed down through the generations.
However, there are some things to consider before swaddling the newest family member in great-grandfather’s christening gown. First, remember that the babes of today are larger than the baby’s of yesteryear. Do you want to alter your antique gown to fit today’s robust youngster?
If it is a mint condition, circa 1830 dress of exquisite lace and whitework, its value both to history and to your pocketbook will be significantly lower- ed if it is remodeled. If it is an early 20th century dress in good condition, made of relatively sturdy materials, and already has been worn or even remodeled several times, a few more christenings will probably do little harm to the dress. In fact the sentimental value will most likely increase.
Once that consideration has been mulled over, then contemplate how washing, wearing, and handling affect the heirloom dress. It will have to be washed carefully by hand at least twice: once to do it up right for the ceremony, and again afterwards before it is stored.
If you decide to forge ahead, support the fabric with a net or other cloth in the wash, and be especially careful when lifting the garment out of water. The added weight can tear threads in fine lacy fabrics. Never wring out antique fabrics. Blot out the excess water with a white towel. Allow the dress to dry flat on a towel, until it is slightly damp. Then iron it with a dry iron. A steam iron may spit nasty stains on the fabric. Turn the dress inside out, face down on a towel to avoid flattening fine embroidery or lace.
Only you can determine the sentimental value, but the intrinsic and market values -- how good is the dress and what price would it bring -- may require the advice of an expert. It is your heirloom to do with what you will. Don’t deny your family the joy of a special tradition and memories of generations of babies in an heirloom dress because it is a bit of trouble to wash and “do up” a special gown.
Consider which is the better keepsake to pass on: tradition, photographs, memories, and a used, possibly remodeled gown -- or a valuable antique. With great care and consideration, you may just have both.
Showy Lace Handkerchiefs Back in Favor
“One for show, one for blow” is a handkerchief tradition that goes back centuries. Snuff-sniffing ladies and gentlemen of the eighteenth century French court often carried both a plain colored square to hide tobacco stains and a fancy lace handkerchief for flirting.
Today’s “one for blow” usually is a paper tissue. A pretty lace handkerchief for show is again popular tucked into a suit pocket, gathered and worn as a corsage, a frilly jabot, or peeking out from under the folds of a sweater’s turtleneck.
Showy handkerchiefs make senti- mental gifts for a birthday, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, for a new bride, or from the bride to her new mother-in-law. Simpler handkerchiefs often are used to wrap gifts or folded to form a baby cap.
Lacy handkerchiefs fall into three categories: lacy whiteworks -- where the cloth itself is made lacy with pulled threads, embroidery, and cutwork; cloth squares -- perhaps otherwise embroidered or decorated, edged with a strip of lace; and, true “lace handkerchiefs” -- designed as complete lacy sculpture, with only a small bit of cloth in the center.
Prices range from one to ten dollars for simple ones with tatted or crocheted edges up to several hundred dollars for fine eighteenth and nineteenth century lace handkerchiefs. Until about the 1940s, every quality department store offered antique lace handkerchiefs. Chicago’s Marshall Field and Company offered dozens of drawers filled with these lacy finds. Today, however, eighteenth and nineteenth century lace handkerchiefs are highly prized -- and a challenge to find.
But if you’re lucky enough to have a fine lacy handkerchief in your possession – and you have a deep desire to share this precious heirloom with other family members on special occasions -- take a few moments to mull over some precautions.
First, find out the intrinsic and market values -- how good is the handkerchief and what price would it bring. Then, consider how to ensure the safety of the delicate fabric. For instance, if your niece is marrying soon, to prevent damage or loss to a handkerchief, don’t thrust a family heirloom at the bride in the middle of last minute wedding chaos. Present it to her privately, along with stories and pictures of who used the handkerchief and when.
A little precaution and prevention could allow your family heirloom to amass many more memories and keep its integrity in tact at the same time.
The Five-Hundred Dollar Polishing Rag
“Whatcha doin’ with those old rags?” Marcie asked her neighbor. A bit of lace was hanging out of the box of rags next to the car he was washing, and it caught her eye. “I’m gonna use 'em to polish the car,” he replied. With an eagle eye for valuable lace, Marcie didn’t waste any time heading for the basement for a few old towels, which she then swapped for the old tablecloth that her neighbor was about to use on his car. Delightfully satisfied with her find, Marcie washed the beautiful lace tablecloth, repaired it, and then sold it for $500.
Lace is like no other antique. The key to cashing in on the box of old lace, lacy linens, and lacy vintage clothing scrounged from the attic or passed along from a great-grandmother is finding the right market.
There are at least three distinct markets: users, recyclers, and collectors. What one values the other rejects.
Users look for usable and wearable old lacy items. They want tablecloths, scarves, collars, doilies, or veils they can wear or use for decorating. The design and condition are most important. They often pay the highest prices, but only for things that are both pretty and perfect.
Recyclers look for usable yardage and fragments of old lace that they can cut up to decorate dresses, wedding gowns, veils, and doll clothes. This market values pieces and usable fragments with pretty designs, but relaxes the requirement for good condition. They pay the lowest prices since they will be putting a lot of time and effort into remodeling the lace, and need inexpensive raw materials.
Lace collectors place the highest priority on workmanship and technique. Design and condition are secondary. They look for stitches that were hard to make, and made well. Present them with a foot-square scrap of highly decorated Point de France, and they happily write a check for two hundred dollars. They look for details of workmanship not visible to the naked eye. Like stamp collectors or coin collectors, they often do not display their finds. For them it is enough to admire the artistry and craftsmanship in private.
It really boils down to the old adage: what might be one person’s trash, could be another person’s treasure.
Tips on Sharing Antique Lace with a Bride
Next to great-grandmother’s wedding ring, the heirloom most often brought out for a wedding is a grandmother’s lace veil, a favorite aunt’s lacy wedding handkerchief, and perhaps yards of old lace from the groom’s family. Yet there probably have been more tears shed and feelings hurt over the ruin of a precious piece of lace or linen than there have been from mismatched couples.
Unless your ancestors included Napoleon and Josephine, or Charles and Di, the market value of your lace and linen might not be measurable. And unless the piece is both pretty and perfect, the world also may not care how hard it was to make, or how long it took, nor how much its worth. Sentimental value however is priceless.
So there are a few things you should keep in mind before allowing a bride to walk down the aisle with the family’s lace collection. First, determine the value of your lace. Intrinsic value lies in the stitches themselves: how hard they were to make, and how well they were done? Handmade does not automatically mean that it is either good or valuable. Market value is measured in “who cares?” If you feel it’s too much to risk, keep your lace tucked away for safekeeping in an acid-free environment.
As mentioned earlier, if you want to lend a special touch to a momentous occasion, don’t present your heirloom lace to the bride in the midst of last-minute wedding chaos. Sentimental value comes from the people who used family mementos and the times and places they lived. The lace itself is just twisted threads, but woven within the fabric is the family’s history. Share the memories and pictures of the ancestors wearing the lace, and the lace itself with the bride in a quiet setting when she has no other concerns on her mind. Give her a chance to see herself as part of the on-going tradition.
If your lace truly has beautifully worked, hard-to-make stitchery, find ways to use it without cutting it up. If all you have is a few torn and worn motifs, use them on the ring pillow, around the bride’s face on the veil, or on the bodice.
Remember, creative collaborations can set the stage for establishing new traditions and continuing a family’s legacy.
About the author: Elizabeth Kurella has pursued the study of antique lace and developed her own course of study through extensive research in the lace collections of the Art Institute of Chicago and other museums through- out the U.S. and abroad. Her latest book, Guide to Lace and Linens (ISBN: 0-930625-89-7 * Retail $24.95 * 224 pages 8.5 x 11" SC), can be found in your local bookstore or ordered through Antique Trader Books toll-free at 1-800-334-7165. Trade bookstores please contact Publishers Group West at 1-800-788-3123.