Blanket protectors were made to help keep blankets (expensive items then) clean and fresh. They were placed over the top of the bed, so that the sleeper touched the protector rather than the blanker. This top also kept the blanket clean and served as a bed adornment. Rather like a bedspread. Sometimes it would be placed half on the underside and over the top, almost like a sheet, but not all the way down the bed. You can turn these into a sheet by adding fabric to the length. They also make great curtains or wall hangings.

This wonderful German invention works like a small duvet basically. The baby is placed inside the wrap and the lower part is brought up over the body and tied with the ties that are on each side. The nice thing is that the whole piece is double, i.e. you can insert a blanket or thin duvet to keep the baby warm and cozy. The opening for the blanket is either in the middle or on the edge.

This is a typical European design, found more often in Northern than Southern Europe though, especially in colder climates. You can use this for a Christening, but it works well in a baby carriage or stroller as well - so pretty and soft. For a special gift perhaps?

A design was worked upon plain weave Linen fabric by a means of counting the individual warp and weft threads and placing the stitches in even increments over the diameter a number of threads according to the pattern. Counted Cross Stitch items can be easily recognized by the distinctive linear patterns the design forms on the reverse of the cloth.

Damask from Europe, the older pieces, are of great quality and heavier than we are accustomed to see with modern new pieces. Whether it's linen damask, cotton or satin, it will be great to use for your more formal entertaining, for the table pieces and you will love sleeping under the bed linens made of damask! The quality is generally much better than anything you can find new, and especially with the older pieces, the more it is washed, the softer it gets.

Doilies are small (usually round) or large linen pieces that are used on all kinds of surfaces and can be one of the most creative items in your hands! A doily can be lace, crochet, knit, embroidered and so on.

Don't limit yourself to using a doily on a small table. There are many other options, and it's a great way to stretch your decorating budget, and get creative without having to master the skills to make the doilies yourself.

We sell 'Euro' shams, i.e. measuring approximately 30-31 inches square and buttoning on the back (partly sewn flap and then buttons for the opening). The pillow forms for these are readily available in bed linens stores. If you have trouble finding them, I have a list of stores that also maintain a presence on the web, you could order the pillows there as well. You can also use 2 standard American pillows together, although you won't get the typical European look that way, and it's a bit messier looking. Be aware that the Euro forms commonly sold in stores are only 26 inches - the larger 31-inch ones are much harder to find.

We always have a wonderful selection of these Euro cases on e-Bay, please check them all out. If you worry about running out of beds, use them for your living room sofa for a 'shabby' look, or even as a small table cover! The possible uses for these shams are endless. They can be sized down to fit smaller pillows, turned into unusual accents on patio furniture or even used as small duvets for a baby cot.

European vintage pillowcases are most often white, and either pure cotton or a cotton/linen mix. They are larger than the cases made in the US. For this reason they make a great decorative statement on a bed as the large pillow in the back (pillows for these shams are readily available in home and bath decorating stores).

They also make a great backdrop to more colorful embroidered vintage American shams, or redwork shams for instance. Of course they are also wonderful in and of themselves since they are so well-made and often adorned with embroidery, lace and monograms. They are most often of excellent quality and heavy thread-count and will last for a long time.

Standard European cases have a partly sewn-over flap on the back with the opening secured with buttons. Vintage buttons are fabric or thread-covered.

The lace is embroidered on a base grid. The pattern is embroidered over the grid, with a knotted framework. This lovely raised effect contributes to the decorative and collectible appeal of the pieces. The finer and the more intricate the work, the more valuable. Larger pieces are especially collectible and quite rare when in great condition.

French sheets are usually Queen-size or better and come in various qualities, from cotton to the purest and finest linen lawn. We detail in each item what type of fabric it is made of and the grade. The embroidery is always exquisite, and the more a sheet is adorned, the more luxurious it was considered to be.

Ancient Egyptians deemed linen ‘the cloth of the gods’. Emperor Charlemagne concurred, decreeing that every Belgian household grow flax. And so for 13 centuries the craftspeople of the Flanders region in Belgium have spun straw into gold.

Vintage aprons were often seen in Germany. They, of course, were used often in the household, especially when receiving guests, rather like hostess aprons. You might have also seen (in life or in pictures) those waitresses in coffee and beer houses with their immaculate starched aprons, tied with an impeccable bow at the back (I can never get bows to look that nice!). Another popular use was with dirndls, and that is what the embroidered aprons were most often made for.

Blue or red embroidered aprons were often used for laundry days. They typically have a front pocket for holding clothespins, and are embroidered with symbols of laundry and with sayings such as 'clear weather' or 'laundry'. They make great decorative pieces for a laundry room.

German duvet covers are smaller than American comforter covers, typically. The duvets sit on top of the bed, and don't go over the side usually. The duvet inside is typically fluffy and puffed up, it sits on the bed like a cloud and you feel like you are sleeping under one too!

Germany is better known for embroidery and crochet and the lace is not as famous as some of the other countries' production, which is a mixed blessing. Of course it means the prices are lower, even for handmade pieces, but it also means it is not appreciated to the extent it should be, nor is it well known and understood.

Germany had several well-known lace-making centers and these were active until the very recent past. This makes it a difficult task to identify machine and hand made lace since the price is not usually a way to tell them apart. Handmade lace was not more expensive in many cases, so it was purchased quite easily and was not as big an investment as in other countries. It is particularly difficult to tell with these pieces. Often they are hand made, but it's often difficult to tell and we cannot guarantee pieces are unless we know for sure.

German linen is known, and quite rightly so, for its superb quality. Because linen was widely produced in Northern Europe, linen items are still quite reasonable and readily available. A good example is these superb towels, typical of those used by German housewives in the early 20th century, and always part of a girl's trousseau.

Often adorned with a monogram, there are different types of linen towels, some plain and some more fancy. But all are of high quality and you have to feel them to appreciate their wonderful softness and resilience. These towels are great for use in the kitchen, but they are also nice for powder rooms (especially the damask ones) and for making small pillows for example. They are very strong and will only get softer and silkier with use.

Here are some great ideas of what you can do with these towels, other than use them as kitchen tea towels:

In Germany, sheets used to be made to be buttoned onto the heavy duvets they used to have (different from the fluffy duvets found today in Germany). This helped keep the duvet clean and avoid having to wash it often since it was a heavy and difficult job. Those old duvets were made of wool, and heavy fabrics. Washing them was a major enterprise. The sheets therefore often have buttonholes along the sides that would match up to the buttons on the duvet.

Of course the sheets can be used on their own and are gorgeous just like that. The 'new' sets, i.e. the ones that have not been used, do not have the buttonholes, since a housewife would add them to suit her duvets and buttons.

Sheets in Germany are nearly always single size (for a twin-size bed) since each person has their own sheet - no more tug of war in the night! One very creative customer also said she was going to sew two single sheets together to make a large sheet for a Queen-size or even king-size bed - what a fabulous idea!

Unless otherwise specified, German sheets are white, with a thread count of minimum 300c and pure cotton.

If you are not sure of the size you need to have, please measure the bed, and add enough for tucking the sheet in, that will give you an idea of what to look for.

Lace knitting or art knitting is not as well known in this country, although those who do know it and appreciate it are avid collectors. These pieces are made by hand by experts and look wonderful, especially on a dark background or on glass for example.

Lapkins are French, large napkins meant to go on your lap as the name implies. A very civilized way to make sure you do not spill some delicious sauce on your lap. Fancy table linens usually included these in French households. Most usually damask, and usually linen damask they are also usually embroidered with a fancy monogram in the center. A wonderful way to adorn your holiday table for example.

Laundry basket covers are one of the hottest collectibles of the moment. Usually embroidered in blue or red, and with the words 'Frische Wasche' (clean laundry) or simply "Wasche' (laundry), they would be placed on the basket of clean linens. The basket would then be carried either home, from the washing place, or to the ironing place, with the family linens hidden from prying eyes.

Today one of these makes a wonderful decoration for a laundry room, and brightens any wall. An easy way to add instant charm to a utilitarian space.

Ancient Egyptians deemed linen 'the cloth of the gods'. Emperor Charlemagne concurred, decreeing that every Belgian household grow flax. And so for 13 centuries the craftspeople of the Flanders region in Belgium have spun straw into gold. This linen was also produced in France and Germany, and was more abundant than cotton. Hence, bedding and night clothing were often made of linen, a luxury to our modern eyes. If you have ever tried sleeping under linen you will know what a wonderful feeling it is. The fabric breathes, and it's light, yet warm enough. Very strong too (imagine mummies were wrapped in linen too!), it has often come through time with little or no damage.

We are fortunate enough to have a great treasure trove of these wonderful old French sheets. Each one is unique. Some are linen lawn, some are linen, some are a linen and cotton mix called métis in France. Don't miss out on these wonderful beauties, embroidered by young ladies for their trousseau, with monogram, drawnwork and wonderful embroidered adornments.

A special linen cloth that was used to help iron items in a mangle machine (an ironing machine), and this would ensure small items stayed smooth and did not get tangled in the rollers. Mangle cloths are pure linen since that fiber can withstand the highest temperature. Today a mangle cloth makes a great country style banquet tablecloth with a Continental flair!

Over-towels as they are called in Germany, were a common sight in houses in Germany and Holland up to about the 1950s. They were used to decorate a kitchen and to hide the every-day, unadorned kitchen towels. They are draped over the rods with the top part folded over (it is usually decorated as well). They are usually heavily embroidered and decorated with various types of scenes, or with abundant floral decorations. Their aim was to make plain, utilitarian kitchens more decorative. Often you will see them with a Dutch-themed motif, with a saying, or with figural scenes. Our photo album has some examples of them in use.

Because of the fold-over flap, over-towels can often be recycled as a small curtain, with an instant built-in valance; a nice added touch. Some of them have a pocket at the back, ready for a rod to be inserted. One the ones that don't, adding one is a simple job. You can also either drape the towel over a rod and pin or sew it in place - quick and simple instant décor!

These darling pillow shams were used for the living room. Of course you can use them anywhere. Just pop in a pillow and voila, instant charm! They make a nice alternative to the pricier needlepoint, and they have a unique charm of their own. We always have a nice selection of these, both with floral designs and the figural ones with sayings and song lyrics.

Often the ones with text are taken from poems or songs popular at the time they were made. Usually around the 1940s, 1950s. The songs themselves are often easy to find online.

Lace is often named by its place of origin. In Germany the most important textile weaving and lace-making center since the sixteenth century was Saxony (an independent kingdom until 1813). From this lace-making center comes the world famous 'Plauener Spitze', named after the city of Plauen in Saxony.

The first embroidery machine was established in Plauen in 1881.
In 1900, the lace produced in Plauen was awarded the 'Grand Prix' at the First World Expo in Paris, France.

The "Plauener Spitze" is a world famous chemical lace which copies with great accuracy some needle laces like the Brussels point de gaze, or Point de France, a French version of Point de Venise.

The name Chemical Lace, originally called 'machine embroidered guipure', but soon abbreviated to 'guipure,' derives from the use of chemicals to remove the backing.

In the manufacture of this chemical lace each design is individually made for each piece. The basic material is a manmade ground fabric onto which the design is traced.
The design is then stitched with raised outlines, mostly in heavy embroidery, with the tiny fillings done with a buttonhole-like stitching. Sometimes picoted brides are used in the manner of Point de Venise' needle lace. The ground fabric is then removed or burned out by chemicals.

The term punch work refers to the fact that the design was actually 'punched' out upon the cloth with a small awl like tool; then the edges of the 'punch were bound with overcast stitches ~ when the 'punches' were close together the resulting effect was that of a mosaic like grid. Obviously a huge investment of time went into such pieces. One further note ~ I often see pieces of punchwork listed as drawnwork ~ in drawnwork the threads are actually drawn or pulled out of the warp or weft of the fabric and thus the designs are all linear

Rollen is a synonym for items that were put through a mangle or 'mangling', the way in which they used to "iron" the big linen pieces)
The large machines (mangle) were used to iron large pieces (imagine those very heavy linen sheets).

Not everyone had such a machine in house, so after wash day the laundry was sorted by size, put in large baskets possibly covered with one of those wonderful 'Linens' or 'Laundry' covers we also offer, and kept separate by types within the basket too. The housewife (or help) would go to a special service to put the laundry through the mangle. Once smooth, the linens were rolled up rather than folded (better for the pieces) and brought home, ready to be used or stored.

This piece was used to wrap the sorted linens. If not too large, it would have been used for smaller flat pieces, like napkins or tea towels.

The words 'roll glatt' basically mean 'ironed smooth'

Schoolgirls in Germany, indeed in most of Europe, were required to complete several of these samplers to learn the techniques they would need to decorate their homes and sew their linens. Most of these old samplers are done in red, although you can find them in other colors. These would be worked in school or at home and were graded like other assignments. Up till a few years ago (I won't say how many) it was still a requirement, I had to produce a number of these things (no mean feat for a leftie!).

This is a special transition style of duvet cover, from the button-on sheets to the duvets we see today. Here the duvet is inserted in the diamond-shaped opening and the duvet would show since it was usually a nice elaborate fabric. Later the duvet cover would become the large envelopes we know today.