Friday, September 25, 2009

Vintage Pillowcases

I love vintage pillowcases. I think a vintage pillow case adds a little individuality to bed linen; after all you can be fairly confident that no-one else will have exactly the same one especially when we are talking about hand embroidered cases.

This pillow case is revers able; white with pink roses and pale blue daisies on one side,


and pink with white polka dots on the other. I have a pair of these which is very handy in avoiding arguments when B2 and B3 want the same one on their beds.

This blue floral print is an op shop find as is the rose and tulip case below.


These two are B2's favourites. She tends to like pillow cases covered in big and blousy blooms rather than the plainer variety with just a little embroidery across the bottom.


This pillow case was an eBay purchase. It came with a matching double bed flat sheet. The sheet has a lovely border across the top so when you make the bed and fold it down over the bedspread it adds a pink and rosy embellishment.

Now we are getting into vintage American territory. This crinoline lady was part of a group of pillow cases I purchases from a vintage linen shop on US eBay. The muted colours are lovely matched with a plain pink or purple pillow case; having two girls we have both pink and purple cases in a variety of shades, of course.

I have a pair of these butterfly cases, once again in sweet, feminine shades suitable for a little girl's room. Poor old B1 misses out, not that I expect he cares, but they do not seem to have much in the way of boy oriented embroideries. There are a few cowboys but that is about it. He is quite happy with his modern Ben 10, TMNT and Marvel Heroes linen instead.


Just a few close ups so you can see all the work that goes into these pillow cases. I think all of them are from patterns which were purchased in the form of a transfer, applied to the case and stitched over the top of the design.








These ones remind me of a girlfriend back in Australia. Her favourite colour is yellow and she grows the most gorgeous yellow roses which is no mean feat in the Brisbane climate.



This one is my absolute favourite. I love things decorated with bluebirds and roses. I have quite a few pieces of china following in that vein. Any vintage linen with bluebird motifs can go for quite a bit of money which is why I only have one lonely pillow case. I simply can't justify the cost of the case plus the shipping from the US. Never mind, I keep hunting for the elusive bluebird bargain though; you never know you luck.


I hope you have enjoyed a brief wander through the depths of my linen cupboard. I think I have a few more pillow cases lurking in there somewhere but we can look at those another day.

3 comments:

  1. These are really lovely. I have a couple of Edwardian pillow slips, you have inspired me to use them instead of leaving them in cupboard. xx

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  2. I too adore "big and blousy blooms" on pillow cases. You have such a pretty collection. And so much lighter than cookbooks, which is what I collect:) They are simply lovely...

    I'll keep a look out for Robins and Roses. You just never know. Thanks for sharing such an intimate glimpse of your linen closet:)

    P.S. Did you ever drop by Dulce's Bread & Roses blog. I really think you would enjoy your visit.

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  3. Ooh, lovely linens! I adore vintage embroidery, and have collected so many traycloths and antimacassars - nothing as useful as a pillowcase!

    Thank you so much for your lovely, encouraging comment on my blog. It meant a lot, and I was really touched. And I hope you start to tell the world you're writer. It's the first step.

    Also, have you ever heard of a book called The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron? It's a really helpful in unblocking creativity (and despite the name, is aimed at writers as much as visual artists).

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