Monday washday

I had to wash the very old linen table cloth I mentioned yesterday. With much trepidation! When I opened it out it had a huge, old, tea stain right in the middle :-(

I was very careful and looked on various specialist pages to see what to do - but linen is very forgiving - we have some smaller pieces of the same age which I wash regularly so I know what to do but with any linen it is the ironing which puts me off, especially as it always seems to need ironing again when taken out of the drawer to be used!

After hanging the huge table cloth on the line in the sunshine the faint shadow of the stain finally faded - the power of sunshine! I am so pleased with how it has washed :-)

Continuing the conservation of fabric theme - we also "rediscovered" Compostman's Christening robe today - was also his Mothers and maybe further back ( but we can't find out, sadly, as everyone we might ask is now dead :-(  )

But it is at least 100 years old, if not more.

It had some terrible staining around the neck - apparently very common - spit up from babies which is not washed off totally and then, over time, discolours.

I have been treating it repeatedly during today and have the "washday hands" to prove it  - but the robe looks much better. .

Not sure if it will ever get used but I feel better for having restored a bit of family history to a better state. If I can get it really clean I will dry it, iron it and pack it away, using the method recommended by conservation experts. Compostgirl might want it in the future and it is a beautiful piece of hand made lace and thread work - a work of fabric art in its own right.

If I really can't get it to an acceptable standard I may well re purpose it into something which can become an "new" heirloom for our family.

Have also been planting into pots a lot of summer flowering bulbs and corms - too cold to plant them direct into the soil, and we have not quite decided where the new beds will be made, so into pots they will go for now. Thank goodness for our polytunnel to provide sheltered space to grow them on!

Hope today was good for you as well :-)