posted on October 4, 2001 09:15:53 AM
I just bought a bunch of vintage tablecloths at a great price. I have sold a few tablecloths on ebay and will be selling more. Sometimes I get stumped on the fabric. How do you tell for sure what the fabric is? I also need to know more about the terms used by collectors. Is there a website or a good book that can help me?
I did buy one book but all it has are a lot of pretty pictures and very little technical info that I have the need to know.
posted on October 4, 2001 06:19:18 PM
I'm bumping this up for you in hopes someone will be able to help! All I can think of is to take it to the fabric shop of a very nice lady and ask for her advice. Also, a good tailor usually knows fabrics, too, and probably would be glad to advise you. Good luck!
posted on October 4, 2001 06:27:05 PM
Another suggestion might be to head to the library. Cheaper than buying bools anyway.
:0)
Good luck at any rate. Wish I knew something about fabric, but I would need to read fabric for dummies.
posted on October 4, 2001 06:53:14 PM
I'm drooling already!
Any way you can post a pic. or two?
Depends how old/ elaborate they are. if they're "vintage" , i.e. 40's-60's printed cotton, or manufactured /hand embroidered, crossstitch etc. "they" keep sellers shuttling between "collectibles" Kitchenware> accessories, god-knows-what,linens...and on and on.(and on!)and "home and garden/decor" vaguaries. it changes avery time I get my hands on some and try listing!
Or,
For more formal, antique, or ornate, there's always the "Art and antiques" categories under textiles, but then the "dateline" hangup, e.g. "post 1900..." ( what if you don't know, or it's earlier...then it's "art" ?
Or
Heaven forbid , it's "foreign"..then it goes to the International Back-40,like "Cultures" or "British Art" or somesuch. "Art"? tablecloths? Sure, some of them are, but...
Best then to do it in "antiques"
Hopefully, a familiar Aw Poster, who sells gorgeous, mostly foreign, vintage linens-and-such will respond. Don't know if we're allowed to refer to another poster by name unless they've posted to the thread already...but "Touch of ***(Overseas Western Continent)", where are you?
posted on October 4, 2001 07:31:40 PM
Sorry kept2much, I went off on a tangent there; but you could look in those categories for like items and ascertain the fabric possibilities.
In my experience, most table linen was primarily cotton or linen (flax) until the advent of synthetics, when blends became prevalent; as durability and "washability" has always been an important factor.
The first test I do, if unsure, is with an iron.
Synthetic fibers, especially polyester, have a distinctive somewhat unpleasantly pungent odor, when heated. Try it barely damp, on the underside. Heat and sniff!
Nylon doesn't have quite the same rapid nasal effect, but can melt rapidly. I always use a massively steamy iron, and do just a tiny piece, preferably a hem, and over a fine piece of muslin, if the material is very "slithery".
Then there's the "burn" school. This involves nerves of steel, a good eye and a steady hand. Find an unravelled strand of thread from a seldom-seen section, and see what it does after exposure to flame! If there's a hard, shiny little ball, like plastic, it contains a lot of modern synthetic fiber. If it burns slowly, and turns to flaky fine crumb, it's cotton. If it disappears in a fairy's breath, with nothing..most likely silk....unless you smell burning feathers, and then your hair's on fire!
Wish I knew how to identify rayon for real; it can be tricky.
A powerful magnifier can be helpful, once you know how a certain fiber looks, and feels in a certain weave, e.g. barkcloth, grosgrain, gaberdine; all fairly unlikely in table-linens though.
Damask, Linen/Irish Linen, Lawn, Cotton, and sometimes silk, from the Orient, are the most usual.
posted on October 5, 2001 12:00:26 AM
Marsha Manchester has a good book on vintage linens. (And she shops on ebay--I've sold her some vintage linen damask items.) Will help a lot with terminology and care.
But, the best way is to get to know how each fabric looks, feels, and behaves. There is a distinct difference that you will soon recognize confidently.
posted on October 5, 2001 10:13:29 AM
Thanks everyone. I'm sure experience will be and has been a great teacher and so will a trip to a fabric store. Uglimouse I'm going to turn you into prettimouse for your help.
I do know most of my tablecloths are from the fifties but I would never finish if I started posting pics. I've been doing a lot of browsing in the tablecloths category and that does help.
posted on October 5, 2001 09:17:19 PM
Just catching up after being away all day.
Thank you kept2much, you're too kind.
I'm looking forward to viewing your auctions, hope they do great and BTW, can really relate to your ID much of the time!
Great news kiawok, re: barkcloth, I'll go and check it out. I have some barkcloth curtains, and love 'em. it's easy to get enthused over spotting what looks like b'cloth, and then you feel it and it's not! With barkcloth, there's nothing like "hands on", in looks as well as feel. We used to refer to it as "chintz" I believe, in UK, and I remember waking up early and watching the patterns become so defined and "alive" somehow as the sun came up behind them, and the background stayed dense. It always had a vey comforting feel and smell on overstuffed sunlounge-chair slipcovers......geesh, talk about "hidden memories"! I can now remember clambering up into these chairs that seemed so huge with giant ruffles at the bottom...then suddenly, you never saw them anymore...
keep sellers shuttling between "collectibles" Kitchenware> accessories, god-knows-what,linens...and on and on.(and on!)and "home and garden/decor" vaguaries. it changes avery time I get my hands on some and try listing!
