Tag: linen cupboard

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Upcycling

Whilst sorting through the cupboards to pack we came across some Turkish kilim fabric covers that I had bought some time ago for very little money and had stashed away with the linens.

After I’d bought them, I’d discovered that they were all odd sizes, each one cut from an upcycled piece of old kilim. Because I had no cushion pads to fit them I’d clearly put them away to sort another day. But looking at them again today I thought they’d do very well for the static.

A number of them showed signs of mending, and all of them were old, vegetable dyed weavings. I’m very drawn to textiles, and especially to those with some age and history to them.

I didn’t want to buy more cushion pads. So I repurposed an old, single duvet that we were about to ditch and made three cushion pads from it to fit the covers.

I love their slightly faded, soft colours, imperfect patterns and visible mendings. You can feel the hands of the past on them and I can’t help wondering about their journey and who has repaired them in previous generations. It feels good to give both them and the old quilt a second life.

The rest of the linen cupboard has also been sorted and the old sheets and pillowcases that are way past their best will be used as decorating sheets or cut up as cleaning cloths and dusters this weekend, ready to be pressed into service in cleaning and painting the static in a few weeks time.

When did we give up repairing linens and buying new whenever we felt like it?

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Linen addiction

The January sales are always a temptation, although I try hard to use them just to buy things that I really need.

This year, thinking ahead to life on the island, I’ve looked at our bedding supplies carefully and decided that a bit of a root-through is needed.

We have lots of old bedding from previous lives that I will keep and cut up for cleaning cloths and studio use, but a few more duvet covers and sheets wouldn’t go amiss. Especially in brushed cotton (or flanelette, as some of you may know it).

This is a soft cotton with its’ nappe raised through brushing as part of the manufacturing process, rendering it warm and comfortable to the touch. Perfect for colder nights and mornings.

I confess to being a bit of a textile junkie, and I love a bargain. I have always bought my bedding in the sales whenever possible so that I can buy the best for less. 😉

It’s a good thing that we have a large linen cupboard built into the new house so that I can store our bedding and towels…. but we could also do with a bit of a towel sort out. A few more big, comfy bath sheets for when we have both kids home might not be a bad idea, although my husband will raise eyes skywards at me suggesting that we might need more..!

I rarely throw out the slightly thin or ratty towels. They will simply get repurposed and will be kept in the utility room for muddy paws, the garden or emergency mopping-up. There’s always a use somewhere 😊.