Ever take towel/linen inventory

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maytagbear

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and realize that the "new" towels or cloth placemats or pillow cases are actually 10 years or more old? Just happened to me today.

I have a chest made by my Great Uncle, and it was at church until the kitchen remodeling....it was holding the Communion trays (for the individual cups) and the patens (bread plates---) Well, the remodeling rendered it "surplus to requirement" and it's now in my dining room. I am going to use it to store all the Franciscan Starburst, and most of the Fiesta, while I rotate the Noritake in....and I have the main section lined with bath towels to minimize slipping. Yes, this is the husband of the Great-Aunt with the Youngstown dishwasher.

I was thinking that the towels I had decided to use were looking a little more than tired around the edges, and I looked them up, and they're 14 years old.

So, have you ever been surprised by household linens?

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
I Wouldn't Know.....

....I always buy enough for all my needs at once, and rotate them religiously. For instance, sheets are always purchased three sets per bed - one for the bed, one for the hamper and one for the linen closet is the rule of thumb I use, even though I don't leave any in the hamper.

Last three sets of sheets I bought lasted twenty-five years this way, with some minor repairs when elastic needed replacing on the contour sheets, etc.
 
I was going to say, "I couldn't tell you the last time I bought bath towels" but I can.  It was on my last outing to Costco.

 

But other than that, I don't keep records.  I do know it's been a few years.  We tend to rotate new ones in every once in a while to replace those that are just too far gone or unraveling. 
 
Linen Hoarder Reporting In

Have tons of linens, much of it vintage and while one does not do an "inventory" yearly as in days of old, do keep an running record in one's mind as to what is being worn out and requires mending and or replacement.

For instance just purchased some new bath linen (wash cloths, bath and face towels) as one has begun noticing items were becoming thin and fraying around the edges. Mind you much of one's bath linen is >15 years old so it is about time for some to be retired. Older bath linen such as washcloths are kept in use for the household (but never seen by company), long as they hold up. Usually for hard used items like hand towels and washing one's face after removing make-up.

As for bed linen one's stash of vintage and modern linen is so vast and well taken care of one assumes it will be passed along upon our death. Still have tons of NOS Pequot muslin pillow cases and sheets along with a bolt of sheeting material by the same vendor so am good. Modern offerings such as pillow slips and sheets by Frette have begun to wear thin and thus are either mended or retired from service.
 
Speaking of Bad and or Winter Weather

In days of old the winter months when outdoor activity was curtailed is when households would tackle the mending,repair and or sewing of new linens. All those long dark days and nights one needed something to keep hands busy.

As a rule small rents and holes in the household's linen should have been mended before going to the wash, or after if anyone had qualms about handling soiled linen. Small holes or thin wearing areas darned would save them from growing worse during the laundering process and thus a "stitch in time saves nine". However once a year a total accounting usually took place and items mended too many times and or beyond that stage of repair would have to either be cut down/used for other purposes and replaced.

Master bedroom sheets could be cut down and resewn for the nursery, children's beds or even the servants rooms. Table cloths could be made smaller or turned into tray, sideboard cloths or even diapers. Good linen was never wasted and if things didn't suit any other household use they would be cut into strips for making bandages. When even that purpose was beyond rag rugs could be made or the linen sold to paper makers.

The modern sewing machine did much to save labour and the eyes of those having to do all this work. However as prices for bed and table linens began to drop with the switch to cotton and so much ready made households stopped all that business of mending,repair and so forth. There was also many housewives considered it a sign of poverty to sleep upon darned sheets. Darning by hand is tedious and nearly blinding work, but if done correctly is soft and can almost be invisible. However not every lady had that level of needlework expertise nor could afford to employ someone who did. The answer came from modern sewing machines and "flatwork" darning attachments. However lockstich darning from a sewing machine is often a hard "scab" sort of thing that many refused to sleep upon.

The common answer to bed sheets that had begun to wear down the middle was to cut them in half and resew the ends together (sides to middle) making a new sheet. Again not everyone was thrilled about sleeping on such sheets and that fell out of favour as well.

One reason for the January "white sales" historically held by linen dealers was because of the annual (usually in the Fall) inventory of linens. Households could then pick up new items including to match sets at these sales often at a good price.
 
Crappy Modern Sheets

I wish someone still made decent bed sheets that wouold lay flat, stay square, and last for a year or two at least. Some of the stuff out there is toilet paper really!

Malcolm
 
Last time I bought Bath towels was in 2005, they are antique gold JCPenney towels. they are all in good shape still except for one that I ripped. This year I did go buy all new sea foam JCPenney towels but they are in storage as I'm not ready to change colors yet.

My Bed linens I have a set of vintage Fieldcrest Percale sheets and a set of JCPenney muslin sheets I rotate in use. I also have a set of Wamsutta as well as a set of Lady Pepperell percale sheets NIP and 2 sets of muslin sheets on stock as well.

I gave up on modern sheets after I had two sets end u threadbare in under a year of use
 
All of my stuff is from the 30's-70's. I've been snagging sheets and towels from family members as they pass away, starting around the mid 90's. Nobody else but me wants them anyway, so it works out great. I've accumulated so much that I have had to vacuum seal them and even store some in the attic. Lifetime supply :>)
 
Hmm.

"I gave up on modern sheets after I had two sets end u threadbare in under a year of use"

I haven't had that problem, but then I'm only buying 200 count percale in plain white.

There's still something to be said for the basics. Plus, if something does get damaged or wear out, you can find a reasonable replacement. That can't be said for patterned sheets nowadays, which are not carried as "open stock" for years the way high-quality brands used to be.
 
linen INVENTORY? Did I get this right?

Amazing! I've never thought of this!

Honestly: The only way I take care of this is as follows:
Do they still do what they are supposed to do? (dry up, cover up et al) - keep
Don't they do what they should do? - motorbike rags.
Don't they do what they are supposed to do as rags? - trash.

Same is valid for t-shirts, socks, underwear, whatever.
A constant flow, just as the flow of life. *making that zen posture over here*

I have never taken the time to investigate on fabric products at all, nor will I ever do so.
A usable product for the time it holds strong, nothing else. *shrug*
 
We have 4 sets that are rotated through and 4 sets that have been vacuum sealed and tucked away in our large walk in closet. About two years ago we noticed that acquiring good linens is a large task.

The set we bought from JCPenny, Egyptian cotton 400tc that was so rough they roughed up our skin when we first used them are now FINALLY getting to be smooth and comfortable. I imagine the more we wash them the softer they will get. But it took almost 18 months of use to get them that way.
350TC)
And the Fieldcrest sheets we bought at Target on sale(350tc)softened up even smoother sooner. Hopefully these sheets will outlast us. We occasionally look for Queen size Muslin sheets but finding Queen Muslin sheets is beyond difficult. What I don't understand is that the Queen sized bed came out in 1961. There should be more Queen size muslin sheets available, one would think.
 
Largest Common Size Bed Sheets In Production

Until around the 1950's or so (whenever "king" sized came along) is going to be 108"x90". That is the most common size one found looking at old production tables from linen goods trade information. This included such names as J.P. Stevens, Pequot, Wamsutta, etc...

We have a queen sized bed and 108"x90" will fit a normal depth mattress. Once you start going into pillow-tops and or adding featherbeds or other "toppers" you may have to make a really tight bed.

There is the other thing, expect to find more in the way of flat sheets than fitted when it comes to vintage. So practice making those hospital/military/camp corners.
 

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