CLEAN SWEEP

   I thought it would be good for many of us handling old and worn textiles to learn of simple remedies for removing stains -  I have suggested Rubigine from France for removing iron mould (rust) stains, it's just magic! Vanish for ordinary ones and Napisan for restoring bright whiteness - others have said sunshine, I say moonshine, and , lying on the grass - the sheet, not you - and soaking may be the most important part of the process - just two or three days in plain cold water can work wonders.  Any more suggestions?   I do not find Stain Devils very useful so far!  but I daresay Health and S. forbid greater strength of chemicals.  The French seem able to poison their families much more easily.  Please send your suggestions and I will print - we are all in this together and it is so good to rescue spoilt and damaged articles for further use.  DID YOU KNOW STARCH, AFTER A LONG DISAPPEARANCE, IS BACK ON THE MARKET?  Personally I only use it occasionally and a little goes a very long way (see my future Blog on Cornelli muslin curtains from France) and I was surprised to hear that powdered starch will be back at our wonderful local ironmonger's  next week - will it still have a robin on it?  I never liked the 'plastic' starch which was also jolly expensive, just as I hate furniture 'cream' made with silicon which wrecks old woods with its plastic seal., and as an ex-bee-keeper, know that there is nothing better than old fashioned beeswax, turps, etc.

Birds in the bush

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  These birds date from the late 19c. and are beautifully printed on fine cotton and known in France as Indiennes.  Many different versions of birds, flowers and plants were designed at the height of their fashion and the new chemical dyes give some a very brilliant colour.  It was the Empress Josephine who loved 'la Nature' in every form, who encouraged the French print manufacturers to design them and they copied the new patterns which came into France on the Eastern and Indian trade routes - they were a novelty and in a very different style to some of the older classical styles of the Napoleonic period and the more romantic Eastern visions of the jungle with exotic flowers, bamboo and tropical birds with brilliant plumage were extremely popular.   Many different colours were used, all sizes of birds from little tree creepers to massive parrots and raptors were copied and in general, the smaller the birds, the earlier the design.  The later ones showing fierce claws and beaks are not to everyone's taste and might cause nightmares!  I have examples of birds of the first kind in brilliant blue in my kitchen, and very sweet multi-coloured ones in a bathroom and they are very light and pretty at the windows.  They are liable to rot and fade as the cotton is so fine but I now have a splendid example in crimson just in from France, which is a door curtain, already gathered and with matching braid in what appears to be unused condition and quite unfaded.  It would split to make two narrow dress curtains or cover a small  chair, or possibly make a very dashing item of dress.

Stains on the characters

I have had a query about those wood stains that mark and spoil some of the old folded sheets from France (chestut wood shelves are to blame). It has been suggested that good old Marseille soap is the best treatment and it may well work if the stains are light and fairly new. If this soap, which has some olive oil in it, I understand, does not work after a good long two -day soak in cold plain water, a light brushing with the soap is the best, try nail brush, then I have two remedies which often work - one is the oxygen powder Vanish which you can apply as a paste for a short while and then rinse, or a soak in Napisan which is used to whiten babies clothes and nappies, and does not scorch the material - bleach is the very last resort, applied with cotton buds directly along the lines and rinsed as soon as they move, the trouble with bleach is that it leaves 'cloudy' stains behind and spoils the creamy look of old linen. Constant washing and exposure to sunshine will lessen the stains but will take much longer and if you are using the sheets as curtains, is not practical. Good luck!

The American Museum in Britain 5stars event.

HOW SHALL I START? THE WEATHER WAS TRULY WONDERFUL, WARM SUN ALL DAY AND WE ALL THOUGHT IT MATCHED THE SMILING PEOPLE WHO NEARLY OVERWHELMED US AT OUR BIG TEXTILE FAIR - THEY CAME IN THEIR HUNDREDS, ALL DAY LONG, HAPPY AND (CARE)FREE, WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND PARTNERS AND USED THE SPARE CASH, CREDIT CARDS AND CHEQUES TO TREAT THEMSELVES AT OUR SPLENDID ARRAY OF TEXTILE GOODS - NOT JUST ENGLISH AND FRENCH, BUT EXOTIC AND RARE TROPHIES FROM REMOTE AND UNKNOWN PARTS OF THE WORLD - OUR INTREPID HUNTER-GATHERERS ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN THE UNKNOWN WORKS OF SMALL SPECIALIST GROUP WORKERS IN ASIA AND AFRICA AND HAVE FASCINATING TALES TO TELL - THESE ARTEFACTS WILL NOT GO ON FOR EVER - THEY EVENTUALLY END UP IN MUSEUMS AND BIG STUDY COLLECTIONS AND WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE JOHN GILLOW (AUTHOR AS WELL) MARTIN CONLAN AND BARBIE CAMPBELL COLE TO CONTRIBUTE THEIR ETHNIC THINGS. ALL OUR STALLHOLDERS WERE SO DELIGHTED TO HAVE SO MANY INTERESTED AND BUSY SHOPPERS IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES AND THE BUYERS COMMENTED ALL DAY LONG ON THE SUPER STANDARD AND WELCOME FROM THE MUSEUM PEOPLE AS WELL AS OUR t4t MEMBERS! ALL IN ALL, IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS FOR US AND I DO THANK THE MUSEUM FOR ALL THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE THE GARDENS AND EVERYTHING ELSE LOOK SO GOOD AND GIVE US A WONDERFUL DAY. WE HOPE THEY WILL INVITE US BACK AGAIN WHEN THEY HAVE GOT THEIR BREATH BACK!