I always have my eyes open wide when I’m in an Antique shop, keeping a look out for vintage laces and trims…and I wasn’t disappointed yesterday when I found a few laces at an Antique Mall in Kentucky. I wandered around leisurely looking at things, thinking about my new sewing studio and what I might find that I couldn’t live without. Nothing was jumping out at me too terribly much…
But then…I spotted them… vintage laces in a booth…
I was looking at each one dreaming of a doll dress with that trim on it as the finishing touch…. when my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Honey, are you finished? I just paid for my tools and I’m heading to the car…”
“Oh…….. I just found a booth with all kinds of laces and I would like to look for a little bit…”
“That’s fine… take your time…”
How could I take my “time” knowing my hubby was sitting in the car…the hot car…
Well, he did have air conditioning…so maybe just a little while longer…
I did look through all the laces and found a box down below. Then I found a stack of collars and yokes…wow… were there some pretty ones in there…
I found a pretty cotton lace made in England.
It had some light and dark spots on the lace, but I was willing to take a chance on it. Oh why wasn’t this booth having a sale? So many of them were, but not this one…rats!
I turned around and saw this little christening dress…
…and my eye caught sight of a trunk down below…
…it was pretty big and was filled with baggies of laces… and they were more reasonable… $3.00 -$12.00…There was no place to put the ones you saw on top, so it was just a matter of digging to the bottom of the trunk and sort of flipping everything over. I hurriedly looked and picked out a few that I thought I could use the most.
They are cotton laces and will work well for Felicity and Kirsten dresses. I like to use vintage whenever I can… makes them all the more authentic.
So this was my “small” stash that I bought…
I need to do a little research to see if I can find out how to remove rust spots on the laces…
Maybe I’ll have something to show you on Rebecca’s Civil War dress tomorrow…maybe…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
The lace is beautiful. Maybe sometime you can tell us how you wash it. As for the rust, you may have to use the sections around the rust spots unless someone — or someone on the internet — knows how to remove it. I think we’d all like to know.
I’m looking forward to seeing if any of that lace goes into Rebecca’s new dress and how Rebecca’s red dress turns out.
Thank you Marilyn,
As I’ve looked at the comments today, I’ve seen a few suggestions and will give some of them a try. It would be wonderful to have the laces come snow white…as someone said! :o)
Cutting around the rusty spots is what I’ve always done in the past…
I may use some of the lace on Rebecca’s pantalettes or her bonnet, but I don’t think any on her dress…
My Rebecca just got home so I have to turn my attention back to her dress in just a few minutes…
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
First of all, belated anniversary congratulations! Sounds like you had a wonderful day!!
Martha Pullen always swore by her “Biz Bucket”–Biz in a bucket of water to soak the discolored laces in. Check frequently, change water when necessary. If you google “Biz Bucket” you will probably turn up the “recipe” (how much Biz to how much water). If you’re not absolutely sure, you might just cut off a piece of lace and try it, see how the lace does. Rinse it well and let it dry, then evaluate.
Hope to see some “after” pictures after your laces have gone thru their spa treatment!!
I’m not sure about removing rust stains; that’s something you’ll have to search for, unless someone else has an answer. I think Carbona makes a product to remove rust, but I’m not positive.
HI Charlotte,
I’m going to try and sneak in another comment or two… I thought about Biz… I used to use it.
I’ve been working on Rebecca’s (my Rebecca’s) dress and haven’t been able to do anything with my Rebecca’s (doll’s) dress…
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
The laces are certainly beautiful! You were lucky to find so many you can use. They will definitely add to the beauty of your future creations!
HI Karen,
I really do love to find vintage laces to use on my dresses… we’ll see who gets the first piece…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
The laces are beautiful and I can’t wait to see how you use them. I’ve used Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover that I found at Hobby Lobby for $3.99 for a 2 oz. bottle and it worked. On one item I had to apply it twice but it did work on brown rust spots. The website is http://www.GrandmasSecretProduct.com. Good luck with it. Sure hope it works for you.
I loved seeing the pictures from Paducah. I thought it must be a flood wall with the murals. The craft fair was so interesting. Loved the canoe at an amazing price it seemed for so much work. What a variety of designs from Obi Wan Kenobi to a Victorian dress and hat at the American Girl doll dress booth. Thanks for posting the pictures. Wish her luck this sale season. What an interesting and happy time you had on your 35th wedding anniversary. You are truly blessed.
The directions on the Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover say to thoroughly work the liquid in, but this is not necessary with lace as the liquid soaks in without rubbing. That would be for something like denim or very thick fabric. Hobby Lobby was most reasonable when I looked it up on the internet.
I use Biz and Oxi-clean together. Soak for a day and the improvement is always tremendous. If you want the beige look after stain removal, I just use a tea dye bath. Will have to look into Susette’s Grandma’s Spot Remover. Sounds promising.
Loved visiting the flood wall murals. Especially since now I know what they are. Thanks for the link.
What fun to see what you found, Jeanne. I’m sure the outfits that you attach these to will look wonderful. Thanks again for taking us along with you.
Blessings.
Gorgeous laces, Jeanne! It seem that almost all antique laces are flat. Do you ever see shirred lace that is old, or is that a new thing? I have a bunch of old laces from my mother-in-law, some are stained, but I have no idea what the stain is. Maybe I should try some of these things that Susette and Charlotte mentioned. It certainly pays to read your blog everyday!!
Do you ever give washing instructions with your doll clothes? I wonder if antique lace and modern fabrics wash well together. Of course, most doll clothes don’t need washing much at all, but just wonder if that is a concern.
Hi Jeanne,
You have some things to try first, but if you cannot remove the stains, you can always dye it a dark color. They are beautiful! You are a lucky girl! You always find the most beautiful vintage trims and lace.
Your game of “I Spy” at the Kentucky Antique Mall was very successful, Jeanne! What beautiful vintage laces you found. They will add a lovely, authentic touch to your period dresses. I’ll be playing a little game of “I Spy” myself to see if I can spot them on your designs. 😉
I will add two stain removal ideas that you might try for the rust stains. One is a product called Zout Laundry Stain Remover that I have used with much success. It comes in a handy dandy spray bottle for targeted application. It is available at Walmart and most other discount stores. The second is an old-fashioned but effective treatment involving a simple paste of lemon juice and table salt that is left to soak in strong direct sunlight, producing a chemical reaction in the iron. For more on this natural remedy, please visit http://www.instructables.com, type “How to remove rust stains from clothing” into the search box. Wishing you all the best with your removal methods, and continued happy sewing on Rebecca’s Civil War dress. 🙂
!!!!!!!!
OMG!!!!!!!!
That lace is “SEW” gorgeous!!!! And I’m pretty sure it’s not just vintage, but antique!!! Oh what I would do to happen upon such a stash!!!! Just beautiful!!! I’m going to check your comments, but I’m guessing someone might have suggested Biz (do they sell that anymore?)
Still salivating. . . . .
Oh, and I’m pretty sure the one with the big flowers is a Maline lace which is especially precious! Save it for a future grandchild’s christening gown!
Hi C,
I have always enjoyed looking for vintage laces when I’m out shopping. I’m glad you enjoyed seeing them.
Blessings, Jeanne