Looking for lace curtains for our Sacramento house (which we are
decorating in Arts & Crafts style) has been a pain in the tail because
lace curtains are very much out of style. I was unable to find any
cotton lace drapery fabric with an overall, antique-looking pattern. And
very little lace fabric at all, just sheers with modern patterns that
scream synthetic.
However, I've found a number of pricey but authentic-looking sources for
old-house curtains:
* J. R. Burrows, as previously suggested on this list
http://www.burrows.com/lace.html
* Olde Worlde Lace
http://www.oldeworldelace.com/
* London Lace
http://www.londonlace.com/
* Albert Rackstand Lace on Etsy
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlbertRackstandLace?section_id=16135864&ref=shopsection_leftnav_9
In addition I recommend trolling eBay and Etsy for:
* Quaker Lace curtains. A hugely popular 20th-century brand, so you can
still find 100% or at least 75% cotton lace curtains for sale in their
original packages.
* Quaker Lace tablecloths. Denser laces but usable, and often available
for low prices. Try and stay away from the thicker ones made in the 1960s.
* Knotted lace tablecloths. Also known as darned net, lacis, and
sellers may even call it crochet or bobbin lace or still other terms.
Whatever: These are 100% natural fiber, sturdy, and very handsome. They
probably date from the 1940s, give or take some years. Patterns can be
either geometric or flowing. I don't like the geometric ones as much,
but it's easier to find matching tablecloths in the geometric patterns.
The difficulty is finding two tablecloths with the same pattern and
especially, in *exactly the same shade of white or off-white*. But for
rooms with single windows, the tablecloth solution can be a handsome and
economical way to go.
For non-lace fabric, I recommend Restoration Fabrics and Trims:
*
http://www.restorationfabricsandtrims.com/store.html#ecwid:category=194227&mode=category&offset=0&sort=normal
Also plain linens available from:
* http://www.fabrics-store.com/ and also, various discount home-dec
stores. One of my projects is to stencil some linen drapes.
And silks, from:
* http://www.silkbaron.com
* http://www.hyenaproductions.com/
* And an eBay seller with three IDs: brocadeandmore, exclusive_silks,
and pure_silks.
And, um, I'm using some tone-on-tone Renaissance brocade from my fabric
stash. Look, the Victorians would have done it!
Now I'm beating my brains out over finding the patio furniture.
Specifically a dining set with a round table, and garden benches. There
is a brand called Oakland Living that has great-looking,
other-metal-colored aluminum pieces that imitate wrought iron.
Unfortunately, they have terrible reviews for quality. I'm not a fan of
teak (or any other wood) for outdoors. When new it looks gorgeous, but
it involves too much upkeep if you want it to stay gorgeous. Wrought
iron rusts, and plastic/resin wicker might work but might blow over.
Aluminum seems like a good idea but all I see is relentlessly modern in
style. I'm also not a fan of super-deep or super-low seats in any material.
Any suggestions?
Fran
Lavolta Press
Books on historic clothing
www.lavoltapress.com
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