The Baltimore Junior League does a Treasures & Trinkets sale every so often, so I stopped by to see what they had. I had missed the preview party on Friday evening to have dinner with some friends in town, and Saturday’s unexpected snow storm kept me close to home most of the day. By the time I got there, late Sunday afternoon, most everything was picked over pretty well.
Except the linens. 
I sorted through the hundreds of napkins, huck towels, tablecloths, sheets and more, looking for pieces with my monogram on them. I wasn’t holding out hope for all three letters, but thought at least I’d find one with an M on it.
Some of the monograms were so interesting, I started taking pictures. Here are some of them.
O U J (Hard to tell!)
K M S Love the little details.
A M S in classic Olde English
I know the first letter is an M, but I can’t quite decipher the rest. Any ideas?
E N B Seriously wanted to get this for my niece whose initials are ENB, but B is her last name.
R ? L Another indecipherable monogram.
Here are a few single letters, all of which are so different.
The sale at the Junior League’s Wise Penny is on all week, and the linens are already 50% off!
I still love monogramed linens. I too have thinned out my collection, but there are those that you just can't part with. I know that the day will never come again when I need 36 22x22" monogramed piqued napkins, but I just cannot part with them. I could sew them all together perhaps and make a nice throw. Glad I didn't make this show it would have been just too tempting.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for a huge table cloth to make into a summer blanket or a duvet cover. Saw one, but didn't want to pay $170. Personally, i think that even if they marked these $.50 each, they would be hard-pressed (ha) to sell them. There just isn't the demand or interest.
DeleteThey are just stunning, I would love something like that but we have such a casual life, I can't remember the last time a napkin even reached the table, we scoff and go like dogs.
ReplyDeleteWe used napkins growing up, along with napkin rings for each of us.
DeleteI love linens and have a collection that was monogrammed by my great-grandmother and other ancestors by hand. I iron, starch and set the table with them on holidays. The initials, of course, do not apply to me so I sometimes look at antiques shops. I found a huge pillow case with "HS" (my daughter's initials) at Luckett's a few years ago and felt like I hit the jackpot.
ReplyDeleteThat's why i checked each piece - you never know when you'll hit the jackpot and find the right one. I really thought about buying the ones for my niece, but in the end, realized that she probably wouldn't appreciate them.
DeleteThe one with the R reminds me of Rebecca's lingerie case on her bed in the movie. Her loyal housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, had embroidered everything with Rebecca's initials, including her diary and things on her writing desk.
ReplyDeleteRight! I didn't even think about this!
DeleteGreat reference! Good thinking!
DeleteOK the mystery of the Monogram-- If the connecting circles on the Known M then the circles delineate a straight line right? Therefore I propose the second letter is a G and the final letter is an O or maybe a D. In a recent MS living magazine article featured vintage linens dyed a unifying color-- it was purple an intense purple perfect for a ravens fan what a great idea and how much fun.
ReplyDeleteOhh.. I didn't see that MS issue. Do you remember which one it was? I'd love to see what she did with them.
DeleteAs a WASP-y leaning Hebrew, I've monogrammed all of my LL Bean tote bags J-E-W.
ReplyDeleteThat is HYSTERICAL!
DeleteNot sure why people are afraid of them. I know it's hard on the linens but I Just iron them straight out of the washer -then line dry them (generally only slightly damp at that point). It's so easy and makes them so smooth & crisp. Have people really gotten so lazy?! All of mine are from estate sales as well -I don't even look for my own monogram -as long as it's beautiful I don't care whose monogram it is.
ReplyDeletePeople are lazy. You know that.
DeleteMe too! I don't care whose monogram! Some relative of mine had those initials!
DeleteBeloved has said, several times, I will not iron a thing for him but will iron tea towels.
ReplyDeleteResponse is always the same, a girl must have priorities.
Garden & Be Well, XO T
Now don't laugh, but I was given my name by my mother "So you'll have a pretty monogram."
ReplyDeleteNice monograms, some remind me of the ones that are on some of the family linens. But some styles that were absolutely new to me and are hard to decipher. Anyway I advice against the ENB for anyone... Growing up in Germany will teach you about being cautious when it comes to symbolism and the signs at the bottom of the letters - to my knowledge - are the "odal"-rune, which was used quite frequently by the Nazis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odal_%28rune%29#Modern_Use)
ReplyDelete- Greetings, Marcus
Even though I do embroidery work, I have no problem with other people's monograms on my items, especially hand-embroidered goods (there were a few machine-made items above). With engraving, I prefer other people's monograms. I love thinking about the story behind them - like the bowl I have from a children's equestrian event. I am so charmed by it!
ReplyDelete