Vintage Bedlinen Collection

I've mentioned in a few posts that I have a small collection of vintage bed linen.  After tidying out my linen cupboard a couple of weeks ago I came across a few pieces which needed to be added to my collection, but I had temporarily left them in my workroom until I got around to sorting it out.  Well,  I decided it was time to do that, as I'm keen to keep my workroom as clutter free as possible and it was starting to fill up.

I keep all my vintage bed linen in a storage bag and box under the spare bed, so I dragged them out and emptied out the contents.  I decided to add a bit of order to proceedings and group things according to purpose or type.  These were the things I had in my collection;

 

Single quilt covers, mostly from the 1970's I would think, but some great prints.  Unfortunately I noticed a tear in the pale blue/green floral one second from bottom, but couldn't bear to throw it out as it is possibly repairable or I could use the fabric elsewhere at some point and it is so pretty.  I probably should be using these for my daughter's bed, but she has a habit of spilling nail varnish onto her bedding, so I'm a bit reluctant.

 

These are all sheets or sheets with valances.  Some are still crisp as I think they've never been used or perhaps they've been starched.  Some double, some single, but some pretty fabrics.  I particularly like the red/white floral one as it is so pretty.

 

 

These piles are all pillow cases, which I have sorted more or less according to colour - greens/blues, pinks, purples, yellow/orange.  These would be great for mixing and matching.  Again there are some really pretty prints in there.

These are all flannel pillow cases.  There is something so roasty toasty about flannel sheets and pillow cases.  Don't you think?

 

This last pile in the storage bag are these lovely candy striped sheets and pillow cases.  I remember having ones like these on my bed as a child.  They are a bit worn thin in some places but they are so nostalgic to me.

 

I managed to squeeze all these items back into the storage bag as pictured, but in an orderly fashion instead of them all being rammed in as they were before and back under the bed they went.  I did put a couple of items which I didn't really like into the charity shop bag, but kept most of it.

 

 

The last bit of my bed linen collection is stored in a plastic box and includes this lovely old pink single eiderdown with roses all over it.  I think I paid £5 for this at a car boot sale but it is so pretty.  Any sheets and pillowcases that had a similar floral pattern on them were stored in the box with it so they can be used together.

 

 

So that is my vintage bed linen collection.  I don't know what it is about bed linen, but I really like it.  I think it is part nostalgia and part my love of fabrics and prints.  Also I tend to pick them up for pence at jumble sales, car boots and charity shops, so it is not a very expensive hobby.  With the increasing cost of cotton fabrics it is also a wonderful supply of fabrics for quilting and other projects, if I ever get around to using it.

Do you have any collections that you really enjoy?