Point taken, tks Larsi

Thanks all...but this is no way a quilt..there's no stuffing of any kind...I'll try to take a better pic in a few...tag just says 100% cotton made in Portugal and states size...its like one medium thickness layer no filling and no backing. Lol

Trying to show the thickness and that there's no stuffing or seperate backing

Came out beautiful..the pic may not show it but its snow white and so soft. Thank youRoc and Poppy, no trace of mildew remains

@mama -- is the made in Portugal coverlet matelasse?

Vetwife...does it look like it to you?

Doesn't look like matelasse to me, but you might have some trapunto work. Trapunto is an embroidery technique that uses stuffing in certain parts of the stitching to puff it up. Not technically a quilt, but it uses some of the same techniques. The fact that you have a bound edge makes me think this is at least two layers of fabric. You can make a whole cloth quilt like that with just a bit of batting to join the two layers. Whole cloth means no seams, patchwork, or applique in the top and backing. This is white on both sides, right?

Beautiful, and naturally great job MamaP!!

Its the same fabric on both sides yes..its very clearly one piece of fabric...if you look online you will see many matelasse coverlets with scalloped edges and bound edges...I will take a pic of the back tomorrow. .its soaking ...I know I've had this thing since my first marrage in 1971 , and it was used when I got it, probably from an elderly aunt or my grandad since they are the ones that always gifted me with stuff like this. Regardless I think its a pretty coverlet and don't know why I never use it...maybe its just to heavy lol. I know it was more than a little dingy as I'm seeing a huge change in the soak...

Thank you all

Still soaking and I'm about to change the water...I learned a few things.

Matelasse is often made using two layers, but no stuffing, if the matelasse has scalloped edges it will have to have a bound edge. When this is done I will take a better pic of front and back....

This is when I washed the "new" French sheet. You learn something every time. Love those old textures of chenille an whatever the "worked" quilt turns out to be.

Yesterday I couldn't figure out why this one looked cream colored, I was sure it was white.. after soaking several times its almost white again..but I'm still not sure if its white white or a cream white....hubs says this morning its dingy because it was stored in the shed a few years, and YOUR son, ( love how he stresses the word YOUR when he's irritated with OUR son) and he was out there working and smoking....well I dont smell smoke and I have a good nose, but its comming clean lol. I'll post better pics later.

Front

Back

Its a lovely creamy white...also the little puffs are hollow..no stuffing. Wow does this feel lovely.

If you can take it near a window, or even outside it will be easier to see. The photos are a big dark.

Outside but very dark dreary day....front

Back

Here are no quilt squares its all one piece.

Ok, now it looks like matelasse. I did a whole cloth quilt a long time ago that had feathers and plate quilt designs like that. Took forever. Yours is very pretty. Keep it out and enjoy.

Thank You Poppy...my cousin Mel stopped for tea...I showed her the blanket..this second one..she laughed as her mom gave me this about five years ago...don't know the age..so apparently I have another one from years ago from the late 60's probably in my storage unit...which is why this one didn't seem right to me...

Mel says this is most definitely matelasse and has them in her guest rooms, but not white, she also couldn't get over how the chenille came out.

So pretty! What a treasure. I would hang that on a wall.

That looks like matelassé to me, too. The scalloped edging is finished with a satin stitch, sewn by machine, and not a "binding." The sheen of the thread used to satin stitch finish the scallops makes me think it is very good quality cotton, or else rayon.

I have a similar bedspread and after a few washings & dryings over the years, the satin stitch has come undone. I have a sewing machine with a 9mm wide zigzag capability, and need to see if the edging isn't too far gone to fix. I did it once already, years ago, but this thing is just worn out.

THank you. ...Cavimum...the tag doesn't say much...just 100% cotton, made in Portugal, matramonial....its the matramonial used as size instead of full that leads me to think its quite old, but maybe Portugal still uses the term matramonial for sizes. My aunt died 6 years ago at 90 something...her daughter Mel has np idea how old it could be, so no help there. At least I know its all cotton. I can usually tell good quality cotton at a touch, and this thing feels lovely no doubt its a good quality. If the edges were finished with something other than cotton would the tag say that?

It is beautiful!

The 50's offered such wonderful percale. These Grant Maid percale sheets were made by one of the 3 big sheet manufactures in the USA. I was lucky enough to find 6 flats by Grant Maid..omg talk about absolutly lovely percale...I can't wait to sleep on them. But right now one of them is in the pot for its first boil wash...LOL

Those are the sheets everyone remembers from their childhood! Pinky you are on a roll.

I've got a load of metis in right now -- the sheet I bought for a slipcover that I'm using over the new white sofa (not the most attractive but practical when DH drops strawberry ice cream on it) and a few towels including a new one -- the first that had been laundered and didn't smell of mildew (but did need mending. There's always something, right pinky?

Yep Roc always something...I would LOVE metis *sigh*

Will love to see the slipcover when your done..will you be posting it on your blog? I love the chair you did.

Roc, My son. Brought me 6 of these grant maid sheets yesterday and said the older lady has a ton more, do I want them..DUH..YES.

And hubs informed me this morning some man he works with took over his grandfathers estate, apparently the grandparents never got rid of anyrhing, and the heir doesn't know where to take everything..I told hubs to relay the message I will buy linen ect..lol so maybe something good there.

MamaP's boil washing LOL

The slipcover you have seen already I think. It was for the chair. I had an extra queen size sheet. I bought a new one just in case -- it was still in the plastic bag. Boy did that one stink as it had been in an armoire with shoes for years. It took 2 sanitary washes. Realized I could throw it over the sofa -- same color -- and not worry what gets spilled.

You could clean up those sheets and likely make a profit selling extras on eBay. If there are any larger sizes queen is the gold standard -- I would grab those, clean them up and flip them. Tags, boxes, back story like you posted add to the value.

Wow MamaPinky, I adore older textiles. I have never come across older (pre 1970) Queen size sheets. If you do find them and flip them as Rococgurl suggested, I would pay a premium. And if you choose to keep them (as I would) please post before and after photos so we can all drool over your supreme textile refurbishing skills. You are truly a master.

Thank You Morton, what a lovely compliment..but I have to say all the members here are true masters of the art.

Yes Queen sheets from the 50/60's are very hard to come by. Queen beds wernt created till the late 50's and were not widely sold, there wasnt a demand for queen sized sheets so not many were made. Queen beds

were actually initially created for people of very tall stature. If I run across any I will for sure let you know. Flipping old bed sheets

I have to say there is great satisfaction for me to take a 50/60 year old sheet that is a brownish yellow and reeks like you couldn't imagine and turning it into a sweet smelling, crisp, and brilliant white textile that feels so heavenly that bed time is a treat. I've always been attracted to linens of all sorts of fabrics. I had some beautiful vintage real linen for my bed, it came from the estate of an old farm boardering my town, but during a move I put them in a rented storage unit, several months later sadly the roof leaked and my lovely linen sheets were covered in mold..I tried to save them but the mold was just so far into the fibers i couldnt...i still get angry and hurt over this loss, ive never had a real linen set of sheets since, but boy do I remember how wonderful they felt. Someday I will hit the lottery and buy a set LOL...well...enough of my whining. Haha

MamaPinky you are right, I love reading about all the different ways the members tackle various laundry issues. So many interesting laundry gurus.

I too have had the experience of doing a boil wash. I have a large single portable burner that I use outside for canning. I used it last summer to do a boil wash on a trunk full of linen odds and ends and a Laura Ashley white blouse. Every item had turned into brown yuck. I boiled them with Oxi-Clean and then let them soak till morning. Each item came out sparkling white. I gave the blouse away and all the linen went to a charity. I know I'm a laundry nut because this gave me a real rush and since then I'm always on the look out for more items to boil wash.

Love stories like this. Good job and to spend all that time for a charity donation is special, even more so because the donor will recieve lovely things and never know the time you spent restoring them. Good job! I boil the sheets any where between 3 to 5 times lol...I do it until the water looks clean. The first several times the water turns yellow very fast and smells so bad. Of course after all the boiling they than get washed in close to 150F with once using the addition of chlorine bleach, just to be sure all cooties are dead...but talk about multiple rinses, all those products getting in the fibers require several hot rinses before the cold ones. Seems like a lot of work but its so worth it..I haven't seen percales this nice in many years. too bad I don't have a wringer washer for this job. Lol

Pink I was thinking you were getting a wringer a while back? Maybe I read that from someone else.

I have a question, I recently got a set of Percale sheets that I love! I noticed they said to wash in cold. But I have always done hot or at the minimum warm for my sheets. Why would they indicate cold? I have a top loader that can do a warm wash and warm rinse, is that the best for my sheets? I want to keep these as clean as I can and make them last because Percale are so hard to come by. Thanks!

If your sheets are colored or have a print pattern, the cold wash is indicated for liability purposes to preserve colors and reduce shrinking. Be aware that anything made out of 100% cotton will shrink. Depending on soil level and your preference, your sheets can safely be washed in warm with a good detergent. If you have special issues e.g. allergies or illness, a hot wash will be needed regardless of the color of the sheets. If you haven't seen the other threads about percale, please take a look. Percale by its nature tends to wrinkle. Nothing wrong with the sheet, just the nature of the beast. Many prefer to iron these sheets to get the smoothest finish. You've gotten the gold with the Percale--enjoy them.

I have searched for a long time, and have a friend that swore by these Percale ones. So I tried them. While I don't iron them I do try to remove them promptly from the dryer. I don't mind the wrinkles. They are white with little blue dots on them so that must be why. I will continue to wash them on warm as we don't have any illness or allergies. I have learned so much from this laundry forum. You all make doing laundry fun!

Poppy is right! It's all about CYA and liability. I have rarely washed sheets in anything less than 120F, and usually at 130F or 140F. MamaPinky has spent the last week boiling (you read that right) some old percale sheets she acquired -- but not anything with elastic (such as a fitted sheet).

If the sheets are not plain white -- ie. they have a pattern -- they say to wash in cold to avoid issues with color fading or losing pieces of the print. Quality of dyes and printing varies. But the suggestions from @poppy214 and @alexchicago are solid. Warm washes should present no problems.

"If the edges were finished with something other than cotton would the tag say that?"

mamapinkyo - No, it is unlikely the thread content would be disclosed on that satin stitch edging. I've never seen thread type (poly, nylon, or cotton) disclosed in fiber content labels. For example, clothing made of 100% cotton never says it was sewn up with polyester thread, etc. Poly thread is more or less an industry standard for clothing because the seams are stronger and cotton can pop (break) easier, especially in high stress areas like the seat of pants, but we won't see that on a label unless there is a rare exception with specialized items for highly allergic people.

Percale..I love percale. I went over on another forum and was reading, I had a great chuckle let me tell you. Someone complains their percale sheets are to noisy (yes Roc, I read it) and I can't believe how many people want cool, crisp sheets from their childhood, think it might be percale so they buy percales than complain about wrinkles...well they can't have 100% cotton percales and not have wrinkles. We all have two choices with percale sheets. Try to smooth them out by hand or iron...some people are quite satisfied with a hand smooth, but I will tell you percale ironed is REAL percale...percale feels much different and much more crisp if ironed. There is a huge difference in how they feel after ironing. Its not about looks..its about feel. I can not sleep on un ironed percales.

AJ..I am not putting you down for not ironing yours, not at all...I realize not everyone has the time or desire to iron. If they feel good just with a hand smooth that's all that matters. Just don't start ironing them for awhile than stop, you will notice a huge difference lol and you may never sleep again. Haha.

My husband does our ironing simply because he says I don't do a good job, I will ask him to give it a try. Ha ha! My mom used to put my dads shirts in the fridge with starch before ironing so she may have ironed sheets. I should ask her! We love them just hand smooth though! They are amazing.

The sheet wholesaler who gave me a good deal of my information actually recommends hand smoothing because I don't think he believes anyone will iron sheets. Evidently that's what he does at home. Of course, he doesn't sell percale. Funny.

Until about the early 1990s there were Chinese laundries in NYC and everything -- sheets and shirts -- went there weekly. They came back crisp in a neat bundled wrapped with paper and tied with string each week.

IMO there is nothing like ironed percale especially after a few years. @mamapinky sure has that right.

LOl..Roc I have been sleeping on ironed percale a whole lotta years ..lol. when Larsi shared his non iron technique with percales I tried it but I think I've slept on the ironed ones too long...lets just say the next morning they were rewashed and ironed. Which is my point...don't get used to bed time luxury at its finest if you don't plan to maintain it haha.

Oh, but pinky, maintenance is so much work. Most spend time in their gardens. I hate gardening. So I do indoor gardening!

Lol Roc...guess we all choose our priorities, but most of them over there are old enough to know 100% cotton percale= ironing lol...my point being why in the world buy it and than complain of wrinkling...silly people.